In their earliest forms samba, rumba, calypso, bomba and plena were played exclusively by percussion orchestras. They used gourds, bamboo and other materials that were difficult to identify as "musical instruments" in a period when African instruments and music were illegal in the Americas. The keyboard instrument from which Bambula takes its name, is just such an instrument and is made from various lengths of bamboo creating harmonies alongside the bandolím [mandolin], marimba, marímbula and steel drums [pans].

Santiago de Cuba --> Havana --> Seattle

Between 1920-25 the son appeared in Havana. The son is the most popular Cuban music and dance genre of the 20th century, and the oldest national form, the earliest known example being Son de la Má Teodora. The origins and definitions of the formal musical elements of son are elusive to denote insofar as there is no single meter, rhythmic pattern or instrumental setup that characterizes the genre. However, the performance style and its origins in Santiago de Cuba seem to be what most experts agree upon as acceptably classifying criteria. Likewise, the heart of the performance style is the "anticipated bass," the bass rhythm pulse that precedes the expected downbeat [tresillo] and lends the distinctive "push" that characterizes all Cuban music derived from the son, namely salsa. Many consider Trío Matamoros -- founded in Santiago de Cuba in 1912 -- to have defined the sound of the modern son and to be responsible for bringing it to Havana in 1920. Other groups eventually settled in Havana where more instruments were added until a standard sextet ensemble came to represent urban son in the 1920s, the instrumental lineup of which consisted of guitar, tres, marímbula, double bass and two vocalists (who played maracas and claves). In the 1930s, the sextet became a septet with the addition of a trumpet.

The Septeto is the modern instrumental format for the son, consisting of guitar, tres (in rural ensembles) or piano (in urban ensembles), marímbula (in rural ensembles) or double bass (in urban ensembles), bongos, trumpet and two singers who play claves and maracas. It is an outgrowth of the sexteto ensembles, which began adding a trumpet to the standard lineup around 1930 to increase overall volume in outdoor venues.