Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
of where it comes from, and the debate about its Cuban or Puerto Rican origins is as un-
answerable as the chicken-and-egg question. Debating this topic is likely to raise the blood
pressure of any proud
puertorriqueño
(person from Puerto Rico), but most will concede
that salsa was born in the nightclubs of New York City in the 1960s and has deep roots in
both Puerto Rico and Cuba.
One of the definitive articles on the origin of the name 'salsa,' the evolution of the music and dance and reviews of iconic re-
cordings can be found at
www.salsaroots.com
.
The Source of the Sauce
In addition to the mishmash of African traditions that spread through the islands via the
slave trade, Cuba's
son -
a traditional style that was widely reintroduced to global audien-
ces in the '90s through
Buena Vista Social Club
- is a crucial ingredient in salsa. Origin-
ating in eastern Cuba,
son
first became popular in the 1850s, mixing guitar-based Spanish
cancións
and Afro-Cuban percussion, a fundamental formula that still makes the founda-
tion of many salsa songs. Variations of
son
spread through the islands and became inter-
nationally popular throughout the early 20th century, with variations including the rumba,
mambo and cha-cha.
Another element of salsa is merengue, which took root in Puerto Rico's neighboring is-
land, the Dominican Republic, where it is the national dance. With its even-paced steps and
a signature roll of the hips, it's probably the easiest Latin dance for beginners. Compared
with salsa, the rhythmic underpinning has a more rigid structure, and though the music can
gallop along at a wild pace, dancers keep their upper body in a graceful, poised stance. It
still can get heated, but true merengue is a slightly more controlled dance than typical salsa.
Of all the variations that helped bring salsa into being, none is more important than the
mambo - a flamboyant style of music and dance that marries elements of swinging Amer-
ican jazz with
son,
a Cuban musical movement that bridged the gap between underclass
work songs and mainstream popular music of the 19th century. Again, the musical dialogue
of the Caribbean islands is evident right down to the style's name; mambo is a Haitian word
for a voodoo priestess.
Among Tito Puente's many honors are five Grammys, a Presidential Commendation medal (for service in WWII) and having a
special session of the Puerto Rican Senate dedicated to him.
Unlike the blurry origins of other traditions, historians credit the creation of mambo to
brothers Cachao and Orestes López, who wrote a tune called 'Mambo' in 1938, and Cuban
bandleader Pérez Prado, who introduced the complicated dance steps to Havana's La Trop-
