Understanding the Tango Rhythm

There was this kind of particular rhythm that was called tango at the time, which is kind of related to the modern tango you hear in Argentina, but not a direct link.

It had this kind of rhythm rather than a straight kind of pulse. The rhythm can be described as:

• Dunk, dung, dunk, dunk, dunk, dun, dun, dun, dun.

So you hear this kind of stress on the two and a continuation of dun, dun, dun, dun, dun. This rhythm proliferated throughout the Caribbean and certainly made its way to New Orleans. From that, a beautifully rich tapestry of rhythmic styles developed.

Rhythmic Variations

You've got:

• The straight-up tango rhythm.
• The very Cuban sound, the son montuno, which might sound something like this:

This style has that one, two count with:

• A stress on the two.
• An accent that also crosses the bar line, landing on beat four of the second bar with the bass.

New Orleans Influence

This accent on beat four of the second bar is extremely prevalent in New Orleans music. If you imagine a street beat going on, you hear this stress:

• One, two.

The stress on beat four of the second bar is very common in New Orleans music too.

Example: The Meters

If you look at the song "I Just Kissed My Baby" by The Meters, the riff is based on this very idea. It has a:

• Three, four meter with a very distinctive riff.

If you're not familiar with that tune, do check it out!

Characteristics of the Riff

• It pushes beat four of the second bar.

• There's also a downbeat as well, which adds:

• One, two.

• There is a strong accent on beat four, along with the downbeat.

This combination is definitely influenced by Afro-Cuban and Caribbean rhythms, showcasing how these styles interplay in music.