Trompeta china

Trompeta china is also the Spanish name for the Chinese trumpetfish (also known as Painted flute mouth)

The trompeta china (also called corneta china), a Cuban traditional wind instrument, is actually the Chinese suona, an instrument in the oboe family introduced to Cuba by Chinese immigrants during the colonial period (specifically the late nineteenth century).

The trompeta china is used primarily in Cuban carnival music, particularly in the eastern region of Santiago, where it is an integral part of the comparsa (carnival musical ensemble). The instrument has also been adopted for use in some forms of son. Players of the trompeta china are not necessarily of Chinese ancestry, and the instrument's playing style is more imitative of a trumpet than of the traditional playing style of the suona or any other Chinese instrument.

In addition to its use in Cuba, the Canadian jazz saxophonist and flutist Jane Bunnett has taken up the trompeta china and uses it with her Afro-Cuban jazz band.

External links

• Cuban article about trompeta china (Spanish)