Salsa City Forum » Salsa Music and Dance » types of salsa

hi there, i'm jessie & i'm new to these forums :)
i've been studying spanish for about six years and am currently pursuing a degree in hispanic studies, in which i'm taking a course called Latin American music. i'm attempting to write an essay about the 'ingredients' of salsa and it's different types (eg Cuban, New York). i'm having trouble finding information on the different styles. :/ can anyone recommend any resources? i also started taking salsa classes about a month ago; muy divertido!! :D

thanks for your help!!

Hi Jessie

The history of salsa is an incredibly controversial subject so I think you would do best to try to reflect the controversy rather than try to be too definitive from what will have to be fairly sketchy research.

Here is a page demonstrating the wide range of opinions among Latin-americans themselves: http://www.latindance.com/history_of_salsa.htm

The book The Latin Tinge by John Storm Roberts is a fascinating overview on the impact of Latin-american music on the United States from the 19th century up to the middle of the 1970s.

The book The Essence of Afro-cuban Percussion and Drumset by Ed Uribe has an interesting section of background and history.

Here is a salsa history from a New York perspective by Izzy Sanabria: http://www.salsamagazine.com/generic.jhtml?pid=5

It's a huge subject so, after reading a bit, pick your aspect and don't get overwhelmed.

Hope this helps to get you started, let us know how you get on.

Here's an interview with Eddie Torres that gives an insight to New York salsa in the eighties: http://digido.com/salsa/eddietorres.html

I did a presentation on the same subject in my Spanish class last year. There are a couple of other print sources you might find handy - the Rough Guide to Cuban Music, and a book called Salsa! (or Musica! in the American edition) by Sue Steward.

Que le vaya bien.