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TRUTH ABOUT SO CALLED SALSA word
“This is where this music comes from: Africa”
(Albert Torres, a major organizer of salsa congresses worldwide, when introducing at U.K. the Africando salsa band from the continent).
Africando is a musical project formed in 1992 to unite New York-based Salsa musicians with Senegalese vocalists. Musicians from other African countries were later included under the name Africando All Stars.
Salsa has been a hugely popular style in Central and West Africa since the 1940's-1950's, and the goal of Africando was to merge salsa rhythms from both sides of the Atlantic, mainly based on the African salsa tradition.
"Africans brought to America as slaves weren't allowed to play the drum.The slave owners feared the drum.
From not being allowed to play the drums comes blues and jazz among African Americans. But Africans in the Caribbean,especially Cuba,kept the Drum.From the Tambor (Drum)come rhythmical sounds that have been here for years"
(Eddie Palmier, winner of Nine Grammy Awards,creator of a discography of 36 Titles, has had a musical career that has spanned over 50 years as a bandleader of salsa and latin jazz orchestras).
“To go back to the beginning of salsa you have to go back to Mama Africa” from the off Broadway show, Latin Madness.
(Producers Nelson Flores and Carl Mendoza).
Producer of the salsa show, Latin Madness Show).
***All diversity of rhythms got a different way to dance.Please be aware On 1 is a new recent way to dance a few styles of rhythms.
It doesn't apply to All the diversity of Afro Caribbean Rhythms.***
Get directed by your favorite Salsa Instructor or look after Media for the Professional Dancer Tutorials.
The African Origin and Evolution of Salsa Section of an Article written by Franklyn Miller (Salsa Dancer Teacher and Visiting Lecturer) franklyn@salsaspirit.co.uk
Published by Manchester Metropolitan University
In the Journal
Knowledge and Cultures crossing boundaries in History
What is Salsa? It is a fusion of different types of dance and music styles, such as the Rumba Yambu (the oldest form of Rumba), Cuban Son, Cha Cha Cha, Mambo,
Danzon (mainly played for the so called “Elite” where people of color were not allowed unless they were a “Domestic” or a member of the band), Son Montuno and
Bomba (Puerto Rican). The word “Salsa” is the umbrella name used to cover the many different styles of this music that encompass this genre. It was first attributed, in the 1960's, to a Venezuelan DJ who announced the music as salsa. Benny More, a Cuban band leader, would also say “Hola salsa” (which translates as Hello or Hi sauce).
The kitchen references “Let’s cook up something” are often used in this music. Modern salsa dancing is essentially a partner dance where the male leads the female in skillful ways with clever moves. The female shows her skill in following the lead with her own improvisation and personal styling. Sometimes the partners will separate and do what are known as shines; i.e .footwork and styling to the individual’s own taste and then come back together on time to complete the dance.
To understand the development of what we call salsa today, we need to examine its historical and cultural development from the time when en-slaved African people were shipped to the Americas, including the Caribbean. From its African roots, salsa first developed in Cuba. As Thomas Guerrero, the Director of Santo Rico Dance Company has said, the origins of salsa lie in Africa and the Cuba. It became popular throughout the Caribbean and Latin America, and finally made its way to mainland America and even the U.K. It is now truly global.
Salsa music is sometimes described as the African drum (Aka Drum) and the Spanish guitar which is African in origin. The guitar was brought into Spain by the Moors of North Africa who conquered Spain in AD 711. In 1492 they were overrun by the house of Castilla and Aragon and ousted out of Spain. The Catholic Church banned Arab Moorish stringed instruments from being played in the streets. Interestingly enough 1492 also saw the arrival of Christobal Colombus in the Americas and the beginning of the removal and destruction of native people and cultures. In the Age of Spanish Colonization of South and Central America approximately 700,000 Africans were taken to Cuba. Spanish political and ecclesiastical authorities put great pressure upon them to accept Catholicism; but a number of them, who came to reside in the remotest parts of eastern Cuba, enjoyed more freedom to practice their own African traditions and ways of perceiving God (the ALL).
