Bass Lines by Jaime Vazquez: Latin Grooves in Pop Music

This is it! The last article for the 2011. What a wonderful year! Thank you to all the BMM staff & the Community. I told you, Bass Musician Magazine is taking over the world.

Latin music has been influencing music since a long time ago. You can hear latin grooves in jazz, rock, pop, etc. In the last decades, we have seen a strong presence of Latin-flavored in pop music, specially in the bass lines. Why? Simple! It gives a strong sense of groove for danceable music.

Fig. 1 – “La Bomba,” a smash hit from Ricky Martin. This is the third single from the album “Vuelve,” released on June 16, 1998. The groove is a bass tumbao. Amazing!

Fig. 2 – “Buleria,” one of the top hits from the Spanish pop singer David Bisbal. Released in Spain early 2004. The bass line is a good example of dance music with a latin flavor.

Fig. 3 – “Lola,” one of the most danceable hits from Chayanne and one of the three singles from his album called “Mi Tiempo.” Released on April 10, 2007. Intense bass groove!

Fig. 4 – “Tres Deseos,” the hit single from the Puerto Rican Diva Ednita Nazario. The danceable hit from her twelfth album called “Metamorfosis.” This is the perfect example of mixing the elements of pop and salsa. The bass line is a very cool groove, great for slapping the bass tumbaos. It was released in 1992 and it sounds so new and fresh.

Have a wonderful new year! Happy Holidays and keep grooving!