bongos
A pair of small, open-bottomed drums of Cuban origin, played between the knees with the fingers and palms, essential to Latin and Afro-Cuban music.
In Depth
Bongos consist of two small drums — the larger hembra (female) and smaller macho (male) — joined by a bridge. They originated in eastern Cuba in the late 19th century within the son cubano tradition and became integral to a wide range of Latin music styles. The player (bongosero) typically holds the drums between the knees, producing tones ranging from crisp high attacks to warm low thuds through varied hand techniques.
The bongos became widely known outside Latin music through the beatnik culture of the 1950s, though stereotypical bongo-playing beatniks bore little resemblance to skilled Cuban percussionists. In authentic Latin music, the bongosero often switches to a cowbell during the montuno section for greater projection. Master bongoseros like José Mangual Sr. and Roberto Roena elevated the instrument to a virtuosic art form within salsa and Latin jazz.
During the beatnik era of the 1950s, bongos became so associated with counterculture that some American apartment buildings explicitly banned them in lease agreements.