Among the many African traditions the Yoruba Lucumi spiritual belief system from Nigeria, also known as “The way of saints”, had over 200 deities called Orishas. The Orishas, variously known as Ochun, Yemaya, Orula, Obatala, and Chango, were not gods themselves but represented the powers of God (the ALL). They were also a part of the creation of the creator. This spiritual system is based on nature and works towards a balance here on earth as well as the spiritual realms. Thus Chango, the deity of thunder, brings rain, wets the ground from where life comes and nourishes the trees and plants - a natural process. The veneration of the Orishas came to be fused together with other African traditions including dance and sacred drumming.
Chango is said to own three bata drums (double headed drums which look like egg timers), music, and the art of dance. His symbol was the double ax head that represented swiftness and balance. When the European colonizers made laws criminalizing the Lucumi spiritual system, the Africans in Cuba very subtly retained the connections with their ancestral traditions by mixing the Catholic saints with the names of the deities of the Orisha spiritual systems. This mixture came to be known as Santeria.
Although not readily known, this spiritual system and hybrid forms of it can be found in Puerto Rico, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Panama, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Brazil, Spain and the UK. In a US census, over 22,000 people said they were members of this spiritual system but it is not known how many decided not to disclose their membership. The deity Ochun is represented by Our Holy Virgin Marian Lady of Charity La Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre (Virgin Mary of Charity), the patron saint of Cuba, and Chango is represented by Santa Barbara, a catholic saint. While they were taught to praise the Catholic saints they were also honoring the Orishas. Another name for this mixture of Catholicism and African spirituality is Bembe. During an interview about her music video, “The Rhythm is Gonna Get You”, Gloria Estefan talks about the use of white handkerchiefs in Bembe, which is the Afro-Cuban religious ceremony of Santeria. (End of the Article)
FACTS: NEW YORK and Cuba Approach
Various music writers and historians have traced the use of salsa to different periods of the 20th century. Max Salazar traces the word back to the early 1930's, when Ignacio Piñeiro composed "Échale Salsita", a Son Cubano protesting tasteless food.While Salazar describes this song as the origin of salsa meaning "Danceable Latin music", Ed Morales describes the usage in the same song as a cry from Piñeiro to his band, telling them to increase the tempo to "Put the dancers into high gear".Morales claims that later in the 1930's, vocalist Beny Moré would shout Salsa during a performance "To acknowledge a musical moment's heat, to express a kind of cultural nationalist sloganeering [and to celebrate the] 'hotness' or 'spiciness' of Latin American cultures".World music author Sue Steward claims salsa was originally used in music as a "Cry of appreciation for a particularly piquant or flashy solo".She cites the first use in this manner to a Venezuelan radio DJ named Phidias Danilo Escalona;In 1955 Cheo Marquetti created a new band called Conjunto Los Salseros and recorded some new songs ( Sonero and Que no muera el son ).In 1955 José Curbelo recorded some others salsa songs (La familia, La la la and Sun sun sun ba bae). The contemporary meaning of salsa as a musical genre can be traced back to New York City Latin music promoter
In 1973, I hosted the television show Salsa which was the first reference to this particular music as salsa. I was using [the term] salsa, but the music wasn't defined by that. The music was still defined as Latin music. And that was a very, very broad category, because it even includes mariachi music. It includes everything. So salsa defined this particular type of music ... It's a name that everyone could pronounce.
Sanabria's Latin New York magazine was an English language publication. Consequently, his promoted events were covered in The New York Times, as well as Time and Newsweek magazines. They reported on this "New" phenomenon taking New York by storm—Salsa.
But promotion certainly wasn't the only factor in the music's success, as Sanabria makes clear: "Musicians were busy creating the music but played no role in promoting the name salsa."Johnny Pacheco, the creative director and producer of Fania Records, molded New York salsa into a tight, polished and commercially successful sound. The unprecedented appeal of New York salsa, particularly the "Fania sound", led to its adoption across Latin America and elsewhere.
