HISTORY OF SALSA DANCE Salsa is not easily defined. What is Salsa? A sauce, a recipe, a dance? Who invented salsa? The Cubans, Puerto Ricans? Salsa is a distillation of many Latin and Afro-Caribbean dances. Each played a large part in its evolution. Salsa is similar to Mambo in that both have a pattern of six steps danced over eight counts of music. The dances share many of the same moves. In Salsa, turns have become an important feature, so the overall look and feels are quite different form those of Mambo. Mambo moves generally forward and backward, whereas, Salsa has more of a side to side feel.
A look at the origin of Salsa. By: Jaime Andrés Pretell It is not only Cuban; nevertheless we must give credit to Cuba for the origin and ancestry of creation. It is here where Contra-Danze (Country Dance) of England/France, later called Danzón, which was brought by the French who fled from Haiti, begins to mix itself with Rhumbas of African origin (Guaguanco, Colombia, Yambú). This syncretism also occurred in smaller degrees and with variations in other countries like the Dominican Republic, Colombia, Puerto Rico, among others. Bands of these countries took their music to Mexico City in the era of the famous films of that country (Perez Prado, most famous ...). Shortly after, a similar movement to New York occurred. In these two cities, more promotion and syncretism occurred and more commercial music was generated because there was more investment. New York created the term "Salsa", but it did not create the dance. The term became popular as nickname to refer to a variety of different music, from several countries of Hispanic influence: Rhumba, Són Montuno, Guaracha, Mambo, Cha cha cha, Danzón, Són, Guguanco, Cubop, Guajira, Charanga, Cumbia, Plena, Bomba, Festejo, Merengue, among
others. Many of these have maintained their individuality and many were mixed creating "Salsa". If you are listening to today's Salsa, you are going to find the base of són, and you are going to hear Cumbia, and you are going to hear Guaracha. You will also hear some old Merengue, built-in the rhythm of different songs. You will hear many of the old styles somewhere within the modern beats. Salsa varies from site to site. In New York, for example, new instrumentalization and extra percussion were added to some Colombian songs so that New Yorkers - that dance mambo "on the two" - can feel comfortable dancing to the rhythm and beat of the song, because the original arrangement is not one they easily recognize. This is called "finishing", to enter the local market. This "finish" does not occur because the Colombian does not play Salsa, but it does not play to the rhythm of the Puerto Rican/Post-Cuban Salsa. I say Post-Cuban, because the music of Cuba has evolved towards another new and equally flavorful sound. Then, as a tree, Salsa has many roots and many branches, but one trunk that unites us all. The important thing is that Salsa is played throughout the Hispanic world and has received influences of many places within it. It is of all of us and it is a sample of our flexibility and evolution. If you think that a single place can take the credit for the existence of Salsa, you are wrong. And if you think that one style of dance is better, imagine that the best dancer of a style, without his partner, goes to dance with whomever he can find, in a club where a different style predominates. He wouldn't look as good as the locals. Each dancer is accustomed to dance his/her own style. None is better, only different. Viva la variedad, Viva la Salsa! Jazz Oral Interview of ISRAEL LÓPEZ "CACHAO" http://www.centralhome.com/ballroomcountry/salsa.htm
VALLENATO AND ITS HISTORY
What is now known as Vallenato folk born in the savannas, roads and remote villages of northern Colombia. Its spread is due in principle to the inhabitants of the region, even without an accordion academic preparation, they learned to tame it to accompany the percussion instruments that already dominated, and that served as background and companions to externalize all the demons that were inside in poetic way to deliver a message to give bad news or confess their love. Dagoberto Puello said in his Historia del vallenato "With very few exceptions, learned to play (perform) the accordion, although in absolute ignorance of the musical staff notes. His learning was done by "ear" and practiced daily,
either in the tent (Rancho) from his garden (also called pink) or in the vast courtyard of the house in the villages. Francisco "The Man", whose real name was Francisco Moscote, was a "messenger" that made the route between the peoples of the savanna of Cesar and La Guajira on a donkey, carrying news and messages to the people where it came, it delivered in the village who had just visited. He came into town on the square, and began to play his accordion and singing the news and the "reasons" that mattered to the people listening to the accordion notes Moscote, they ran to the plaza to see if sung news brought some hope of a family which had no news. The legend says, Francisco Moscote was found on the road with the Devil himself, who challenged him to play the accordion, to see which one did it better, the legend says that he won the Diablo, Moscote touching the "Credo" backwards, and as the race was under a palm tree, it was scorched when the Devil was defeated and temper. Due to the above, is assigned to Francisco Moscote as the precursor of vallenato music. The story tells that when the full boom of the Banana Zone in the Department (province) of Magdalena, where day laborers gathered from all regions to work with the United Fruit Company of Seville as cutters, farmers and transporters of bananas for export. In the camps new friendships were born, the first question was to whom he had just met was, "and wher are you compa "..?. The answer was according to the region of origin. I am Bolivarense, I am Guajiro ... I am born in the valley ... The latter was used by the natives of Valledupar, who wanted to say that they were natives of the Valley. The decomposition of this expression gave rise to the term "VALLENATO" which later was adapted to the accordion music of that region. Instruments Its three traditional instruments are: the caja vallenata: a small drum held between the knees and played with bare hands. It was used by the African slaves brought by the Europeans. Similar to a tambora drum.
the guacharaca: a wooden, ribbed stick similar to a sugar cane, accompanied by a fork that when rubbed together emits a scraping sound. It's about 18 inches (45 cm) long and one inch (3 cm) in diameter. It was used by the Indians to imitate the song of the guacharaco, a bird from the region, to hunt and perform dancing rituals. the accordion: three-line button, German-origin accordion. It has 3 reed per note and it comes in different tones, ADG, GCF, BbEbAb "5 Letras". Accordions in Colombia and Panama sometimes have custom made tones especially made for Vallenato and Cumbia.
