For the last century, probably no region has contributed more rhythmic vitality to the global soundscape than Latin America and the Caribbean. More than any other musical element, it has been the uniquely compelling rhythms that have driven the early twentieth-century Parisian vogue of the tango, the transnational spread of salsa and Cuban dance music, and the current global appeal of Jamaican reggae and dance hall. Much of this rhythmic dynamism is a product of the development of syncretic idioms drawing from African as well as European roots. This ongoing and endlessly creative process has generated a great variety of rhythmic styles, and is supplemented by other vital music genres, such as northern Mexican conjunto music and Trinidadian tassa drumming, that owe little or nothing to African influence.