Merengue

This fast, syncopated song-and-dance music of the Dominican Republic is a musical and cultural melting pot. It features vocals in Spanish, accordion (which hails from Germany and Italy), the guiro (a scraper dating back to the Arawak Indians, who first populated the island of Hispaniola), and African percussion, especially tambora and conga. More recently, Merengue artists have added saxophone and electric instruments to the mix. The style continues to mutate and spread through Haiti, Venezuela, and New York City via emigrants from these places.