Globally, the term salsa has eclipsed the original names of the various Cuban musical genres it encompasses. Ironically, Cuban-based music was promoted more effectively worldwide in the 1970's and 1980's by the salsa industry, than by Cuba. For a brief time in the early 1990's a fair number of Cuban musicians embraced the term, calling their own music salsa Cubana. The practice did not catch on however.
There is considerable controversy surrounding the term salsa and the idea that it is its own distinct genre. Several New York musicians who had already been performing Cuban dance music for decades when salsa was popularized initially scoffed at the term. For example, Cuban-born Machito declared: "There's nothing new about salsa, it is just the same old music that was played in Cuba for over fifty years."Similarly, New York native Tito Puente stated: "The only salsa I know is sold in a bottle called ketchup. I play Cuban music."Eventually though, both Machito and Puente embraced the term as a financial necessity.
The salsa conflict can be summarized as a disagreement between those who do not recognize salsa as anything other than Cuban music with another name,and those who strongly identify with salsa as a music and culture distinct from its Cuban primogenitor.
The concept of salsa music which began as a marketing ploy created by Izzy Sanabria was successfully exploited by Fania Records, then eventually took on a life of its own, organically evolving into an authentic pan-Latin American cultural identity.
Son Montuno
Is a sub-genre of son cubano. The son itself is the most important genre of Cuban popular music.In addition, it is perhaps the most flexible of all forms of Latin-American music, and is the foundation of many Cuban-based dance forms, and salsa. Its great strength is its fusion between European and African musical traditions.
The son arose in Oriente, merging the Spanish guitar and lyrical traditions with Afro-Cuban percussion and rhythms. We now know that its history as a distinct form is relatively recent. There is no evidence that it goes back further than the end of the nineteenth century. It moved from Oriente to Havana in about 1909, carried by members of the Permanent (the Army), who were sent out of their areas of origin as a matter of policy. The first recordings were in 1918.
There are many types of son,of which the Son Montuno is one. The term has been used in several ways. Probably the 'Montuno' originally referred to its origin in the mountainous regions of eastern Cuba; eventually it was used more to describe the final up-tempo section of a son, with its semi-improvisation, repetitive vocal refrain and brash instrumental climax.The term was being used in the 1920's, when Son Sextetos set up in Havana and competed strongly with the older danzones.
Guajira
The Guajira is a music genre derived from the Punto cubano.
According to some specialists on this theme,the Punto cubano was known in Spain since the 18th century, where it was called "Punto de La Habana", and by the second half of the 19th century it was adopted by the incipient Spanish Flamenco style, which included it within its "Palos" with the name of Guajira.
The popular Guajira genre was utilized by Spanish Zarzuela composers, such as Ruperto Chapí, who included it in his well known play "La Revoltosa", from 1897. Two years later, in 1899, the Cuban composer Jorge Anckermann inaugurated a new genre with his song "El arroyo que murmura", the first Cuban Guajira.
This song became a model that was adopted by many other Cuban composers at a later time, and was frequently included in the Cuban Zarzuela and vernacular theater.
The Cuban Guajira preserved the characteristic rhythm of its ancestors, the Punto cubano and the Spanish Guajira.
From the 1930's, the Guajira was refined and popularized by the singer and guitarist Guillermo Portabales, which elegant style was known as Guajira de Salón or Guajira-Son. This is nothing but another case of synonymy within the Cuban popular music, because in spite of being named as Guajira, the style of his songs was nothing else but the one of the Cuban Son and Bolero-Son; although their lyrics were always related to rural themes.Since the thirties until his death in a traffic accident, in 1970, Guillermo Portabales sung and recorded numerous Guajiras de Salón through North and South America with great popular acclaim.
