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Where
does Salsa come from?
'Salsa' itself means 'sauce'. It's a Spanish word, it means 'sauce'.
It's a term that came about in the 70's by the Fania All Stars who
were based in New York. Basically, did their own take on Cuban Salsa
and they coined the phrase 'Salsa'. Which incorporated a lot of
different rhythms from Latin American styles of music. It was designed
to make it easier to package it for consumption by the West. So
basically, when you're looking at Salsa in the UK, I think you'll
be looking at a blend of Son and Rumba and Salsa that's come out
of New York, Puerto Rico, Cuba. I think you could trace it back
to the times of slavery when the Spanish discovered Latin America.
You had a great influx of African slaves from Nigeria, a lot of
slaves from Senegal. They were forced to give up their religion,
everything else. And all that was left really was music. So they
took over their drums, and I think maybe once a week they were allowed
to celebrate their own type of music off the plantations. Then you'll
have a blend of Spanish, sort of court music, French music. I suppose
that's what you get today: it's a bit of a Sancocho. A Sancocho
is a stew in Latin America. So it's a bit of a blend of everything.
What is so special about the Salsa sound?
The sound of Salsa is very exciting. It's got a lot of elements
in it. The beat itself is a syncopated beat. The core of Salsa,
you'll find a beat called the 'clave' in Spanish, OK. The 'clave'
is the beat you'll hear of 2-3, 3-2 underlying all the polyrhythms.
There's lots of different rhythms, lots of blends, lots of layers
in the music. It's very sensual, fiery. You'll find you'll hear
a bit of Latin Jazz in it. Salsa can blend in with almost any type
of rhythm. That's why I agree with Willie Colon, who is a Venezuelan
Salsa star, who argues that Salsa is more of a concept. A self-evolving
concept that can incorporate other rhythms, other trends and musical
styles. And I think I like to view the musicians and singers in
a Salsa band as chefs at work. Cooking up a fantastic meal of rhythm,
blending the ingredients perfectly to perfection. And the dancers
also play a role in that.
Why are the dance-steps so important?
The steps are important. Basically, people will be taking three
steps and then they have to put a pause in. They find the technique
quite difficult at first. And then after a while, once they settle
in to it, they start to work on their own style. There are hundreds
of different styles, actually, of salsa. From New York to Cuba,
to Colombia, to London, to Japan. The romantic and sensual label
Salsa attracts is down to the fact that people learn to move their
bodies in ways they never moved before. They become more in touch
with their own movements, their own style and also the proximity
with which you dance to your partner. You're very close. You don't
need to be able to master the steps or have a special technique
to appreciate the music. You can just get out there and dance on
your own on the dancefloor.
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