The "American-African folk music" in Latin America refers to the African music brought by black slaves and evolved over a long period of time in Latin America. In this kind of music, African elements play a big role, but elements from other musical cultures are also absorbed and integrated. The first time black slaves arrived in the Americas was in 1518. In the following 350 years, nearly ten million black slaves were transported to the Americas, most of which were concentrated in the Caribbean and Brazil, and a small number in North America. Most of the black slaves came from Angola in west and southwestern Africa. Under the oppression of slavery, they tenaciously maintained their culture. Dance, music, mythology, religious rituals, etc. are the most precious things in their national culture, and after being passed down from generation to generation, the core part has finally survived. The slaves were emancipated. After the country gained independence, these traditional cultures experienced new developments, and eventually even left a special mark on the music culture of the dominant white people.

Of course, African music in Latin America has also been influenced by various different musics and has changed. Generally speaking, they are more influenced by European music than Indian music. Of course, each region is different. For example, Haiti, Guyana, Suriname and the Bahia Province in northeastern Brazil have the closest ties with African traditions and retain the most African music culture, followed by countries such as Jamaica, Trinidad, Cuba, and Central America. And South America - there are many black people living in coastal areas of some countries, so there is also American - African music. However, the influence of ethnicity and race on music is not absolute. For example, the black Caribbean people in Honduras, Central America, are influenced by the surrounding Indians, and their music reflects Indian culture, while some Indian music in Trinidad has black characteristics. Characteristics of music. It can be seen that culture is the decisive factor.

Due to the varying degrees of retained African musical elements and absorption and integration of other music cultures, African music in Latin America also presents various forms and richness. Colorful scene.

In Haiti, a country where 95% of the population is black, the traditional religion from West Dahomey is mixed with Catholicism to form Voodoo. Voodoo rituals include singing, dancing and drumming to summon the gods. Most of Haiti's traditional songs and dances are related to voodoo rituals. A Haitian composer once wrote: "We are Latin Americans, and our Latin culture is only on the surface, but deep down is soaked in primitive African sentiments... Our senses are naturally attracted to the Voodoo ritual dance. It responds to the syncopated rhythm in the song, which fills us with passion." The rhythm of Haitian drums also retains the characteristics of Africa. The mother drum, father drum, and baby drum are three drums of different sizes and pitches, plus two kinds of sounders, which means five different rhythms are played at the same time. , making people feel uneven, one after another, but integrated, the drum playing gradually speeds up, exciting, until the climax.

In Brazil, the Yoruba people from Nigeria, West Africa, combine traditional culture with local traditions into a ritual called Makomba, which is a tribute to the mother of all gods, the sea goddess Iemanha. of worship. Ceremonies often include all-night singing, dancing and drumming. In the past, most black people participated, but now this mysterious singing and dancing also attracts intellectuals and artists. Makomba, held on the beach, attracts thousands of people dressed in costumes, holding flowers, candles, dancing and playing drums and walking into the sea.

Samba is the national dance of Brazil. Its musical characteristics are major key, double beat and brisk speed, which are similar to the characteristics of African music. The Samba Carnival in Rio de Janeiro is a wonderful combination of Catholic festivals and African singing and dancing traditions. In fact, it is a mass costume parade and entertainment activity, which has European instruments and costumes, but the black influence is the main one, from the music It can be clearly seen in , dance and makeup. At the beginning of this century, Brazilian racists tried to exclude the influence of black people on the Carnival, but it was the black America-African music and dance that added bright colors and infinite charm to the Carnival. Brazilian musicians also compose carnival marches and ballads for the Carnival every year, and conduct awards and promotions. Now Brazil's Samba Carnival has become a worldwide festival.

In the Caribbean area to the north of Colombia, a typical American-African song and dance "Gombia" is popular. The movements are prominent and the rhythm is strong and changeable. Sometimes the male dancers also hold a small drum and dance while beating it. The accompaniment instruments include three drums of different sizes, a bamboo rattle, a folk clarinet, and sometimes accompaniment. The dance and music are very moving.

The island countries of Cuba, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean have very rich American-African music. Their rhythms are more complex than those of Brazil, and the changes and contrasts in the timbres of instruments are very strong. , the European element in music increased. The main types of song and dance music include rumba, pine, salsa, meringue, mambo, limbo, cha cha cha, calypso, reggae, etc.

Calypso is a Caribbean music, dance, and song genre derived from African and West Indian folk music. It was originally a labor song of black slaves on the island of Trinidad. They often use various dialects to confuse their masters, plot rebellion, etc. After the abolition of slavery, calypso had new developments. The ancient calypso melody was simple, in the form of a call-and-response, and until the early 19th century was only accompanied by drums, rattles and sticks. Later, influenced by Spanish and Venezuelan music, the melody became more beautiful, and the lyrics were related to current events and characters, and adopted satirical, teasing, and humorous techniques. Calypso later became the traditional carnival music of Trinidad. Before the Carnival, in the capital Port of Spain, musicians try out new carapso every night, and then 1-2 are selected as the theme song or parade song of the Carnival. Each year a singer is chosen as Emperor or Queen of Calypso. The tone of calypso is based on 50 traditional tunes, using 2/4 or 4/4 rhythm, the phrases are not regular, and the accompaniment is also changed to brass. During the Carnival, when people dance and sing the calypso in the streets, its steps are similar to the samba, and it is accompanied by a steel drum band, this wonderful instrument made of gasoline drums is also a Trini The invention of black descendants on the island has now spread throughout the world.

Reggae is urban folk music on the island of Jamaica. It was produced in the 1960s and is a fusion of African-Jamaican music (which is a mixture of West African music elements and British elements) and North American black music. . Reggae has the basis of Western melody and harmony, African timbre and rhythm, and the influence of American pop music. Commonly used electroacoustic instruments accompaniment, with strong rhythm and loud volume. Reggae was first sung by the lower class people in Jamaica, expressing their dissatisfaction and ridicule of social injustice through songs.

Calypso and reggae are both outstanding creations of the people of the Caribbean and one of the representatives of American-African music in Latin America. They have spread to the Americas and around the world. In short, the characteristics of Latin American-African music can be summarized as follows: more heptatonic scales are used, rhythm plays a major role in the music, and the rhythm is strong, complex and diverse. Lots of syncopation, lots of lines and lots of rhythm. The vocal range of the songs is not wide. There are many echo-style songs where one person leads the chorus and many people sing. There are many multi-part elements. The segment structure is not square enough. He prefers deep vocal tones. He attaches great importance to percussion instruments, especially drums, and has the ability to improvise. Habitually, the mood and atmosphere of the music are more lively and optimistic.

In addition, just like African music, American-African music also has strong social attributes (closely related to religious sacrifices and social life) and self-entertainment (non-professional creation and performance) Mainly). Audiences who saw calypso performed by the Trinidad and Tobago All-Star Steel Drum Band in Beijing in 1980 remember that the actors were so carried away and mesmerized while playing this carnival music on stage. , dancing and acting as if there is no one else around, as if they have entered another mental state, which is surprising and interesting.