Other renowned performers of Guajira-Son were Celina González, Coralia Fernández, Ramón Veloz y Radeúnda Lima. One of the most famous Guajira-Son is the Guajira Guantanamera, composed by Joseíto Fernández,and internationally popularized, during the 1960's by the American folk singer Pete Seeger.
Guaguanco
Guaguancó (Spanish pronunciation: [Gwaɣwaŋˈko]) is a sub-genre of Cuban rumba, combining percussion, voices, and dance. There are two main styles: Havana and Matanzas.
Rumba clave in duple-pulse and triple-pulse structures
Rumba clave is the key pattern (guide pattern) used in guaguancó. There is some debate as to how the 4/4 rumba clave should be notated for Guaguancó.In actual practice, the third and fourth stroke often fall in rhythmic positions that do not fit neatly into music notation.Triple-pulse strokes can be substituted for duple-pulse strokes. Also, the clave strokes are sometimes displaced in such a way that they don't fall within either a triple-pulse or duple-pulse "Grid".Therefore, many variations are possible
The term guaguancó originally referred to a narrative song style (Coros de guaguancó) which emerged from the coros de claves of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Rogelio Martínez Furé states: "[The] old folks contend that strictly speaking, the guaguancó is the narrative."The guaguancó song often begins with the soloist singing meaningless syllables, which is called the diana. According to Larry Crook, the diana is important because it "... also contains the first choral refrain. The lead singer provides a phrase or motive for the choral sections, or they may present new, but related material. Parallel harmonies are usually built above or below a melodic line, with thirds, sixths, and octaves most common." Therefore, the singer who is presented with singing the diana initiates the beginning of the guaguancó. He then may proceed to improvise lyrics stating the reason for holding the present rumba ('Decimar'; span.: to make Ten-line Stanzas), During the verses of the song the Quinto drum is capable of sublime creativity, while musically subordinate to the lead vocalist. There are natural pauses in the cadence of the verses, typically one or two measures in length, where the Quinto can play succinct phrases in the "Holes" left by the singer. Once the chorus (or Montuno section) of the song begins, the phrases of the Quinto interact with the dancers more than the lead singer.
Guaracha
The guaracha (Spanish: [Gwaˈɾatʃa]) is a genre of music that originated in Cuba and Puerto Rico, of rapid tempo and comic or picaresque lyrics.The word had been used in this sense at least since the late 18th and early 19th century. Guarachas were played and sung in musical theatres and in low-class dance salons. They became an integral part of bufo comic theatre in the mid-19th century.During the later 19th and the early 20th century the guaracha was a favorite musical form in the brothels of Havana.The guaracha survives today in the repertoires of some Trova musicians, Conjuntos and Cuban-style big bands.
On January 20, 1801, Buenaventura Pascual Ferrer published a note in a newspaper called “El Regañón de La Habana,” in which he refers to certain chants that “Run outside there through vulgar voices”. Between them he mentioned a “guaracha” named “La Guabina”, about which he says: “in the voice of those that sings it, tastes like any thing dirty, indecent or disgusting that you can think about…” At a later time, in an undetermined date, “La Guabina” appears published between the first musical scores printed in Havana at the beginning of the 19th century.
According to the commentaries published in “El Regañón de La Habana”, we can conclude that those “Guarachas” were very popular within the Havana population at that time, because in the same previously mentioned article the author says: “…but most importantly, what bothers me most is the liberty with which a number of chants are sung throughout the streets and town homes, where innocence is insulted and morals offended… by many individuals, not just of the lowest class, but also by some people that are supposed to be called well educated…”. Therefore, we can say that those “Guarachas” of a very audacious content, were apparently already sung within a wide social sector of the Havana population.
Buenaventura Pascual Ferrer mentions also that at the beginning of the 19th century up to fifty dance parties were held in Havana every day, where the famous “Guaracha” was sung and danced among other popular pieces.
