Jamaica's reggae and ska, soca and calypso from Trinidad and Barbados, Haitian compas, zouk from Martinique and Guadeloupe, Cuban and Puerto Rican salsa, merengue from the Dominican Republic, the multicultural fusions of Aruba and Curacao, and the bouncing punta of Belize are just a few of the hundreds of local music styles that entrance visitors.

Musical cousins, these styles share a common legacy of the blending of African and European traditions. The results of this shared history are wonderfully varied, and each island has developed a unique musical heritage.

Behind the tranquil facade of the Caribbean basin lies an eventful and occasionally violent history which has resulted in one of the globe's most culturally rich regions. Disease and abuse at the hands of European colonizers decimated the native Arawak, Caribe and Taíno Indians. For centuries, the Caribbean islands became pawns on a political chessboard as Spain, Britain, France, the Netherlands and Portugal engaged in wars to gain control of the profitable plantations.

African slaves, brought in chains to work the sugar, coffee and tobacco fields, eventually outnumbered the Europeans. It is an ironic blessing that from these seeds of suffering has grown such a musical bounty. As with the Europeans who came to the region, the Africans brought various languages, religions, beliefs, traditions, and cultural expressions.

Over time, Europeans and Africans borrowed from and imposed upon each other, eventually developing unique local cultures that reflect elements of both. During the colonial wars, islands frequently changed hands, going from Spanish control to the British then the Dutch and back again. Like a tropical punch, the different cultures blended, resulting in intoxicating musical concoctions.