Salsa Music Article

Salsa Dallas in Texas by Luis Delgadillo
This music is the most popular musical genre in the world and regardless of class. But it was born in the neighborhoods of N.Y more than 60 years ago thanks to young Latin American musicians because they emigrated to the North American continent.

Salsa, Is the music most common to danced in the world,  Much has been discussed about the origin of the term “salsa”. One of the most widespread theories is attributed to the Dominican musician Johnny Pacheco, who referred to it as a mixture of Caribbean rhythms such as guaracha, mambo, pachanga, guajira, guagancó and chachachá.

He was also heard to mention the late musician Tito Puente, although he only referred to it as a culinary ingredient.

THE ORIGINS.

From racism, the emigration of Cubans, Dominicans and Puerto Ricans to the United States or the consumption of drugs, were some of the issues with which salsa began to infiltrate among young people, who danced it in clubs in New York and Puerto Rico.

Thus, the orchestras of Tito Puente, Tito Rodríguez and Machito and that of the brothers Charlie and Eddie Palmieri were the “main courses” of the Palladium.

So Cheetah and Copacabana clubs of the city of skyscrapers during the 50s and 60s Likewise, the groups of Willie Colón, Bobby Valentín, Willie Rosario, “El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico”,. But in addition to the missing Ismael Rivera and Héctor Lavoe, appeared almost weekly at clubs in New York such as El Corso, Broadway 96 and Casablanca, during the 70s and 80s.

Most of these artists, as well as other well-known singers such as Panamanian Rubén Blades, Cuban Celia Cruz and Puerto Ricans Cheo Feliciano, Ismael Miranda, Adalberto Santiago, Pete “El conde” Rodríguez and Richie Ray, became the emblematic figures of the record label Fania Records, founded by Pacheco and entrepreneur Jerry Masucci in New York in 1964. Following the initiative of Pacheco and Masucci to create that label, a space was opened to organize the group “Las Estrellas de la Fania”, where there were the best musicians of the moment, like Roberto Roena, Ray Barreto and Papo Lucca, and singers from his label. The group, directed by Pacheco, took the salsa to the highest level of Latin music in all corners. They even filled the old Yankee Stadium in New York in 1973, and a year later, traveled to perform in the African country of Zaire.

1. Salsa Music and Dance Around the World

New York (USA)

Salsa Music

During the 1940s and 50s, Cuban musicians had a huge influence on the New York music scene.But once Fidel came to power, diplomatic relations fell apart between Cuba and the US. Cuban musicians could no longer travel to the United States and Cuban recordings received no air play time. So the Puerto Rican and NuYorican (New Yorkers of Puerto Rican descent) musicians took on The Big Apple single handed.

These days New York salsa has a distinctly Puerto Rican sound ‚ smooth, polished, classic salsa. It tends to follow the jazz structure, incorporating lengthy instrumental breaks to showcase the ability of particular musicians.

Leading musicians playing NewYorican Salsa:

Celia Cruz
Willie Colon
Eddie Palmeiri
The Spanish Harlem Orchestra
Jimmy Bosch

Salsa Dance

The high concentration of Puerto Ricans and NuYoricans in New York, means that the New York salsa dance style is strongly Puerto Rican influenced, with an emphasis on fast flash footwork.

But, there‚is also a strong Latin Hustle influence in New York salsa dancing. It looks like this is a byproduct of the disco craze, which was HUGE in The Big Apple in the late 70‚s and early 80‚s. Take another look at Saturday Night Fever when you get the chance.Tony Manero (John Travolta) is King of the Latin Hustle in the local Brooklyn discos.

When salsa started to move into the Manhatten based clubs in the late 80‚s, many ex-Hustle dancers brought their disco moves into their salsa.

The current New York salsa style is called Mambo or Salsa On 2. It‚s a blend of Puerto Rican salsa and Latin Hustle with the break on the second beat of the clave. New Yorkers are quite fanatical about Salsa On 2 – there‚s stacks of internet sites which debate the finer points of ‚Salsa On 1″ and ‚Salsa On 2″.Explore them if you dare.

2. Los Angeles (USA)

Salsa Music

LA doesn’t have a distinctive salsa music style. Local bands adopt the Puerto Rican classics. Cuban salsa music isn’t popular, as it doesn’t work with the LA dance style.

Salsa Dance

LA style salsa moves are designed to dazzle the spectator – exciting, sexy and flamboyant with lots of dips, spins and drops.

The dominant influences are from Puerto Rican salsa, Latin Ballroom and probably Lindy Hop (an American dance that evolved in Harlem, New York City, in the 1920s and 1930s and originally evolved with the jazz music of that time.)

The LA style “shines” have their roots in Latin Ballroom. Couples break away from each other in the middle of a dance to start “shining”. Women will extend their arms to strike a pose, then play with stylised hip and hair movements.

Men’s shines tend to focus on tricky footwork based on Puerto Rican style salsa.

LA style salsa dancers often develop highly choreographed cartwheel and flip routines into their movements.

3. Cuba

Salsa Music

The contemporary salsa sound coming out of Cuba is called‚ timba. It’s a fast tempo salsa with a strong afro-cuban influence. Songs will often follow a traditional rumba structure – start slow, break into a core salsa rhythm, then settle into a beautiful call and response vocal pattern. The backing vocalists keep the standard response running while the lead vocalist improvises. Ahi Na Ma!