Son Cubano
Son cubano is a genre of music and dance that originated in the highlands of eastern Cuba during the late 19th century. It is a syncretic genre that blends elements of Spanish and African origin. Among its fundamental Hispanic components are the vocal style, lyrical metre and the primacy of the Tres (Cuban Guitar), derived from the Spanish guitar. On the other hand, its characteristic clave rhythm, call and response structure and percussion section (bongo, maracas, etc.) are all rooted in traditions of African Bantu origin.
Around 1909 the son reached Havana, where the first recordings were made in 1917.This marked the start of its expansion throughout the island, becoming Cuba's most popular and influential genre.While early groups had between three and five members, during the 1920's the sexteto (sextet) became the genre's primary format. By the 1930's, many bands had incorporated a trumpet, becoming Septetos, and in the 1940's a larger type of ensemble featuring congas and piano became the norm: The conjunto. Besides, the son became one of the main ingredients in the jam sessions known as descargas that flourished during the 1950's.
The international presence of the son can be traced back to the 1930's when many bands toured Europe and North America, leading to ballroom adaptations of the genre such as the American rhumba. Similarly, radio broadcasts of son became popular in West Africa and the Congos, leading to the development of hybrid genres such as Congolese rumba. In the 1960's, New York's music scene prompted the rapid success of salsa, a combination of son and other Latin American styles primarily recorded by Puerto Ricans. While salsa achieved international popularity during the second half of the 20th century, in Cuba son evolved into other styles such as Songo and Timba, the latter of which is sometimes known as "Cuban salsa".
Bomba y Plena
The “Plena” and “Bomba” are still thriving in Puerto Rico. Like the Calypso from Trinidad, the “Plena” is characterized by its simplicity and repetition, like all folkloric music, it is spontaneous expression of everyday occurrences. In Puerto Rico, it was influenced by people with African heritage. Themes included religion, local and national events, recipes, advice, and superstition. The philosophical element is also present. In other words, it embellishes themes that lure the imagination of the people.
Plena y Bomba
There are several theories as to the origins of this indigenous music. The first, traces its roots to the beginning of the 20th Century. Social activities were usually celebrated on Saturdays and Sundays. People danced and sang outside under the bright light of the “Luna Llena” or “Luna Plena” – The full moon.
Another version narrates the story of a couple from Saint Kitts, an island southeast of Puerto Rico, which used to play a guitar and a “Pandereta” or tambourine along the streets of Ponce, the largest city in the South of Puerto Rico. Occasionally people heard the husband telling his wife, whose name was Anna, in their language: “Play, Anna ! Play, Anna !” It is possible that the word “Plena” is derived from this phonetic interpretation.
Origins of Plena y Bomba
According to most historians, the Plena was born in Ponce and later became popular throughout the island. A well-known verse from a Plena song, roughly translated, indicates that in fact it is from Ponce:
The “Plena” that I know
is not from China nor Japan
because the “Plena” comes from
Ponce from the “Barrio of San Anton”
At the beginning of the 1920’s, the predominant instruments used for the Plena were on or tow “Panderetas” or tambourines. later were added the guitar, the “Cuatro” or six-string guitar, the “Guiro” or gourd, “Macaras” , “congas” and drums. The vocal part of the Plena is performed by a soloist and a choir. Usually there are no more than two voices in the choir. The soloist, improvising, begins to sing and the choir answers back
The “Bomba” dance is composed of an array of dances and songs with no specific choreographic characteristics. All songs and dances are improvised. Historians say that the “Bomba” dances were influenced by African and French cultures. Its African origins included such names as: “Cocobale”, “Lero”, “Cunya”, among others. Sometimes these names indicated the country or origin, such as “Holandes” (Holland), and “Danua” (Denmark); others by the way they were danced, like “Lero” (the phonetic interpretation of the French “le rose”) which is a dance performed in a circle shaped somewhat like a rose.
