polyrhythms

One of the more exciting pieces of the night was "polyrhythms," featuring industrial, nearly robotic music, choreography, and costumes, which functioned as a commentary on the constrained, repetitive rhythms of modern life, and perhaps even the roles women can play or embody within it.

Jennifer Schneider: The Little Dance Company That Could

The central African forest culture of the Kongo brought the polyrhythms that later underscored dance rhythms from Harlem to Havana, Rio, and Trinidad.

The Bushman Way of Tracking God

Mr. Sánchez's nylon-string guitar rises atop the polyrhythms in the song "11:11" until Mr. Wilson offers a jazzy interlude; Mr. Sánchez then returns with a solo on lap steel guitar, a new instrument for him.

Detour Through Cuba

(Soundbite of music) WHITEHEAD: Owen Howard echoes West African polyrhythms the way Ed Blackwell did on "Togo."

Owen Howard: Drumming Up 'Lore'

When Cassandra Wilson sings, the spell she casts is more important than the lyrics she utters—the captivating Pan-African-American polyrhythms laid down by guitarist Marvin Sewell , drummer John Davis , bassist Lonnie Plaxico and understated pianist Jon Cowherd ; the moods and grooves she imports from the Caribbean and the Mississippi alike; the mesmerizing quality of her voice; the way she barely varies the tempo (between slow and slower) and dynamics (soft and softer).

The Jazz Scene: Pay Attention to the Words

(Soundbite of music) WHITEHEAD: Owen Howard echoes West African polyrhythms the way Ed Blackwell did on "Togo."

Owen Howard: Drumming Up 'Lore'

When the concert concentrated more on Afro-Cuban music, as on "Changó" and the encore "Los Caminos," both graced by Bambolé enchanting bata drum polyrhythms and sacred chanting to various Afro-Latin orishas, Valdés's goodwill was at its most persuasive.

From Chuco Valdés mixes Cuban and American jazzy idioms at the Warner Theatre

(Soundbite of music) WHITEHEAD: Owen Howard echoes West African polyrhythms the way Ed Blackwell did on "Togo."

Owen Howard: Drumming Up 'Lore'

When the concert concentrated more on Afro-Cuban music, as on "Changó" and the encore "Los Caminos," both graced by Bambolé enchanting bata drum polyrhythms and sacred chanting to various Afro-Latin orishas, Valdés's goodwill was at its most persuasive.

In concert: Chucho Valdés and the Afro-Cuban Messengers at the Warner Theatre

(Soundbite of music) WHITEHEAD: Owen Howard echoes West African polyrhythms the way Ed Blackwell did on "Togo."

Owen Howard: Drumming Up 'Lore'