Rumba is mostly remembered in the U.S. from flashy pre-1960 Cuban dance orchestras, but the music has ancient roots. On Mabagwe, San Francisco-based Los Rumberos de la Bahia perform a mix of older rumba tunes and originals in the vintage style. The ensemble focuses on percussion and call-and-response vocals with subtly different rhythms representing various rumba subgenres—all of it distinctly African in origin. “Mabagwe” means “Remembrance” in Yoruba and paying tribute to heritage is the group’s objective.