Bomba dances were performed outdoors with a few musicians. As people gathered to listen the drums, the crowd, including children, grew. Initially, the musicians and the newcomers practiced, but soon the real show started. Usually, a female began to sing. The choir answered her back. When the dance started, one of the dancers gave cues to the drummer, who in turn answered back with a rhythm following the dancer. Everybody took turns dancing and playing the drums.
Yambu & Rumba
Traditionally rumba has been classified into three main sub-genres: Yambú, guaguancó and Columbia. Both Yambú and Guaguancó originated in the solares, large houses in the poorest districts of Havana and Matanzas mostly inhabited by the descendants of enslaved Africans.Both styles are thus predominantly urban, danced by men and women alike, and exhibit a historical "Binarization" of their meter, as described by Cuban musicologist Rolando Antonio Pérez Fernández.In contrast, Columbia has a primarily rural origin, also in the central regions of Cuba, being almost exclusively danced by men, and remaining much more grounded in West African (Specifically Abakuá traditions), which is exemplified by its triple meter. During the 20th century, these styles have evolved, and other sub-genres have appeared such as Guarapachangueo and Batá-rumba. In all rumba styles, there is a gradual heightening of tension and dynamics, not simply between dancers but also between dancers and musicians and dancers and spectator/participants
Yambú is considered the oldest style of rumba, originating in colonial times. Hence, it is often called "Yambú de tiempo España" (Yambú of Spanish times). It has the slowest tempo of all rumba styles and its dance incorporates movements feigning frailty. It can be danced alone (usually by women) or by men and women together. Although male dancers may flirt with female dancers during the dance, they do not use the Vacunao of Guaguancó. In Matanzas the basic quinto part for Yambú and Guaguancó alternates the tone-slap melody.
Pachanga & Charanga
Pachanga is a genre of music which is described as a mixture of Son montuno and Merengue and has an accompanying signature style of dance. This type of music has a festive, lively style and is marked by jocular, mischievous lyrics. Pachanga originated in Cuba in the 1950's and played an important role in the evolution of Caribbean style music as we know it today. Considered a prominent contributor to the eventual rise of Salsa, Pachanga itself is an offshoot of Charanga style music.Very similar in sound to Cha-Cha but with a notably stronger down-beat, Pachanga once experienced massive popularity all across the Caribbean and was brought to the United States by Cuban Immigrants post World War II. This led to an explosion of Pachanga music in Cuban music clubs that influenced Latin culture in the United States for decades to come.
Charanga is a style of music in Cuba played with violin, flute, horns, drums danzón and danzonetes, similar to Cha cha chá. In Cuba in 1955, Los Papines fused the violin-based music of Charanga with the trumpet-based music of Conjuntos. Eduardo Davidson's La Pachanga was recorded in 1959 by Orquesta Sublime (which was in the USA). After Fidel Castro seized power in Cuba in 1959, the epicenter of Cuban music moved to other islands and USA. José Fajardo brought the song La Pachanga to New York in the Cuban charanga genre. The Orquesta, or band, was referred to as Charanga, while the accompanying dance was named the Pachanga.However, a confusion of the words arose. Pachanga is now used to describe both the song and dance, although technically the music still falls into the Charanga genre.
Eduardo Davidson's tune, La Pachanga, with rights managed by Peer International (BMI), achieved international recognition in 1961 when it was licensed in three versions sung by Genie Pace on Capitol, by Audrey Arno in a German version on European Decca, and by Hugo and Luigi and their children's chorus. Billboard commented "A bright new dance craze from the Latins has resulted in these three good recordings, all with interesting and varying treatments.
Interview from Musician Orlando Marin about the origins of Pachanga and Charanga over New York
Copyright and Spanish Version Full Interview Script @ http://www.herencialatina.com
H.L: Who was the one who started in New York with the revolution of the Pachanga?
