dimemasazucar

[dimemasazucar]

From drum to guitar, Bachata takes Salsa in a different direction and tells a different story despite being considered the same as 'Bolero' at the time. (Spoilers though, it starts in Cuba- so we will go more into the genre itself and to our family in the DR.) "Despair is a part of failure" Joan Soriano's father says when discussing the dissimilarity between art and making it 'big'. There is a certain youth to both the genre of Bachata and the patience Soriano's father suggests because of his age. But what is the one thing that would help his family the most? Unfortunately the main crux (to no surprise) is- money.

Regardless of which island or country you're from, an unfortunate link between many of the arts and their evolution is starting off broke. But how does a genre from our family in the DR represent an evolution of the struggle? Well, incredibly so. I tell you what, if there's one thing that music does, it's have the power to connect people in a way that transcends time and culture. Even becoming a part of the culture- it's such a beautiful legacy that music leaves with us. Enough rambling though, back to the links- Bachata. Takes the drum of son and meringue and sets it in the mid-ground (if you'd work with me here) in favor of the guitar. If you haven't heard 'old school' bachata, I got you in a bit, but for now trust me when I say it's as expressive as any other latin genre of music.

See, before Bachata there was Meringue and Bolero, both different variations of latin music, dance, and expression.

For my meringue-heads of the 90's and early 00's your family was probably blasting Elvis Crespo's Suavemente or any splash of hits from El Zafiro Carlos Manuel 7 Orquesta and Fernando Villalona. The 60's was setting the stage, the late 70's to the 80's was when it was popping off though. Before this? The bolero's of the 60's were bringing us HOME. I`m talking Rolando La Serie, Altemar Dutra, or the BUTTERY vocals of Raul Marrero- if you know Bachata you probably know any of these (and MANY more) in rotation. Stories of love, loss, societal woes, and the pangs of artistry explored with an incredible amount of horns, emotion, and the (eventual, we're looking at Bachata mainly here) inclusion of the guitar front-and-center created something incredible. Why the name "bachata"? In short? Classism expressing a xenophobic subform within racist beliefs. Somehow 'Bachata' was the music of the lesser class because people were (checks notes) darker skinned and poor- wack. Boleros of rich areas had this whole ensemble, and the people rich enough to enjoy these thought that this was the only form of true (remember, this was before the term was used colloquially, so I'm using the term here despite it being considered 'Bolero' due to classism) Bachata out there. When the poor people in the bario were playing in much more humble groups, or trios. From those trios spawned that GOOD Bachata we know of today- that eventually evolved into, well, what we've been talking about. Side note: Imagine calling Bachata 'poor people Bolero' because it was different than what you expected, then it turns out to travel the entire world over the course of 40 years. All from the bario, to the radio. And again, from people taking something of nothing. Something that's interesting in The Duke's particular story (and one I am happy to have learned about) is how 'The classic' doesn't always translate to 'the hits'- at least not at first sometimes. Times change, you know? Sometimes it takes a minute for the original essence to make their waves again. But, as time is cyclical and water flows effortlessly, so too do the classics come back around. While The Duke finds his flow around this time and becomes the legend people know of today- the precursor to his success was built upon the foundation of groups like Aventura and Xtreme! We 'schmoovin when we dance to Bachata baby! The guitar part of bachata finds itself still included as we travel through time into the 00's, but I'm gonna be honest with you, it was the fusion of hip-hop that took Bachata to the next level in New York. (Probably because it's thanks to The Bronx that we even have the genre as prevalently as we do to this day, being a New Yorker is pretty cool I'm not gonna lie.)

At the height of Bachata you can see a large connection between our cultures, because- you know, we share history. Instead of focusing on the struggle-to-substance story instead I want to connect our distinct cultures in song because the song is crazy good.

If you haven't heard already, there is a bachata version of La Vida Asi from Puerto Rican legend Ivy Queen that I always suggest people listen to to capture the essence of our cultures at their height together in the 'Latin storm' of the 00's. As you enjoy the song I encourage you to think about Soriano's story and recognize it is not the story of one man, or one family- it's a representative look at how culturally some of our greatest works have to struggle the hardest to be shared the most. While I have my own personal feelings about the sharing and evolution of music, at its base-level I think all genres have a song for somebody to enjoy in it. You can learn much through how a culture struggles and succeeds through its music. So please, listen intently and remember that with the speed, guitar, and (more often than not) emotional songs of bachata comes an equally emotionally gripping history that adds another connection to the web of beautiful latin music worth exploring and learning about.

[dimemasazucar]

Dance Three: Gen-Three; the 'speak it and be it' generation.

As with all good things, typically time necessitates evolution.

This is no different when exploring the impacts of Salsa and historical contexts as we come into a time perhaps more relevant to those with relatives who were either from New York in the 70's or experienced the Salsa-to-mambo shift that happened at the time.

