The History of Salsa
The passionate and energetic rhythms of salsa have taken the world by storm in the last few years. The history of salsa is shrouded in mystery, myth and legend. Nevertheless, I will try to shed come light on both the music and dance roots of salsa for the benefit of my good readers!
Image from Flickr user: ruffin_ready http://www.flickr.com/photos/ryanready/7564732146/
The history of salsa is a much debated issue and there a number of variations to the story. I am not going to pretend to be an expert in the history of salsa, as all I know is what I’ve heard from others and as I wasn’t there when it all started I can’t say which bits are true and which are false. However, what is common among every version of the story is that both the music and the dance now referred to as salsa have their roots in Africa first, and later Cuba. The rhythms of salsa were derived from the drum patterns brought to Cuba by West African slaves from tribes such as the Congo and Yoruba. These were sacred rhythms thought to call forth gods in times of trouble, and were used by the slaves to lift the spirits of these kidnapped and exploited people. These rhythms were later combined with Spanish troubadour/flamenco music or sonero, which was brought into Cuba by the conquistadores of Spain.
Image from Flickr user: Leshaines123 http://www.flickr.com/photos/leshaines123/5024912057/
The exact name of the music that emanated from this concoction, or whether there is just one type of music or many, is where the arguments around the history of salsa lie. Some believe this music is salsa, while others believe the blend of music can be divided among many styles - predominantly Mambo,Danzón, Cha Cha Cha and Cuban Són. The latter was a dance and music style that became popular in the 1920’s and variations of it became popular all over Latin America, particularly in Puerto Rico, Columbia, Mexico and the Dominican Republic.
This music made its way to New York in the 1960’s through the expat Cuban and Puerto Rican communities and became massively popular in underground Latin music clubs. This is where many people believe the real history of salsa lies. The term salsa was thought to have been first used by a DJ who used to play a variety of Latin music including rhumba, Mambo, Cumbia, Són, Guaracha, Merengue, Guaguanco, Boogaloo, Pachanga and Guajira. During his set people would shout out the word ‘salsa’ - referring to the spicy sauce - to imply they wanted him to “spice up” the music. This DJ and others then started using the term to refer to all kinds of Latin music.
Image from Flickr user: Glen Bowman http://www.flickr.com/photos/glenbowman/1469449571/
Many people argue that it was within these Latin clubs on the East Coast of America where the six steps over eight counts of music dance style of salsa came into being. Following the release of a number of albums in Cuba and the USA under the salsa title, the music and dance was brought to Europe by an influx of Cuban musicians in the 1970’s. In 1976, Billboard magazine printed a 24-page special on salsa music which they named “Salsa Explosion”. This is where the history of salsa around the rest of the world lies and it would seem that ever since then salsa has become firmly associated with the passion and energy of Cuban culture. Salsa dancing has seen a recent resurgence in the last few years with a number of salsa clubs popping up all over Europe leading to people taking up the dance as a hobby.
Of course the best place to learn salsa is of course in Cuba where it all originated. This has lead to a recent phenomenon of people heading on dancing holidays in Cuba to learn salsa. Wherever you learn salsa - whether in your bedroom off a YouTube tutorial or at an authentic Cuba dance class in Havana - there is no doubting the enjoyment felt when you get truly caught up in the rhythms of salsa. This is perhaps due to the sacred gods that continue to be summoned through the rhythms or maybe it is the whole rich history of salsa embodied in its music and movements.
Borneo World Music Expo Launches This Year
24th – 26th June 2013
June this year sees the launch of the first ever Borneo World Music Expo. This massive event, organised by The Sarawak Tourism Board, will feature an army of world music industry professionals from record labels to managers, festival promoters, event organisers, cultural ministries, technology companies and of course, local and international musicians. The expo, which will run from the 24th to 26th of June 2013 at the Pullman Hotel, Kuching in Sarawak (Malaysian Borneo) and will include conference sessions, workshops, networking events, a trade fair and music performances.
Organised in the week leading up to the prestigious Rainforest World Music Festival, the Borneo World Music Expo has been designed as a warm-up to the event for music professional and music artists alike to formally mingle and hopefully help each other out. This inaugural event is the first of its kind in South East Asia and will open the doors to the music industry for numerous previously unrecognised musicians.
Panelists already signed up for the various conferences include professionals who have, or are currently working for, such big names as: The New York Times, Rolling Stone Magazine, The Barbican, Jaipur Festival and GlobalFest and Live Sounds.
The Sarawak Tourism Board are still calling for more participants from the music industry to get involved in this talent and skill sharing opportunity. World music artists and professionals who wish to partake in what is sure to be a fantastic event can register on the website now:
(All Images from www.bwme2013.com)
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Bob Brozman was found dead at his home in Santa Cruz, CA in the evening of April 23, 2013. Brozman, the steel-guitar innovator who got his start playing on the streets of Santa Cruz, died at age 59.
A legend in the world of blues and roots music, who integrated styles from around the world, Brozman was one of the world’s most beloved musical figures. His uniquely bold playing style and banter with the audience gave him the opportunity not just to entertain with his sharp wit, but also challenge core assumptions about the function of rhythm and sound.