Orlando Marín: Well, we have to give credit to Charlie Palmieri and Pacheco; they were the ones who put the violins. And not only that, that in the cut that I composed, "Esta de Bala", the subject of the confusion between Pachanga and Charanga is touched; hear it and you will notice in that Descarga what it's being said. Now, Eduardo Davidson, the Cuban composer who made the theme of Pachanga, who says: "Gentlemen what pachanga?, I'm going to the Pachanga," he did not played it with violins; He did it with an Orchestra and that worked for him at that time. So, it so happens that for that time there are the two words in the Latin environment of New York: - Charanga and Pachanga -; then people are putting the nick name of the Pachanga to a Charanga.
H.L:What difference is there between the Pachanga played by Eduardo Davidson and the one created here in NYC? Orlando Marín: What Eduardo Davidson did was just a song using the name Pachanga or the Pachanga chorus; In fact, it was not a dance. He did not start the rhythm here in New York, nor the dance; He only made one song, and it was a great song. The rhythm of his song is very different and nothing resembles the one that was elaborated in New York, in fact, his tune has strong elements of Dominican Merengue. Eduardo was a good boy, but he only made one song and it had nothing to do with the movement that the Pachanga created here in NYC, and even, he did not participate in the precise moment in which the musical movement in club The Triton is gestated, because he was still in Cuba. Eduardo left Cuba for the middle of 1961 and what we generated in NYC was for 1960, that is, how he could he be in two places at the same time? H.L: It has been written that the word Pachanga applied to the rhythm that was danced here in NYC, was due to the combination of the word Pacheco and its Charanga and the word Pachanga was created, because precisely the promoter of the Pachanga, like rhythm and dance It was Johnny Pacheco. What do you think? Orlando Marín: Well, to my understanding, I did not know, because I guess Pacheco did not know what he was causing. The first time I heard the word Pachanga, it is due to Eduardo's album in the same year 1959 or for 1960, more or less. To the dance they put Pachanga to him, but it had nothing to do with the Charanga, that was the instrumentation of the orchestra. H.L: So Eduardo Davidson had nothing to do with the phenomenon that is created in NYC? Orlando Marin: No. He had nothing to do with that movement; he did not participate in any musical meeting with the fashion orchestras that we played the rhythm of the Pachanga -As it was played here in New York. He was a reference when the name of the rhythm was discussed, but he did not participate with any of the ensembles that turned the Pachanga into madness, in a fashionable rhythm.
Salsa Romantica/Rosa/Monga/Erotica
Salsa Romántica is a soft form of salsa music that emerged between the mid-1980's and early 1990's in New York City and Puerto Rico. It has been the most commercially successful form of Salsa in the last 20 years, despite criticism that it is a Pale Imitation of "Real" salsa, often called "Salsa Dura."
Salsa Romántica is a slower, lighter sounding type of salsa music that La Palabra, a Cuban musician, introduced in the mid-1980's. Salsa romántica arose at a time when classic, big-band salsa, popularized by Fania Records was taking an astounding measure on the Latin record charts, owing to the Merengue Dominicano boom and the rise of Latin pop. Salsa romantica is distinct from other salsa music styles because it uses a softer/quieter sounding orchestral sounds, ballads set to a slowed down salsa rhythm, and romantic lyrics . Because of the softer orchestra and leisurely rhythm, some have nicknamed this genre "Salsa Monga" . It has been the most commercially successful form of salsa in the last 20 years in Latin American countries, and is most popularly played in fancier dance clubs as well as radio stations . The best known early salsa romantic artists include: Eddie Santiago, Frankie Ruiz, Lalo Rodríguez and Luis Enrique. More famous modern artists are Gilberto Santa Rosa, Marc Anthony, La India and Tito Nieves.
Criticism
Salsa romántica was heavily influenced by the balada style (or, pop style) of salsa, and is widely criticized by dancers due to the simple compositional style of both types.Traditional salsas give more improvisational ability to the musicians and dancers involved.
Though it bears the moniker of a salsa, salsa romántica is considered by most to be inauthentic to the true spirit and style of salsa music. In Cuba, some critics refer to it as the “White” style to differentiate between salsa romántica and traditional salsa.
