New York Salsa Dance Stories: Salsa takes refuge in World Music

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Classic salsa isn't dead, even though reggaetón dominates commercial radio and hardly anyone writes original salsa material these days.

Salsa's golden period (the 1970s) is over, but the genre hasn't disappeared. It has taken refuge in some unlikely places, like world music and Latin Jazz (both associated more with yuppies than salseros). But these niche markets are where you will find some of the best Latin dance music today.

Like World Music Network, a British label, that's just released two recordings for Latin dance lovers: "The Rough Guide to Salsa Gold" and "The Rough Guide To Latin Street Party."

Salsa Gold is an anthology of some of the best "Golden Age" salsa; material that hasn't been played on the radio in more than 30 years. Bless those Brits.

The opening track is "Severa," a classic by Cortijo y su Combo, a Puerto Rican group popular in the 50's and 60's, whose lead singer Ismael Rivera is still considered the best "sonero" to have ever walked the Earth. There are many gems on this album: the great Mambo King Machito with then-19-year-old singer Lalo Rodríguez performing "Mi Ritmo Llegó," New York salsa legend Manny Oquendo Y Su Conjunto Libre with the sizzling "Estoy Como Nunca" and Colombian bandleader Fruko y sus Tesos with "Fruko A Lo Compadre."

The producers behind this collection also pride themselves on "digging a little deeper" and uncovering some lesser known groups, like Orquesta Dee Jay, a New York garage salsa band from the 70's that recorded the underground hit "Doña Paula." Salsa dura lovers will love Salsa Gold.

Latin Street Party is a mix of old and new and different Latin beats, salsa, merengue, cumbia and reggaetón. You will find groups like The Pimps of Joytime, mixing funk with mambo in "Bonita," with classic salsa dura musicians, like Sonora Carruseles playing "Mosaico 2."

A real treasure on this album: Gilberto "Pulpo" Colón Jr., one of the finest salsa pianists around and Hector Lavoe's bandleader for 16 years, playing "Sonero Mayor." Latin Street Party is proof that Latin musicians are still experimenting and innovating and keeping the genre alive.

by Deborah Ramirez

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