Music is an essential component of most Latin American cultures. A lot of festivities in this area are devoted to the enrichment of the music scene. Costa Rica is no exception, as the citizens of this country enjoy a wide array of musical options, making it more diverse than the music scene of much of its neighbors. Sadly, this is given little international credit.
The most popular musical genres in Costa Rica include an indigenous version of calypso, disco (which is widely employed in the big-city night clubs), pop, and rock and roll. For the older Costa Ricans, dance-based genres like meringue and salsa are quite popular.
Folk music also has its place in this Caribbean nation. Like most of its neighbors, its folk music has a very strong African influence, with the marimba as one of the most popular instruments for this genre.
A couple of musical groups concentrate on this genre, such as Cantares, which has been helping to popularize the genre once again. The region of Guanacaste, meanwhile, is considered to be the best region to go to if you really want to hear more of Costa Rican folk music.
Now if you want to go and listen to a bit of jazz, you won't be disappointed. Jazz bars are also somewhat popular in this nation, especially in the upscale neighborhoods of Escazu and San Jose.
Today, a numbr of bands are popular when it comes to contemporary music. These bands are led by Malpais, a Guanacaste-based band that specializes in fusing both Costa Rican folk music with rock and jazz. For this, the band has become widely known in Costa Rica and some surrounding areas.
Finally, you can also never go wrong with Latin music, which also has a place in the heart of the Costa Rican music scene.