What happened in the 70's is an amalgamation of Latinx people speaking out against a country (in this case, the Americas) that had continuously attempted to marginalize, contemporize, and effectively 'other' intersectional connections between Latin and African communities. The 'Afro Influence' Eddie Torres mentions in his interview clearly evidences the impact of African music on latin culture. While it is fun to talk about frenetic rhythm and beautiful percussion underlying trumpets and dancing and the sazón of it all, it is important to recognize that the third generation of Salsa music began to 'spread its wings' insofar as recognizing that an already improvisational form in Salsa had largely been coopted by the then 'culture vultures' of the time.

From lack of representation to misrepresentation of latin culture, New Yorkers in the third generation of Salsa evolution recognized the mambo-wave as one equal parts damning and opportunity encouraging.

In the 70's, Latin music was predominately consumed by Latin people, as Juliet McMains expresses in her publication on Spinning Mambo Into Salsa. What started as a language of love and was created by necessity- a birth of a new culture in a cultural desert, became a vocal representation of vocalizing the frustrations of being Latin in a country that not only despised Latin culture, but appropriated so much of it that historical depictions of the culture before Latin people became involved are laughably misaligned at best, and cartoonishly racist at worst. As the influence of African culture continued to be championed through the Puerto Rican people of New York in their music, the effort to evolve Salsa was not solely on the shoulders of Puerto Rican people. In fact, it is due to the bonds of minorities living in the barrios of New York, black and brown alike, that allowed Latin music (Salsa) to evolve as quickly and as fervently as it did. From the Palladium to the Paradise Garage, Latin music, and by proxy Mambo was starting to find itself integrated into more aspects of musical expression. With the inclusion of the Paradise Garage has to come mention of the hustle, no relation to 'the grind'. Through a fusion of latin moves and American grooves, disco was born through the hustle and into the powerhouse of music it is today- influencing pop culture icons from Lady Gaga to Ivy Queen and more recently Bad Bunny.

While it may be no secret that latin music is in part a voice of the oppressed, it is through the fusion of the hustle, cha cha, mambo, and other African dances that Salsa still remains as prevalent as it does today while still growing within the same genre of music it started in (and beyond.) From speaking only Spanish in songs as a way of defiance to American oppressive structures to eventually finding itself frustratingly emulated in commercials, salsa has seen some fantastic ups and some pretty awkward lows in its ebb and flow.

Songs like Santa Esmeralda's Another Cha Cha and Arrow's Hot Hot Hot come to mind immediately when thinking about the Salsa-to-disco crossover and the influences of culture between mambo, through disco, and into reggaeton. I just don't like Arrow's music so I won't subject you to a link of theirs. Personal preference. (Sorry Arrow fans.)

While this is going on, Salsa is still finding itself a mainstay in latin music, and even with the evolution of disco culture it remained a focal point in representation and commercialization of latin culture. I, like my contemporaries before me, don't find hustle to be a division of salsa music but rather a microcosm within salsa that has met an unfortunate evolutionary pause alongside one of my favorite genres of music that equally encourages passion, community, and instrumentation- disco. While there is a huge rhythmic shift in 'the break' between generations, there's something about the older style of salsa that still emphasizes a raw emotionality that many other genres (and forms of artistic expression) find themselves lacking.

[dimemasazucar]

This time around I want to focus on an idea that became more sentient as we continued to read and watch these documentaries of history shared with mambo. What became a passing focus that was intended to receive idle time mentioning is now at the forefront of my thoughts because of how influential it is to the rest of the genre within Latin music. What's so cool is how recognizable similar ideas of expression by necessity and congregation lead to cultural evolution through time, and that was within the world of dance. See, as somebody who would consider dance a large aspect of his life, I learned transitively through an early age both the importance of keeping a rhythm and the transformative power of music. Powerful movements and a confident fluidity could both capture an audience and send the dancers to another space amongst their peers while harmonizing with live instrumentation in a way that has since evolved but can easily be traced back to the heart of our roots. While it is the beauty of blended cultures from Africa and Cuba that are the most obvious representations of mambo's original forms, it was the ingenuity of releasing the tempo over time that lead to the genre becoming as prolific as it was. The irony is not lost on me that it was a Nuyorican and a large part of the cultural transition between the community was adapted by the African Americans and the local Jewish & Italian communities freely participating in the evolution of a new tempo together. While the world may have experienced Bad Bunny's Después de la Playa at the end of the first week of Coachella, the song itself represents very clear connections to the roots BB pays homage to in their opening on Latin music. What do I mean? Well, it's kind of like getting a multi-course meal so I'll break it down into a few categories. In no particular order we'll start with the savory part, those drums. - that tamablle, there's something about the evolution of traditionally African sounds translated through Cuban culture and then sped up capturing the New York essence and the spirit of a Latin people both from the heart of Cuba translating their sound into a New York atmosphere and the Puerto Ricans of The Bronx (and Brooklyn) that contributed to the essence the genre is known for today and its eventual translation into hip-hop (and beyond). There's something about a good drum beat alongside the clave that keep us moving. While I could attempt to explain it using sociocultural terms and psychology buzzwords I'd be doing the experience a disservice. The essence of salsa, and mambo (as well as guaguachero, cha cha, and any of the contemporaries) is the essence, the spirit. That is held up by the drums, it is no secret that they are the heart of many genres, but to be in syncopation with the drum is to be in a different level of rhythmic understanding. That's a whole lot of savory though, let's get to the sweet part, those horns. Man, the influence of jazz on the latin people (and vice versa) is something else. Once the cultural Mecca became the rhythm Mecca it was all over. Having the horns not only getting their own time to shine but also acting as a percussive link between the dancers and the drummers? Truly something special to experience. Rounding everything out I want to focus on the seasoning of this rhythmic dish, because without this anything you have is going to be bland. It may seem funny to speak about it in this way, but much like how you may cook at home, dance and rhythm is expressed on an incredibly personal level. While we could wax poetic on a Tale of Two Titos all day I will instead keep it brief and make a suggestion on how to listen to their music.