Critics have also focused on the fact that "True salsa" involved qualified musicianship alongside the intricate composition, while salsa romántica was too lyrically syrupy and musically systematic. Dancing was still encouraged, but researchers claim that the dancing of this time period began to dwindle creatively and became much less interesting to watch. Salsa contests also began to disappear due to the lack of inspired dancers and interesting music. Though many critique this style, it was incredibly popular during this time and played on most popular radio stations.
Critics of salsa romántica, especially in the late 1980's and early 1990's, called it a commercialized, watered-down form of Latin pop, in which formulaic, sentimental love ballads were simply put to an Afro-Cuban beat—leaving no room for classic salsa's brilliant musical improvisation, or for classic salsa lyrics that tell stories of daily life or provide social and political commentary.The marketing of salsa romántica singers has often been based more on their youthful sex appeal than on the quality of their music. For these reasons, the form sometimes has been derided as salsa Monga (Limp or flaccid salsa), as opposed to Salsa Gorda or Salsa Dura (Hard Salsa).
The form today
The strict lines between salsa romántica and classic salsa have been blurring in recent years. Several performers have succeeded in blending elements of salsa romántica and more hard-driving, traditional salsa, including La India, Tito Rojas, Eddie Santiago, Anthony Cruz, Gilberto Santa Rosa, and Víctor Manuelle.
Jerry Rivera was the first salsero to go triple platinum with his record "Cuenta Conmigo" ("Count on Me") which was all salsa romantica.
La India, Luis Enrique, Giro Lopez, Marc Anthony and Víctor Manuelle are the best-known performers of salsa romántica today. However, Marc Anthony surpasses his colleagues not only in fame, but in sales as well, being the highest selling salsa artist of the past two decades.By blending elements of pop into his songs - as well as making pop versions of his salsa songs - Anthony has been able to establish a loyal fan base of Hispanics of all nationalities, as well as broaden his audience to non-Spanish speaking individuals. Young salseros gravitating to the form include Tito Rojas, Anthony Cruz, Frankie Negrón, Kevin Ceballo, Charlie Cruz, and Jay Lozada.
Merengue & Bachata
Merengue was first mentioned in the mid 19th century with the earliest documented evidence being newspaper articles. Some of the articles inform about a "lascivious" dance, and also highlight Merengue displacing the Tumba. The genre had originated within the rural, northern valley region around the city of Santiago called the Cibao. It later spread throughout the country and became popular among the urban population.
Anecdotal evidence suggests that one of the first Merengue song was written in 1844, the year of the Dominican Republic's Independence from Haiti. The song was written as a satire, to mock one Thomas Torres who had deserted his troops in the Battle of Talanquera.
Although the etymology of the name can be disputed, there are only a few theories about where the word might have derived from. The origins of the music are traced to the land of Cibao, and Merengue Cibaeño and Merengue Típico are the terms most musicians use to refer to Classical Merengue. The word Cibao was a native name for the island, although the Spanish used it in their conquest to refer to a specific part of the island, the highest mountainous range. Literally speaking, the term Merengue Cibaeño is therefore partially native and so Merengue might also be a derivation or mistranslated word of a native word related to song, music, dance or festival. Another theory includes Western African words related to dance and music, based on the fact that Merengue has African elements in it.
Bachata is a style of social dance from the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico which is now danced all over the world. It is associated with Bachata music .
Bachata is a genre of Latin American music that originated in the Dominican Republic in the first half of the 20th century with African, European, and Indigenous musical elements.
The first recorded compositions of Bachata were done by Jose Manuel Calderon from the Dominican Republic. Bachata originates from Bolero and Son (and later, from the mid 1980's, Merengue). The original term used to name the genre was Amargue ("Bitterness", "bitter music", or "blues music"), until the rather ambiguous (and mood-neutral) term Bachata became popular. The form of dance, bachata, also developed with the music