The History of Salsa Dance & Music
Salsa dance and music does not have a single historical origin in terms of people or places. Although popularly attributed to Cuba, salsa's roots belong to a mix of Latin American and Afro-Caribbean dances and musical styles that can be traced back to the Caribbean of colonial times.
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Origins
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The part of the dance and music that evolved on Cuba occurred when the French, who fled from Haiti in the late 1700s following a slave uprising, brought with them the Danzon, a country dance from France. This dance was mixed with the African rhumbas that the Cuban slaves brought with them from Africa, such as the Guaguanco, Cumbia and Yambu. It was later added to a mix of African drumbeats with Spanish love poetry. This musical amalgamation was not exclusive to Cuba. At the same time it was happening in the Dominican Republic, Colombia and Puerto Rico.
Expansion
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Just before the onset of World War II salsa music and dance made its way to Mexico City and New York. The term "salsa" was used for the first time in New York in 1933. It occurred following a song written by composer Ignacio Pinero called "Echale Salsita." Following this the term "salsa" was then used to classify a broad range of different Latin American musical styles including the rhumba, Son Montuno, Guaracha, Mambo, Cha Cha Cha and Merengue.
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Consolidation
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It wasn't until the 1960s that the term gained widespread acknowledgment as a form of dance and music. The album Cal Tjader Soul Sauce by Cal Tjader Quintet plus 5 is generally believed to be the album that did this. It shifted sold 150,000 copies in 1964, and fans in San Francisco started to refer to the music on the album as salsa. The term quickly spread to other cities such as Los Angeles and the East Coast.
Classification
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By the 1970s Latin music was being heard across the US on different radio stations. In 1974 Fania Records released the album Salsa by Larry Harlow, which was to prove to be a popular album. After popularizing the word salsa all other music with Afro-Cuban beats was classified under the term of salsa. This was followed two years later in 1976 by a 24-page supplement in Billboard Magazine that was called "Salsa Explosion."
Considerations
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Today's salsa is a mix of many different forms of music and sounds and varies depending on the place you hear it. In much of today's salsa you will find elements of guaracha, melodies from cumbia, the base from Son of the Cuban people and some merengue is often thrown in somewhere.
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References
- Photo Credit cactus-cuba image by Norberto Lauria from Fotolia.com