[dimemasazucar]

First Dance: The art of Improvisation

It is always interesting to me when I get asked about my interpretation of a genre of music. A deeply personal overview and even critique of a medium that can bring out deep emotional responses from people while also holding incredible cultural weight and wanting to respect the art and the interpretation equally. It's a bit difficult to do with a genre like Salsa because of my deeply-rooted personal ties with the genre.

Having been raised by practitioners since its inception, both dancers and musicians alike taught me how to use my inherited love of the rhythm to become fluent not only as a dancer but as an expression of myself through dance. Salsa, much like the people it comes from, blends together the best aspects of Afro-Latin culture and stylized the image in a way that differentiated itself from its contemporaries at the time as its own entity.

In Volume II of Salsa Revolution, Willi Colon jokes about playing with the image of the 'gangster' at the time (heavily influenced by the mafia culture within the immigrant communities of New York) and incorporating that confidence alongside bombastic instrumentation and an incredible ear for rhythm. Interestingly this idea can find itself repeated in later generations of Hip-Hop and Jazz music, truly lending credence to the influence our cultures shared with one another during pivotal times of community and expression. These pictures, the hypnotizing clave (bap-bap-bap. BapBAP), the emotion behind it- it was me growing up. When you hear stories of families coming from different parts of any Antiguan Island to New York during a time of strife and evolution, finding their way amongst Italian, Turkish, African and Jewish peers experiencing the same thing you can feel the sense of family amongst conversations between old New Yorkers. The Viejos and Viejas of the world sharing stories of the suits, the dancing. Izzy Zanabria hit it on the head. "Salsa is Latin soul, and started in the heart of Africa. " Eventually flowing through every part of Latin America, receiving many different interpretations and cultural depictions. At its heart is a blending of Jazz, Bambo, African drums (of SEVERAL different cultures), with a sprinkle of the Taino influence. The heart of Salsa is in every Latin person because its in our DNA. The ability to create, to combine, to express. And Salsa is nothing if not a language of expression and improvisation meeting together in perfect harmony. Through its origins, becoming a language and soul of the Latin culture also came with broader representation in the world. While Salsa can find itself eventually as the foundation of reggeton, the evolution is not without its unsung heroes. Within Volume II is also the mention of Chef Feliciano, who is an undisputed legend in the art. Without him, music would not be what it is today. While not a similar scale of impact, I would also give more recognition to Eddie Santiago who created what I think to be one of the best Salsa songs of all time and a clear representation of the genre while it was at a fever pitch. They capture the emotionality, the percussion, the emotion of the genre incredibly well. With that being said, I have been focusing on a lot of what the men have had to say about the genre and not the ultimate representation of the genre at its finest.

Celia Cruz is without a doubt the definition of "often emulated and never duplicated." Many of us have memories (better or worse) of Quimbara being the spring cleaning anthem and also one of the songs that made everybody start dancing at get togethers. Her power as a vocalist was transcendent, her spirit as an artist irreplaceable. I wouldn't change the mixture of fear and joy I feel hearing Cruz on an early Sunday morning for anything. While through these videos I am sure you have seen the power of dance within the genre. Our bodies move, twist, and bend in ways that would have Yuri on Ice jealous in its animation if it ever came (and it should). We explode more than our Spanish Flamenco peers, we have more freestyles than 'traditional' dance forms of more westernized identities, and oftentimes the equal parts confident and provocative nature of our dancing represents our African influences with tight turns, incredible footwork, and group synchronization that will continue to stand the test of time. And, regardless of gender identity we do it in shoes with heels, baby. Equal opportunity flexing. As a cool aside, some of my favorite dancers from France, Les-Twins, have oftentimes referenced and directly have danced various interpretations of salsa during some of their World of Dance and global competitions. The art of improvisation is in the heart of Latin music and Salsa as well as its evolution (and family ties) are reminiscent of how artistry and community can create something spectacular.