Percussions.org

[Daniel Genton]

The promotion Film of a series in concerts given by Fania in great Venues like the Yankee Stadium, entitled Salsa and produced by J.Massucci, completed the consecration of the style and definitively introduced the term : Salsa.

The term is addressed to a whole family of orchestral popular dance music like:
In Cuba: El Son, Changui, Guaracha, Son Montuno, Songo, Charanga, Mozambique, Sucu Sucu, Guaguanco, Timba, etc, but also in Puerto Rico: la Bomba, Plena and Jibara, Jorropo, Porro.

In Dominican Republic : la Bachata, Merengue.

In Colombia : Vallenato, Cumbia, etc.

In Mexico : Jarabe.

One could say that Salsa indicates all the musics played on a rhythm built around the Clave, fundamental concept which will becovered in the first musical chapter.

The geographical origin would be another criterion to define the style. The areas of the Caribbean, like Venezuela, Mexico, Colombia,the Dominican Republic, Panama, Puerto Rico, with also New- York, the ultimate target for the artists of all the Latin America, of meeting spot of the cuban Salseros flying away from castrism and Portoricains at the search of success, have all contributed to the development of Salsa.

Nevertheless it is especially Cuba (of Cubanacan: the central placein language of the Indians " Taïno " or " Siboney ", first inhabitants of the island) which it is necessary to regard as the true cradle of the style. It is thus through the cuban music and then trough the multiple cultural exchanges through the Caribbean and the Americas that we will define and discover Salsa.

Daniel Genton