Rhythms of Race: Cuban Musicians and the Making of Latino New York City and Miami, 1940-1960 (Envisioning Cuba)

"Among the nearly 90,000 Cubans who settled in New York City and Miami in the 1940s and 1950s were numerous musicians and entertainers, black and white, who did more than fill dance halls with the rhythms of the rumba, mambo, and cha cha chá. In her history of music and race in midcentury America, Christina D. Abreu argues that these musicians, through their work in music festivals, nightclubs, social clubs, and television and film productions, played central roles in the development of Cuban, Afro-Cuban, Latino, and Afro-Latino identities and communities. Abreu draws from previously untapped oral histories, cultural materials, and Spanish-language media to uncover the lives and broader social and cultural significance of these vibrant performers. Keeping in view the wider context of the domestic and international entertainment industries, Abreu underscores how the racially diverse musicians in her study were also migrants and laborers. Her focus on the Cuban presence in New York City and Miami before the Cuban Revolution of 1959 offers a much needed critique of the post-1959 bias in Cuban American studies as well as insights into important connections between Cuban migration and other twentieth-century Latino migrations." -- Provided by publisher "Among the nearly 90,000 Cubans who settled in New York City and Miami in the 1940s and 1950s were numerous musicians and entertainers, black and white, who did more than fill dance halls with the rhythms of the rumba, mambo, and cha cha chá. In her history of music and race in midcentury America, Christina D. Abreu argues that these musicians, through their work in music festivals, nightclubs, social clubs, and television and film productions, played central roles in the development of Cuban, Afro-Cuban, Latino, and Afro-Latino identities and communities. Abreu draws from previously untapped oral histories, cultural materials, and Spanish-language media to uncover the lives and broader social and cultural significance of these vibrant performers. Keeping in view the wider context of the domestic and international entertainment industries, Abreu underscores how the racially diverse musicians in her study were also migrants and laborers. Her focus on the Cuban presence in New York City and Miami before the Cuban Revolution of 1959 offers a much needed critique of the post-1959 bias in Cuban American studies as well as insights into important connections between Cuban migration and other twentieth-century Latino migrations." -- Provided by publisher Among The Nearly 90,000 Cubans Who Settled In New York City And Miami In The 1940s And 1950s Were Numerous Musicians And Entertainers, Black And White, Who Did More Than Fill Dance Halls With The Rhythms Of The Rumba, Mambo, And Cha Cha Chá. In Her History Of Music And Race In Midcentury America, Christina D. Abreu Argues That These Musicians, Through Their Work In Music Festivals, Nightclubs, Social Clubs, And Television And Film Productions, Played Central Roles In The Development Of Cuban, Afro-cuban, Latino, And Afro-latino Identities And Communities. Abreu Draws From Previously Untapped Oral Histories, Cultural Materials, And Spanish-language Media To Uncover The Lives And Broader Social And Cultural Significance Of These Vibrant Performers--provided By Publisher. Race And The Roots/routes Traced By Latin Musicians -- Cuban Musicians And New York City's Cuban Social Clubs -- A Place For Nation In The Diaspora -- La Prensa's Musical Popularity Contests And Fundraising Festivals -- Real And Imagined Representations Of (afro-)cubanness And Latinness -- Cubans In Miami's Panamerican Paradise. Christina D. Abreu. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Among the nearly 90,000 Cubans who settled in New York City and Miami in the 1940s and 1950s were numerous musicians and entertainers, black and white, who did more than fill dance halls with the rhythms of the rumba, mambo, and cha cha chá. Presenting a history of music and race in midcentury America, this book argues that these musicians, through their work in music festivals, nightclubs, social clubs, and television and film productions, played central roles in the development of Cuban, Afro-Cuban, Latino, and Afro-Latino identities and communities. The book draws from previously untapped oral histories, cultural materials, and Spanish-language media to uncover the lives and broader social and cultural significance of these vibrant performers. This work considers the daily lives of adolescent mothers as they negotiate the child welfare system to meet the needs of their children and themselves. Often categorised as dependent and delinquent, these young women routinely become wards of the state as they move across the legal and social borders of a fragmented urban bureaucracy Race and the roots/routes traced by Latin musicians Cuban musicians and New York City's Cuban social clubs A place for nation in the diaspora La Prensa's musical popularity contests and fund-raising festivals Real and imagined representations of (Afro- )Cubanness and Latinness Cubans in Miami's Pan-American paradise.