He worked closely with World Music Network for 13 years, producing a number of ground-breaking collaborations. All of us at WMN are deeply saddened by the news of his death, and tributes are pooring in from those who worked with him over the years…
Guest Post: New Album by Malian Musician - Samba Touré
Samba Touré: Albala
Release date: May 3rd, 2013
GBCD/LP 004 EAN: 4030433600429 & 4030433600412
When you meet Samba Touré in person, he comes off as a soft-spoken man, a man who easily charms you with his abundant smile and optimistic gait. But on his third album, Albala, which in the Songhai language means “danger” or “risk”, a weighted and at times defiant side of his personality emerges. To call Albala his darkest album is an understatement, but it is not a self-absorbed darkness. The cause of Touré’s worry is the crashing world around him, and more specifically the troubles echoing out from his beloved northern Mali homeland.
The last year has brought cataclysmic change and upheaval to northern Mali. The tragic details of this have been globally reported, so there is little point in sensationalizing them here. But the cumulative effect of these events on Samba’s music seems palatable. There is an added gravity to his voice and his words, an additional sting to his electric guitar; there are sharper edges and more complex undertones in his musical arrangements.
As a band member, and valued collaborator of the late Malian legend Ali Farka Toure, Samba established a significant reputation, and through his first two solo albums Songhai Blues and Crocodile Blues (World Music Network) his confidence and musical prowess grew proportionately.
But Albala is a new flash point. There is more power, there is more grit, the mood is deeper, and aptly, given the album’s title, Touré takes more musical risks. Recorded at Studio Mali in Bamako, in the autumn of 2012, Samba is joined by his regular band members Djimé Sissoko (n’goni ) and Madou Sanogo (congas, djembe) and guests such as the legendary, master of the soku (a one-stringed violin) Zoumana Tereta and the fast-rising Malian neo-traditional singer Aminata Wassidje Traore. Additionally, Hugo Race (The Bad Seeds, Dirtmusic, Fatalists) contributes an array of subtle atmospherics on guitar and keyboards.
On the opening song, “Be Ki Don”,Samba sings: “Everybody welcomes Samba Touré.”
With an album as soulful and captivating as Albala, that might not be an over-statement.
www.samba-toure.com
www.glitterbeat.com
Thank you to Silvij Skok from Glitterbeat Records for this great contribution to the World Music Travel Blog. If you would like to write for us please use the contact form to send us your pitch.
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Guest Post: Playing Onstage at a German Christmas Market
by Suzanne Southall
As well as being a fan of travel, I’m also a fan of music and playing instruments, so when I came across World Music Travel Blog I knew I had to write a guest post for it! I thought I would write a bit about my experiences of joining a band in a different country. It’s an experience I’ll never forget and I encourage others to do the same if they can!
How it all began
It all started in September 2007. I’d just graduated from university and decided to move to Frankfurt to teach English. One day I was chatting to the music teacher in the staffroom and he mentioned that the school had a band. He asked me if I played an instrument. Not thinking anything of it, I told him I played the euphonium. His face lit up and he asked me if I would be willing to join the school band to help out one of the euphonium players who was having a bit of trouble with the notes. I agreed although I found it a bit strange with all the kids being 12/13 years old and me being in my early twenties, but if the girl needed help then I would rise to the occasion!
Being in the school band was a lot of fun. At first the pupils were wary of me because they knew I was a teacher, but after a few rehearsals they warmed to be and treated me as one of their own. I found it quite hard to get used to the fact that Germans use H for B♮ and B for B♭, which made it quite embarrassing when the girl I was helping asked me the fingering for a certain note and it took me a while to work it out.
Playing in a German Christmas market
When the Christmas music started to come out of the music collection I asked the conductor whether we’d be having a concert soon and he said we’d actually be playing at a Christmas market! I guessed I would be leaving the pupils to it, but the conductor insisted that I play in the concert too as I’d been at all the rehearsals!
I felt quite touched that I’d been asked as I had always marvelled at the Christmas market bands and thought how cool it would be to play in one, adding to the seasonal atmosphere as people mill about looking at all the stalls.
When the time came all the pupils were really excited and so was I! We had a little practice first then went up on stage. I probably looked a bit out of place being about a foot taller than the kids, but seeing as the Euphoniums stand at the back I didn’t stick out too much (good job I don’t play the flute!).
The pupils’ parents stood round and watched as we played our pieces and then took a bow. We were even invited to play at another Christmas market a week later so we must have done something right.
The band bug
After this I got the band bug and decided to join another one. This time the people were slightly older. I would guess 14-50. They didn’t need a euphonium player so I brought my alto saxophone over from England and played that instead. I played in two concerts with this band and continued to rehearse with them until I left Frankfurt ten months after I’d arrived.
Just do it!
If there’s anyone else umming and ahhing about whether to join a band or orchestra when they arrive in a new country I say just go for it! It might be scary at first with things being in a different language and even the euphonium I borrowed was a different shape than I was used to! You’ll quickly get used to everything and it’s a great way to make friends and feel more at home in the new country.
Bio
This has been a guest post by Suzanne Southall, blogger extraordinaire who contributes to the hungryhouse blog from the UK’s leading online takeaway platform that features restaurants across the country including Birmingham, Nottingham and Manchester.
