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Hello all,
I've been wasting many hours cleaning up the "clave (rhythm)" page on Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clave_(rhythm)

(I'm having trouble with pasting the link here. When you go to the Wikipedia page that says "Did you mean: Clave (rhythm)" click on on "Clave (rhythm)" and you will go to the correct page.

I've been slowly learning the protocols of editing in Wiki-land. It is a collaborative effort and one must back up assertions with quotes and citations from reliable sources. I incorporated conflicting opinions (already on the page) into an overview of current clave theory.

Take a look and let me know what you think. Many of you will recognize my standard clave dogma (3-2/2-3 clave, folkloric vs. popular musics, etc.) that I've expressed in this forum and in my book The Clave Matrix.

A Wiki editor created a "bell pattern" page using some of what I wrote on clave. I added to that page and you might find that interesting as well.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_pattern

The charts I put up there show a commonality shared by African, Cuban and Brazilian bell parts.

The "polyrhythm" page was also a mess. I did a little work on that page, but had to make myself stop because editing on Wikipedia can be a never-ending task. There are plenty of classically-trained musicians who are capable of cleaning up the "polyrhythm" page. Interestingly, the "music of Cuba" page is pretty good. It's hit and miss with Wikipedia; some pages are good and others are real lame.
-David

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epicous wrote:Which style of north american music uses the clave?

Lots of them. Blues, rock, funk, soul, NY salsa, electronica and dance music, latin jazz and jazz to name a few.

epicous wrote:From the article: " The clave pattern is used in North American popular music as a rhythmic motif or ostinato, or simply a form of rhythmic decoration."Which style of north american music uses the clave?

Editing Wikipedia is a collaborative process. Although I added about 90% of what is now on the clave page, I had to work with what was already there. Ironically, I didn't write the except you cited. Later on in the article, I addressed the issue of clave in North Ameircan music (you will have to go to the Wikipedia page to see the footnotes; they don't transfer in the cut-and-paste job I did here):

The two-celled clave pattern in African American music

Afro-Cuban music became the conduit through which African American music was "re-Africanized," through the borrowing of figures like clave and instruments like the conga drum, maracas and claves.[64] Although clave-like phrases are found in early twentieth-century African American music, the use of the clave pattern as a dominant rhythmic motif does not appear until the 1940s and 50s, coinciding with the rising popularity of Cuban music in the U.S.

The first jazz song to be overtly based in-clave was "Tanga" (1942) by Mario Bauza. Bauzá introduced be-bop innovator Dizzy Gillespie to the Cuban conga drummer Chano Pozo. The short musical collaboration of Gillespie and Pozo introduced Cuban rhythms into mainstream jazz. However, their groundbreaking experiments did not always mesh rhythmically. For example, in their 1948 performance of "Manteca" the clave pattern is played in 3-2, while the rest of the band is in 2-3. The best attempts at superimposing jazz over a clave-based structure in the 1950s were perhaps achieved by Machito and his Afro-Cubans' big band (under the musical direction of Mario Bauzá) and the smaller Latin jazz combos of Cal Tjader (featuring drummers Mongo Santamaria, Armando Peraza and Willie Bobo).

In response to the popularity of the mambo, New Orleans musicians such as Dave Bartholomew and Professor Longhair incorporated Cuban instruments, as well as the clave pattern and related two-celled figures in songs such as "Carnival Day," (Bartholomew 1949) and "Mardi Gras In New Orleans" (Longhair). While some of these early experiments were awkward fusions, it wasn't long before the Afro-Cuban elements were integrated into the New Orleans sound.

The "Bo Diddley beat" (1955) is perhaps the first true fusion of clave and R&B/rock 'n' roll. It remains unclear where Bo Diddley first heard the rhythm. According to Bo Diddley himself in an interview published in French music magazine Best in 1990, his inspiration was American spirituals. Johnny Otis' "Willie and the Hand Jive" is another example of this successful blend. The song "Little Darling" is also built around clave. The bass riffs of "China Grove" by the Doobie Brothers use clave. The bass line in the 1973 arrangement of Herbie Hancock's "Watermellon Man" (from the album Head Hunters) is based on "son" clave. The Macarena uses clave. There are hundreds of other examples throughout jazz and popular music.

Very interesting. Going to make a translation to the Spanish page.

Cool! Thanks!