Merengue
From Wikinfo
Merengue is a style of music that was created by Ñico Lora in the 1920s in the Dominican Republic; however, it was promoted by Rafael Trujillo, the president in the 1930s, and eventually became the country’s national music and dance style. Some famous merengue performers include Juan Luis Guerra, Johnny Ventura, Fernando Villalona and Elvis Crespo. It is traditionally played in 2/4 meter, at a fast tempo. The traditional instrumentation for a conjunto tipico (tipical group) is a diatonic accordion, a tambora and a güira. The typical merengue rhythm is called quintillo, and some say that if the merengue is played without quintillo, then it is not a merengue at all. Today, orquesta, or big band, merengue is most popular. It uses a large horn section with paired saxophones, piano, timbales, hi-hat, backup singers, and conga in addition to tambora, guira, and bass. In modern merengue típico a saxophone is an addition to the accordion, along with electric bass guitar.
