Latin American Music and Dance

The term Latin American as used here encompasses the Americas south of the United States, as well as Caribian.

During the colonial period in Latin America (16^th-19^th centuries) many Amerindian populations were decimated, and much traditional Amerindian musical culture was destroyed or syncretized with Iberian.

Little concrete evidence remains as to the real nature of pre-conquest music in Aztec, Inca, and Maya civilizations part from the testimony of 16^th century Spanish chroniclers and what can be seen of instrument depicted in hieroglyphs and pottery decorations.

Drums, rattles, scrapers, slit drums (hollowed logs), whistles, vertical flutes, and panpipes were found, with almost total absence of stringed instrument. In performing Yeravi song, the huayno song and dance form, and other genres, modern Andean Amerindian still make extensive use of vertical flutes and panpipes, along with European instrument such as bass drums, harps, and guitars of different size.

In Mesoamerica, Indians now plays harps, fiddles, and guitars bass upon archaic Spanish models, or Marimba of African origin. Only in certain tropical areas (as the Amazon basin) are virtually unacculturated song Ameridian musics found.

The Iberian origins of many song and dance form are evident in a widespread predilection for alternating ¾ and 6/8 meters (hemiola), the use of harps, fiddles, guitars, and many song types derived from Spanish verse structures such as the romanze or villancico. These include the corridor of Mexico, desafio of Brazil, copla of Andean country, and decimal of South America, the Caribbean, and Mexico.

To be continued

Pussycat Dolls Dominate

The Pussycat Dolls haven't left the top of the charts since debuting their flagship hit "Don't Cha" back in 2005, and the girls are back with a new album that will further define their Doll Domination. The new album — featuring guest appearances by Snoop Dog, Missy Elliott, R. Kelly, and more — is available. If you purchase the deluxe version then you'll get the music video for "When I Grow Up."

Genius creates perfect playlists for whatever your mood with Genius. Rediscover your music as Genius compiles playlists of songs from your music library that go great together. And as you select songs from your library, you'll also find recommendations for new songs you don't already have in the Genius sidebar.

Radiohead for those who enjoyed Radiohead's "Nude" remix contest last winter, Radiohead and Apple are giving fans another opportunity to remix a track from the band's latest album, In Rainbows. For just $0.99 cents, you can purchase six separate "stems" for "Reckoner" that can be mixed in infinite ways using GarageBand, Logic, or any other compatible music software platform. Do you have what it takes to be the next great remixer? Reckoner (Instrument Stems) - EP – Radiohead.

Kenny Chesney twelfth studio album just might be his most ambitious yet, and the country star invited some extra special guests to put icing on the cake. Dave Matthews, Willie Nelson, and even the Wailers all appear on Lucky Old Sun, and iTunes is the best place to get exclusive new singles before the album's October 14 release. In addition to the hit single "Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven," the brand-new song "Nowhere to Go, Nowhere to Be" is available exclusively on iTunes.

Single of the Week Ha-Ash is a Mexican-American duo comprised of sisters Hanna and Ashely Perez Mosa. The sisters' blend of modern Latin pop with singer-songwriter sentiments is so dynamic, we had to feature both the English and Spanish versions of their track "Already Home" for our respective free Singles of the Week.