Title of piece: “Loíza”
Date of composition: 2003
Date of performance/recording: 2003. El Abayarde. New York: Sony International.
Composer/Lyricist: Tego Calderón
Performer/Instruments: Vocals, congas, synthesized percussion, maracas, electric bass and piano
Form: Rapped vocals over cyclic percussion
Tempo: duple

What to Listen for:

  • Almost the entire piece foreground a variant of bombadrumming (compare with the bomba segment in Listening Ex. 5.5)
  • Note when the reggaetonbeat stops and starts, and how the rhythmic texture varies
  • There are references to Puerto Rican politicians and social issues in the complete lyrics; do background research to learn more about them

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