Jamaican Rumba

The Jamaican Rumba is perhaps one of Arthur Benjamin’s best-known individual compositions. It is part of a 1938 work for two pianos called Two Jamaican Pieces, Jamaican Song and Jamaican Rumba. The originalversion was an immediate hit among duo-pianists. Its success prompted Benjamin to write a full orchestration for it. The Rumba is a lively yet relaxed dance movement, with the spirit of a dance that might be heard in one of themany Fred Astaire movies of the day.