Bang Bang
Joe Cuba Sextet · 1966 · from the album Wanted Dead or Alive (Bang! Bang! Push, Push, Push) · written by Joe Cuba & Jimmy Sabater
A party in a song: the boogaloo hit that mixed Latin rhythm with R&B and crossed over to the US pop and R&B charts.
- boogaloo
- congas
Why it matters
Joe Cuba, a New York conga player of Puerto Rican descent, led a small sextet that became one of the architects of Latin boogaloo: Afro-Cuban rhythm mixed with American R&B and soul, sung partly in English, by and for young Nuyoricans.
Bang Bang, which Cuba wrote with singer Jimmy Sabater, came out in 1966 and crossed over: it reached number 63 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 21 on the R&B chart.
Boogaloo was the sound of New York's Latin dance floors in the second half of the 1960s, just before salsa took over.
What to listen for
- Chanted vocals, partly in English, over a Latin groove: it's meant to sound like a party, and that's the boogaloo attitude.
- A steady, mid-tempo beat that's easy to find. Boogaloo is closer to soul music than to a big salsa band, so play with the groove: shines, styling, and moves you'd do to R&B.
- Under the chanting, the Latin percussion never stops. Try to pick out the congas.