According to Jose Millet and Rafael Brea in their book 'Folkloric Groups of Santiago de Cuba', a paseo is 'an attractive element during carnival, using the instruments of a jazz band along with a large number of drums, playing the latest popular tunes.'
Paseo Malanga follows this formula with a combination of saxophones, trumpets and trombone alongside a percussion section comprising 2 or 3 bells, 3 'bocuses' (long conical congas), a quinto (the small improvising conga), and 2 or 3 'bombos' (parading bass drums). Of course, this line-up is designed to be heard parading on the street and the music accompanies a 'caballito' (horse dancer) and sometimes other dancers wearing costumes and using props associated with carnaval in Santiago such as 'capas' (cloaks), 'munequones' (big heads), spinning 'farolas' and not forgetting frilly shirts!
The music of Malanga, like any paseo, is all from the street and mostly from Santiago de Cuba- we play famous congas such as 'una dos y tres', 'mirala que Linda viene', 'Al carnaval de oriente me voy', 'La Chambelona', 'La textilera', 'Con el Pin Pin Pin', 'flores, flores', 'La conga de Los Hoyos e'conocida', 'se Formo el Rumbon', 'Va llover', 'Yayabo'and many others, alongside other street tunes such as 'Timbalada' which comes from brasil. Most of these tunes consist of a verse which is repeated over and over, alternating between horns and voices and then a chorus which again passes between an increasingly wild set of voices and horns….
Finally- why 'Paseo Malanga'? Simply- Malanga was a famous rumbero, malanga is an earthy root veg and in Santiago, 'A mi, malanga' means 'It don't bother me'.