salsa (cuba)

a stinker of a day here in mid south island new zealand
33 degrees which is close to meltdown point for kiwis
but a beautiful sunset when the sun finally set at 9:15 ish
twas a beautiful orange glow that lit up the sky
was out walking but alas no camera to record the moment
maybe tomorrow but what are the chances?
seems ages ago i started this little exercise
inspired by an article in songlines magazine
july/august edition of 2006 (from memory)
50 separate and distinct rhythms in the world
my thinking was now that looks like fun
take each one and find a suitable clip on youtube
and post it on the blog for posterity
getting well through them now
here's what they had to say about salsa from cuba

salsa is a trunk-full of rhythms drawn from the afro-cuban traditions
and particularly the fundamental son and it's derivatives
brassy guarachas, romantic boleros, guitar-based guajiras
and the african percussive guaguancos
which remain faithfully authentic, or fully mutated
fifties mambo orchestras' arrangements
were americanised by young latino new yorkers in the 70's
famously for the fania label which became synonymous with salsa
but geographical variations include peurto rico's laid back swing
and colombia's tropical brightness

there is one name that came up repeatedly in reference to salsa
celia cruz - otherwise known as the queen of salsa
born in 1925 and working up until her death from cancer in 2003
hugely successful in cuba and then internationally
found the following clip of her doing a very well-known tune
but in true salsa style complete with the big band
and also demonstrating the importance of dance to salsa
very summery music i reckon
suits the day today
(36 of 50)