Vallenato Festivals The Vallenato Legend Festival: Every year by the end of April, in the city of Valledupar, the Festival de la Leyenda Vallenata (Vallenato Legend Festival) is celebrated. During the festival a contest takes place in which the best vallenato interpreters fight for the title of Rey Vallenato (Vallenato accordion King), "verseadores", new song composers, "guacharaqueros" and "cajeros" are also awarded within three categories; professional, aficionado and infant. The festival also includes record industry's orchestras shows. Accordions' Cradle Festival: (Festival cuna de acordeones) This festival is celebrated every year since 1979, in Valledupar's neighboring town of Villanueva, in La Guajira. The Festival is similar to the Vallenato Legend Festival format, but also includes a category for the elderly accordion players over sixty years old.
Other Vallenato festivals: Nationally: Vallenato Festival in Bogotรก; http://www.parrandavallenata.com/Sectionsindex-req-PrintPage-artid2.htm http://www.vallesounds.com/valle/general.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vallenato http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dance
ELECTRONIC MUSIC A MIX OF TRENDS One of the most recent innovations to musical genre occurred in the 60's with the birth of the first electronic keyboard. Electric organs were the first to appear and become widely used (Voxes, Hammonds, Farsifas), electrically amplified pianos soon followed (Wurlitzer, Fender Rhodes, Clavinet) and, of course, the Mellotron, which was a kind of a pioneer sampling device, most famously used by The Beatles (in the "Strawberry Fields Forever" intro), King Crimson, and The Moody Blues. Although the electronically produced sound was very distinct in some of the songs, it still wasn't true Electronica the inclusion of acoustic and/or electric guitars, bass guitar and live drumming, etc. were dominant in the song's sound, thus classifying it as Electro-Acoustic music. One pioneer of early Electronic (and Electro-Acoustic) music was JeanMichel Jarre. In 1968, Jarre joined the GRM Music Research Group in Paris, and began experimenting with Electro-Classical music (also sometimes considered to be in the New Age category with similar artists like Enya). In 1971, he composed a ballet, which was played in Opera De Paris. This marked the first time that Electro-Acoustic music was played publicly. After releasing another successful album, and composing a film score, Jarre made a record-breaking performance in Paris. It was a spectacular show,
attended by a crowd of 1,000,000 viewers, and he used this opportunity to show off with a brilliant combination of lasers, fireworks, projectors and huge sound systems -- elements which later became infused into Raves, Synthpop concerts and the House music subculture. In 1964, Robert Moog presented one of the first analogue synths on the market - the Moog Synth. This innovation made the technology more affordable and widely available to the masses, who, in the late 70's and early 80's, swept the analogue synthesizer into the birth of a new sound in music - Electronica. Electronica is defined as music created using electronic instruments (synthesizers, samplers, drum machines, etc‌) and remains dominated by that electronic sound. It can be further characterized by its emphasis on melodic and harmonic structure, and also on its catchy, danceable rhythms and bass lines. Some Electronic enthusiasts find it difficult to distinguish between what is considered Synthpop, Techno, House, Acid Jazz / Fusion, Trance, Drum and Bass, Jungle, Industrial, Dance, etc‌ Everyone makes their own distinctions, based on factors like: "seriousness" or "deepness" of lyrical content, presence (or lack) of lyrical content, lyrics vs. samples vs. purely instrumental, presence (or lack) of melodic content, types of sounds/timbres within the music, and with what sort of image the artists present themselves. Artists representative of Synthpop (often also referred to as "New Wave" indicative of the changing style of British music in the early 80's) include: The Human League, Depeche Mode, Eurythmics, Pet Shop Boys, Alphaville, Erasure, and Duran Duran, among many others. Synthpop's style usually encompasses a strong lyrical and melodic / harmonic bent - the focus often falls on the singer and the image he/she presents for the band, as well as the mood / content of the lyrics, which is usually light in tone and not often very deep, although it can be highly emotional and serious, even dark and political at times.
Techno is typically founded in purely instrumental music, sometimes involving spoken word samples drawn from a variety of sources: film, television, radio, and even other artists' works. Generally it is driven by its beat, although melodic and harmonic lines still figure heavily in its definition. Artists such as 808 State, Fluke, Orbital, Crystal Method, and Chemical Brothers, typically fall under the Techno category. From the fusion of Hip-Hop and Rap with European Techno comes American House music. House is based largely on the 70's "spirit of community" and so, draws also from the influences of 70's Rock and Disco, as well as a touch of Jazz and Rhythm & Blues which can be found in its heavy reliance on piano chords. For this reason, Fusion and Acid Jazz (with additional saxophone melodies) are often categorized as sub-genres of House. Some famous House artists include: Towa Tei, Dee-Lite, and The Chemical Brothers. Again, there are often many groups which cross-over and fuse the boundaries of one or more genres of Electronic. http://www.essortment.com/all/musicelectronic_rccz.htm