It provides several examples of Caribbean influences in New Orleans jazz and explains how referring to the Caribbean connection as 'Spanish' is quite far from the truth. Anywho, here is an interesting article about the similarities that exist between Caribbean and New Orleans jazz. Indeed, I was quite surprised after attending a Haitian rara concert by how similar the music is to New Orleans dixieland and jazz. However, their common African substratum and incessant cross-cultural exchanges between the Islands and New Orleans have led to a lot of commonalities that abound today in New Orleans jazz, ragtime, some blues, and even R&B and rock. Thus, Jamaican mento or reggae is clearly distinct from Cuban son or mambo, just as Haitian rara is different from Dominican merengue or Trinidadian calypso. However, Caribbean music is obviously not monochromatic Spanish, French, English, indigenous and African influences combined to form unique rhythms and musical styles that continue to separate various forms of Caribbean music in spite of a common African origin for most music of the region. That's why New Orleans music tends to sound very similar to Caribbean music: very melodic, polyrhythmic, syncopated, light-hearted, dance music. New Orleans, a cosmopolitan city in the 19th century that was more Caribbean and Creole than Anglo-American, had always been exchanging people, language, religion, and music with Haiti, Cuba, Spain, and other Caribbean cities. American music has always been influenced by Caribbean and Latin American music. So I've realized that my earlier post about Latin/Spanish-influenced American music is incomplete.

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