The other feature of cuban timba is that it often blends other rhythms into the breaks. Reggae, rap and hip hop have a huge following in Cuba, and the timba musicians love to play with those rhythms, and intertwine them into their salsa.

Cuban dancers have a lot of fun at these times – they pull back from a close embrace and launch into rhythmic middle body shudders and amazing buttock trembles ‚ all movements derived from afro-cuban rumba.

Leading musicians playing Cuban Timba:

Los Van Van
Pupy Y Los Que Son Son
Maraca
Charanga Habanera
NG La Banda

See more about Timba in “History of Salsa and Timba”

4. Salsa Dance

Cubans call their salsa dance style ‘casino’.

In the decadent days of Old Havana, all the action in town was going down at the Casinos. The gambling haunts had the money to bring in the big name bands, so that’s where people would go to dance.

Come the revolution, the casinos were closed, and the people started to dance ‘casino’ style in the local community halls. The name stuck, so don’t be confused when a Cuban invites you to go out dancing ‘casino’ you’re off to the salsa club!!

Cuban style salsa differs from the north american salsa styles in that it is ‘circular’ rather than linear. The man constantly moves around the woman in a circular dynamic, checking her out and showing her off. Exhibala!

5. Salsa Rueda de Casino (Salsa Rueda) Dance

Rueda de Casino is the correct name in Spanish. “Casino Rueda” or “Salsa Rueda” are English versions of the correct name, due to the fact that the grammatical structure of English is a bit backwards from Spanish!

Rueda is a synchronised cuban group dance with constantly exchanging dance partners.

It started out in the 1950’s at the Casino Deportivo in Havana. The people invented a new casino dance, using popular dance steps of the time, danced as a group in a circle or wheel.

In Cuba, the people used to get together in large halls, called ‘Casinos’ hence the name.

Some say it started in Santiago de Cuba, others say it started in the famed Casino Deportivo in Havana, or the Casino de la Playa, I don’‚t know for sure, I wasn’t there!

When the casinos were closed, people still referred to the dance style by using the name of the places where people used to gather to do it: “casino” and the name stuck.

Nowadays people refer to the music as “salsa” and the dance as “casino”.

Casino itself has its roots in the ‘Danz’n, as well as its derivative and the Son Afro-Cuban dances such as Guaguane the Mambo.

A rhythm invented by Cachao in the world-famous Tropicana Club in Havana, in 1943, and popularized by Perez Prado in Mexico, and “Cha-cha-cha” invented by Enrique Jorre.

Rueda

(as it is commonly called in Cuba) is a form of Casino danced in a round with 2 or more couples exchanging partners when one person calls out the turn names (“Rueda” is Spanish for ‘Wheel’ and ‘Casino’ is known outside of Cuba as ‘Salsa’).

In the old casinos, the rueda circle would only be limited by available space – sometimes as many as 100 couples would dance in the rueda circle !!

Modern rueda uses the same kinds of turns and steps you would normally use in ordinary salsa dancing.
Each move has a name, which is called by the leader of the Rueda. Leaders execute the move and pass the follower around to the next leader in the circle.
Calls come in quick succession, creating an exciting dynamic between the dancers.

The steps that are considered the ‘core’ steps are danced in a similar fashion around the world and are the basic ones.
Some of them are: Al Medio, Abajo, Dile que No, Adios, Adios con Hermana, (called “La Prima” in Cuba and Europe)
Enchufe (or in Miami: Enchufla), etc. The names may vary somewhat, but those are pretty basic steps, and which are danced in Cuba, as well as in Santiago, Chile; Denver, Colorado and even Positano, Italy!

What happens next is a result of dance in general being a fluid and ever-changing entity, not stagnant.

Moves are invented locally that reflect cultural reality. In Chile you might find a step named ‘Entel Chile’,

But a move that mocks someone talking on the phone, since Entel is the largest phone company in Chile. In Miami we have a step called ‘Balsero’,
which imitates the movements of the waves (‘Balsero’ is someone who comes to the YUMA (USA) by ‘balsa’ or ‘raft’). You won’t find that move in Chile because nobody gets to Chile by raft!

While some of the moves are graceful and intricate, others are just plain funny, such as ‘fly’ where the guys slap their palms together over the girls’ heads in a pretend fly-catcher move (as in “fly ball”, not the kind that buzzes around your food!). After all, what is dancing all about if not to have fun with it?!

6. Colombia

Salsa Music

The hot salsa sound to come out of Colombia is Salsa Dura – Hard Salsa.

Colombian salsa is beautiful salsa for dancing and very popular among Wellington salsa dancers. It’s got a fast rhythm and a wicked big brass sound, reminiscent of the glory days of cuban mambo.

Leading musicians playing Colombian Salsa:

Fruko Y Sus Tesos
Joe Arroyo Y La Verdad
Sonora Carruseles
Latin Brothers
Group Niche

Salsa Dance

If you’ve ever seen Colombians dance salsa, it’s amazing – incredibly fast footwork and tight spins. Colombians dance salsa really really close,the bodies of the two dancers glued together – almost completely touching each other, from head to toe.

So why do they dance so close?

1. Coz the dance floors are so crowded, there’s no space for large spins.
2. The music’s so fast that the footwork’s gotta be fast and small.
3. Coz that’s how Colombian’s like their salsa