Introduction to Salsa Music

            The word Salsa in the Spanish language translates to sauce. Salsa can be used to add spiciness to a food, but for the musical genre entitled Salsa, the name could refer to the spicy feel of the music. The word is also a great metaphor for a genre of music that developed as a result of a mixture. Salsa also helps describe the musical and cultural make-up of New York in the 60s and 70s. Salsa came from its Cuban antecedent called Son, which is a combination of Spanish and African influences. Beginning in the 1930s the Son spread to the United States, particularly New York City. By the 1960s the growth of what we know as Salsa today began in the streets of New York City. The first "hub" for Salsa music was Brooklyn Height's Saint George Hotel. When the 1970s began the center of Salsa moved to Manhattan. In Manhattan the recording company, Fania Records, introduced many of the first Salsa singers and musicians to the world. As the 70s progressed Salsa music quickly expanded back to Puerto Rico and many other Latin countries. During this time, the number of Salsa bands increased dramatically. When the 1980s arrived, Salsa began to diversify into salsa romantica, a sweetened version of Salsa, and salsa erotica, a more explicit version. Not only did salsa become more diverse, but it also continued to spread to places like Mexico, Europe, and Japan, with each making their own styles. In the 1990s and present Salsa became more prominent in Europe and remained a crucial role of Colombian music.
            There are four main factors that separate Salsa from its Cuban Predecessors and made it its own genre: an increased amount of trombones used in the music, the role of the Cuban timbales in the ensemble, the harmony that is associated with Jazz music, and the incorporation of Puerto Rican rhythms, instrumentation, and stylistic elements.

Though there are many Salsa artists throughout the world, Celia Cruz is the only one that is referred to as the "Queen of Salsa." When she moved to the United States in the 60s she became fixed on the Salsa music genre. Here is an example of one of her songs entitled "La Negra Tiene Tumbao":

This is another small example of what Salsa music sounds like. Not only was salsa made for singing but it was also made for dancing. This song has a great dancing beat to it: