Bolero

The romantic song of Cuba and Mexico — trios, crooners and the slow ache of filin.

What you're really asking

You're asking about the bolero: the romantic ballad that ran through Cuba and Mexico across the twentieth century, and its more intimate, jazz-touched Cuban cousin, filin. It is music of voice and sentiment, from solo trovadores to the great close-harmony trios.

Where it sits

The bolero grew out of nineteenth-century Cuban trova and spread across Latin America, with Mexico becoming a second home. Composers like Agustín Lara and Álvaro Carrillo wrote standards, trios such as Los Panchos and Los Tres Reyes defined the harmony sound, and in Havana the filin movement, through José Antonio Méndez and others, brought a jazz-informed intimacy.

The scene

Who: Agustín Lara, Álvaro Carrillo, José Antonio Méndez, Los Panchos, Los Tres Reyes, Los Tres Diamantes and the great interpreters. Where: Cuba and Mexico above all.

What: romantic song built on voice and close harmony, from trova to filin. How a record gets in: it is part of this bolero and filin tradition.