Veteran percussionist and conga player Ray Barretto was an early enthusiast of salsa, helping to establish the Fania record label dedicated to salsa and Latin American music.
The salsa style emerged in New York in the 1970s when Latin musicians, searching for a tougher, more strident sound, started updating big band arrangements that had been used by Cuban bands for the previous 20 or 30 years. Salsa is a mixture of Afro-Cuban, Puerto Rican, and other indigenous Caribbean styles combined with pop and jazz styles of the U.S.
The origin of salsa can be traced to the explosion of the Afro-Cuban “mambo craze” in the U.S. in the late 1940s and early 1950s, and to the increased numbers of Latin immigrants in the U.S. (The name “salsa” derives from the Spanish word for “hot sauce,” which was often shouted by Latin American musicians as praise for outstanding playing.) The popularity of salsa was boosted by record labels dedicated to it and Latin American music (such as the New York-based Fania label), and by the popularisation of Latin musical instruments in general.
Salsa, like its musical cousin Latin Jazz, and its prede-cessor the Cuban son, is based around the clave rhythm. Clave is a two measure beat-cycle that comes in two basic varieties: son clave and rumba clave. The rhythm is divided into a “three-beat” side and a “two-beat” side (depending on which measure is the starting point); and all rhythmic and melodic phrasing must conform to the clave. Confusingly, the word also refers to a percussion instrument made up of two small cylindrical sticks. Whether this instrument is actually played or not, salsa musicians need to understand clave and base their music on it.
Salsa borrows heavily from the Afro-Cuban rhythmic tradition, and therefore includes elements of traditional rhythms such as the mambo, bolero, and the Dominican merengue. The tumbao, a basic Afro-Cuban beat, is played on the congas (tumbas or tumbadora in Spanish), while the acoustic or electric bass plays a specific pattern that includes the “bombo note” (a note that helps define the placement of the rhythm within the clave). The bass and congas, together with the clave rhythm and guajeos (“gwa-hey-yos”) or montunos played on the piano form the foundation on which salsa is built.
Veteran percussionist and conga player Ray Barretto was an early enthusiast of salsa, helping to establish the Fania record label dedicated to salsa and Latin American music.
Other instruments in salsa include bongos, timbales, various bells and shakers, and in some cases, a drumset or guitar. Horn sections may be made up of various combinations of saxes, trumpets, and trombones (a section sound popularised by pioneer salsa trombonist Willie COLÓN features only trombones).
Other musical elements of salsa include com sections (background voices singing in harmony or unison), the use of the nasal, high-pitched jibaro lead vocal style (deriving from a singing style that comes from the rural parts of Puerto Rico), and the use of descarga/montuno vamps (rhythm section “jams” over which the lead vocalist acts as a soloist or improvising instrument, trading musical phrases with other instrumentalists or coro in a jazz-like dialogue).
Salsa styles include “salsa tradicional” (as exemplified by artists such as Eddie Palmieri) and “salsa dura” or nueva canción (typified by performers such as Willie Colón and Rubén BLADES), and the more modern sounds of “salsa romantica.” This usually features lush string and synthesizer arrangements, and puts less emphasis on improvisation and more on romantic or ballad lyrics, often sung in English in an attempt to broaden the salsa market. Famous salsa bandleaders include Tito PUENTE and Ray Baretto, both of whom played Latin jazz as well as salsa, and Eddie Palmieri, Ruben Blades, and Willie Colón.
Salsa singers have a technique all their own, encom-passing ad-libbing, improvising, and scatting (jazz singing with nonsense syllables) to rhythm. The Cuban singer Celia CRUZ sang with the Tito Puente Orchestra in the 1960s, and then shot to fame in 1974 when she collaborated with percussionist Johnny Pacheco on Celia and Johnny—an album that went gold. Her energy, formidable technique, and rich, vibrant voice earned her the name “queen of salsa.”
Although most salsa lyrics are purely escapist, some singers and groups, such as Rubén Blades and the Cuban group Los VAN VAN, dealt with issues that carried a political message.
Salsa is accessible to and generates excitement in audiences everywhere, and has created a bridge between the traditional Afro-Cuban sounds, their American jazz interpretations, and popular music. It has also had tremendous effect on the development of Latin music, and has influenced generations of performers and music fans worldwide. Although salsa began in New York, it enjoys an international following, with bands coming from throughout the Spanish-speaking world, and even from places such as Germany and Japan.
While salsa has had an effect on the traditional music of countries such as Spain (modern flamenco music includes elements and instrumentation borrowed from salsa), it is also a vital musical force that is constantly evolving, as evidenced by the rise of newer styles that combine traditional sounds with Latin hip-hop and pop dance music. Salsa styles, instrumentation, and sounds have also had a great influence on the emerging musical style known as Afro-pop.
Salsa is so vital and so much a part of Latin American life that most large Latin American cities have their own separately evolving salsa scene. This fact alone ensures that salsa will remain a dynamic and growing force in music.
Gregg Juke
SEE ALSO:
CARIBBEAN; CUBA; LATIN AMERICA; LATIN JAZZ.
Ayala, Cristobal Diaz. The Roots of Salsa: The History of Cuban Music (New York: Excelsior Music Publishing, 1995);
Figueroa, Rafael. Salsa and Related Genres: A Bibliographical Guide (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1992).
Adalberto Alvarez: La Salsa Caliente;
Rubén Blades: Siembra;
Willie Colón: Grandes Exitos;
Fania All Stars: Live at Yankee
Stadium, Vols. 1 and 2;
Fruko y sus Tesos: The Godfather of Salsa;
Various artists: Super Salsa Hits; Viva Salsa!