Bongo bell (campana, 2-3)

When the montuno arrives the bongosero puts down the bongó and picks up the hand-held campana. Its job is the opposite of the mambo bell's: it holds the pulse down with big open strokes on the downbeats (the "mouth" of the bell) and closed strokes between them, adding only the ands that point at the clave: the and-of-4 going into the 3-side and the and-of-2 inside it. Players vary those ands freely; this is one common version. Against the mambo bell on the timbales the two bells interlock into the characteristic salsa bell texture. Hear it with the clave muted and notice that the clave is still audible in the bell's choices.