Salsa Music the Late 1950\'s

Salsa Music

The late 1950's is the starting point for the classification of a genre of music as salsa. The stylistic and rhythmic elements of the music have a wider history. There are elements of salsa music identified in popular Latin dance rhythms (Sommers 36). While these rhythms have given nuance to salsa music, its true beginnings lie in Afro Cuban music. Salsa music speaks to the historical experience of struggle, resistance and the desire for self-determinism possessed by Afro-Cuban slaves. Slaves chose not to adopt the cultural symbols of the slave masters and instead held on to musical forms that find modern expression through salsa.

The practice of fusing together Cuban rhythms and jazz took place in New York in the 1940's. Two of the main creators of this fusion were Cuban brothers-in-law Machito and Mario Bauza (Mauleon).The primary purpose of this music was to provide impetus for dancing. This type of experimentation with Cuban music was not limited to Cuban bands; Puerto Rican's were also engaged in the practice. Therefore, Tito Rodriguez and Tito Puente though Puerto Rican were innovators and preservers of Cuban music. There was significant cross-fertilization of the musical forms until the Cuban revolution in 1959.

With the revolution came the exodus of Cuban musicians to New York and it here that Salsa was created. Suggesting that salsa was created at this time is not to deny the influence of the Cuban son and other forms of music; rather it is an attempt to date historically a complex and diverse process that produced fantastic music (Hernandez 110). It is during the 1960's in New York that the coming together of musicians from various Spanish-speaking countries produced the musical hybrid salsa. It is also in this era that the term salsa (also a spicy dish) gained widespread usage.

Salsa is different from its Cuban ancestors because of the increased use of the trombones, the critical role of the Cuban timbales, the jazz type harmony and the integration of Puerto Rican indigenous "rhythms, instruments and stylistic elements" (Mauleon). So that salsa is not identified by one element but rather by the final product, that is the fusion of these multiple elements. The evolution of salsa music continued into the 1980's and salsa emerged as salsa romantica.

Salsa music is structured music. It has an introduction, a melodic phase, a percussion phase, (the montuno), followed by another melodic phase and the conclusion (History of Salsa). Musical exclamations proclaim a change. The percussion phase has the most rhythmic energy of all the phases. A central feature of salsa music is the rhythmic pattern known as clave. The clave is a uniquely African rhythm that finds expression across Latino groups with Afro-Caribbean heritage. In the African celebration one individual will play a constant rhythm (the clave) while the other musicians play in harmony, thus producing a polyrhythm (History of Salsa). The clave is played by hitting wooden sticks against each other. "The clave (rhythm) comes in two flavors: 2-3 and 3-2. The 2-3 clave has two beats in the first bar of the phrase, and three beats in the second bar: The 3-2 clave is the converse (Yeo)

Salsa also has a basic 1-2-3, 1-2 rhythm (Ilich). This apparent simplicity does not do justice to the complexity of emotion and mood capture and expressed by the music. The tempo of the music is usually between 180 to 210 beats per minute. This is a fast pace and alludes to the spicy excitement inherent in the music and corresponding dance. The lyrics of salsa music cover a wide range of themes from simple sentimental music to political and sexual themes. Salsa music also incorporates machoistic bravado into the lyrics as a way to express the virility and potency of the Latin male (Leymarie 268).

The comparison of salsa music and American popular music will consider two areas the lyrical content and the tempo of the various types of music. The focus will be on rhythm and blues (R & B) music. While R&B began around the same time as salsa, the music was primarily directed toward urban African-Americans. It has a strong linkage to black gospel music and to funk and blues. It was essentially music made by African-Americans for African-Americans.

Lyrical content of the various genre of music also varies particularly in the most recent incarnations of the music. The lyrics of r&b music are inundated with sexually explicit and violent language. The majority of the music is directed towards teenagers and reflects the cultural and social challenges faced by teens. This is a departure from the initial moorings, when the lyrics of r&b music were considered as intense and even fatalistic. Salsa music has maintained the elements of revolt and resistance. There are also sexual elements in the lyrics of salsa music but the elements are less overt.