At the same time, the phenomenal success of the Cuban
bolero--melodic love ballads noted for their especially
poetic lyrics--helped spread the fame of the country's
composers and interpreters to the Orient and beyond. A
decade later, such Cuban rhythms as the mambo, rumba, and
Cuban variants of cha-cha gained a fanatic worldwide
following among ballroom dancers and Latin music
aficionados.
In the closing years of the century, time-tested Cuban
forms were embraced by U.S. salsa (popular music of
Latin-American origins) and Latin rock groups, including
such popular performers as guitarist Carlos Santana and
singer Gloria Estefan. Thus updated, a style that at its
core remained essentially folkloric in character spurred the
birth of yet another generation of Cuban music devotees.
Well-known idioms such as the rumba, mambo, and cha-cha
succeeded over the decades in winning the attention of a
mass audience. The popular culture of this little Caribbean
nation became known around the world. However, such triumphs
were often made at the expense of preserving the original
character of authentic, long-ingrained root styles. A focus
on elemental--and often superficial--rhythmic components of
the music was often the overriding factor in attracting the
attention of a broad audience. Subtle stylistic nuances and
an array of rhythmic, orchestral, and lyric influences that
represent almost five centuries of evolution tended to be
trivialized or outright ignored.
