Juan Formell
Founder of Los Van Van and the principal architect of songo — Juan Formell created the most influential Cuban popular dance band of the second half of the 20th century and the rhythmic bridge between son and timba.
About
Juan Formell founded Los Van Van in 1969, initially as part of the orquesta típica format but quickly evolving toward the hybrid songo style that would define the group's sound. His central innovation was incorporating the drum set into the Cuban charanga format alongside the traditional timbales, and allowing electric bass and synthesizers to replace traditional acoustic instruments. The result was a new genre that kept the clave and son structure intact while absorbing rock, funk, and jazz influences.
Los Van Van became the most popular dance band in Cuba — a position they held for four decades. Formell's arrangements and compositions shaped what Cuban dancers expect from a live band: the gear changes, the mambo sections, the call-and-response between vocalist and brass. His son José Luis "Changuito" Quintana was the drummer who codified the songo drumming style.
Dances
- Danzón – The quintessential Cuban ballroom dance, elegant and formal, often seen as the "national dance of Cuba."
- Danzonete – A sung variant of danzón that became popular in the 1920s–30s.
- Cha-cha-chá – Created in the 1950s by Enrique Jorrín while playing with a charanga; specifically designed for charanga orchestras.
- Pachanga – A playful dance and rhythm from the late 1950s/early 1960s, closely linked to charanga bands.
- Mambo (in its earlier Cuban form) – Before the big-band New York mambo, charangas also played early mambo-style danzones.
- Charanga is a Cuban ensemble style and musical tradition that dates back to the early 20th century. It became especially popular in the 1940s–50s and played a crucial role in the evolution of salsa, timba, and Latin jazz.
Lees meer >Timba is the music this site is dedicated to exploring. It emerged as a distinct genre in the late 1980s and crystallized in the early 1990s — born in a moment of social crisis, built on the full accumulated history of Cuban music, and still evolving today.
Lees meer >Songo is a Cuban music and dance style that emerged in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It bridges Afro-Cuban rhythms with modern influences like funk, rock, and jazz.
Lees meer >Songo is the direct bridge between traditional Cuban music and timba. Developed by Los Van Van in the early 1970s, it rewired Cuban popular music by absorbing funk, rock, and jazz into the Afro-Cuban rhythmic foundation — and laid the groundwork that timba would build on.
Lees meer >The horn layer over the montuno: short, powerful and rhythmically intense riffs that the horns lay over the ongoing groove, building energy toward the climax of the song.
Lees meer >Cuba is the largest island in the Caribbean and the birthplace of some of the world's most influential music and dance traditions. African, Spanish, and French cultural streams collided here over centuries of colonial history, producing an extraordinary creative culture that exported itself across the globe.
Lees meer >The drum set (batería) is the Western kit with kick drum, snare, toms, hi-hat and cymbals. In Cuban dance music it became important with the songo of Los Van Van, and it is now a fixed part of timba.
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The claves are two round sticks of hardwood. Struck together, they give a high, sharp click that cuts through the whole band. On the claves you play the clave rhythm, the pattern that Cuban music is built on.
Lees meer >The timbales (pailas criollas) are a pair of shallow, metal-shell drums mounted on a stand, played with wooden sticks. They are the rhythmic engine of charanga orchestras and play a critical role in timba.
Lees meer >The electric bass is the dominant bass instrument in timba and modern Cuban popular music, replacing the upright bass from the 1970s onward. In timba specifically, the electric bass became a lead voice — fiery, improvisational, and deeply integrated with the percussion.
Lees meer >The trombone is the defining brass voice of timba. Where earlier Cuban popular music relied primarily on trumpets, timba shifted the brass weight toward trombones — giving the music a deeper, darker, more aggressive horn sound.
Lees meer >The bridge (Spanish: puente) is a short transitional section, usually between the verse and the montuno. The band prepares the jump into the montuno: the groove changes and the energy rises.
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