TABOO - Free Jazz Leadsheet

"Taboo" was composed by Cuban songwriter Margarita Lecuona and published in 1934. The earliest well-known recording was made in 1941 by the Lecuona Cuban Boys in Havana, a version that helped popularize Latin dance music internationally during the early 1940s.

The song later found renewed attention through interpretations by Pérez Prado, Artie Shaw, and numerous Latin-jazz orchestras. Its lyrics (when sung) evoke themes of forbidden desire and exotic allure, though many performances are instrumental. The tune is marked by its characteristic Afro-Cuban rhythmic foundation, built on a repeating ostinato and a haunting minor-mode melody that has made it a lasting favorite of Latin and crossover jazz ensembles.