NTS Guide to: Boleros

Bolero was once termed the 'quintessential Latin American romantic song of the twentieth century', a Cuban genre originating in the late 19th century out of the trova tradition, pioneered by troubadour Pepe Sánchez. Boleros are defined by their love-themed lyrics, but musically can take a variety of forms; as such it has such been fused with a variety of other genres over time such as rumba, mambo, and chachachá - giving the genre such an enduring and timeless quality. The boleros were originally sung by single trovadores playing guitar, but it soon became popular for trovadores to play in groups as dúos, tríos, cuartetos. After gaining global popularity, boleros paved the way for the filin movement in Havana - a word derived from feeling, describing a style of post-microphone jazz-influenced romantic song. This Guide To covers the most romantic exitos of the genres bolero and filin, crooners for the month of love.