The reason I like the book though is because he's the only person I've read who makes it undeniable that son-based music in Cuba owes a massive debt to salsa. As I recall that's mostly in the intro and the chapters on Formell and Adalberto Álvarez.
Hi Yuca,
The problem I have with the above, and not the sentiment per se, is he doesn't explain how that happens to be. It's just a statement or notion. I'm not sure but I don't think he's a trained musician. Something like that ought to be illustrated in technical terms. How does Cuban Son from Cuba owe a debt to music identified as 'Salsa?' Because if one chose to one could pour water over that assertion by citing examples of some of the worst productions to come out of the U.S. and Latin America. One could also choose the route of demonstrating by way of sales, promotion and distributional reach that, without music being labeled as "Salsa," the Son in Cuba would be an afterthought. Which is something that could be argued against as well. It could go either or. But everything has a path. Music, in particular, is too complex to strictly lean towards on school of thought. But you gotta present your position. If music production labeled as "Salsa" impacted Son Cubano how did it do so musically or technically?
In Ben Lapidus "New York and the International Sound of Latin Music, 1940-1990" a similar point is made, only in the context of WHI (and not 'what') was responsible for the music sounding the way it did in NYC that was distinct to the way Cubans in Cuba played it. Ben uses musical diagram(s) to illustrate the similarities of Son recorded/interpreted by NY based musicians, and comparing or contrasting to typical Son charts in Cuba. That's how you show and prove. Most authors on book revolved around Afro Cuban music just tell us. Few actually show us.
Normally we only hear the reverse i.e. salsa owes a lot to Cuba (which of course needs to be shouted from the rooftops, although hopefully nowadays it's common knowledge to anyone who's interested in such things).
I'm afraid ignorance abounds. Visit any youtube channel discussing "Latin Music" history and what you find is more misconception than enlightment. And it's from both sides of the pro-Salsa/anti-Salsa camps.
I don't have my copy with me but I think Álvarez actually admits that in the 70s he had to buy a powerful radio to tune into Venezuelan radio stations playing salsa, as there was so little son being played in Cuba. This makes perfect sense considering the small number of son-based bands recording in Cuba from the early 60s to the end of the 70s.
That's actually one of the things I don't get as to why he said that because there were a plethora of Son-oriented bands in Cuba, not playing Jazz, rock or Songo in the 1970s. Maybe the recording output was not there? In fact that's another area touched upon by Lapidus in NYATISOLM. The false notion that U.S. based musicians were somehow not privy to what was happening in Cuba, and Cuban musicians didn't know what was happening musically in the United States. Ben's book demonstrates how recordings themselves, produced in the U.S and Cuba, show us the complete opposite. Or how else does an ensemble like Irakere sound the way they do?
Son Cubano (Guaracha, Montuno, Mambo, etc) with an electric guitar, trap drum kit and electric piano? Exactly like the Carlos Santana band. He shows how individual record collectors like Rene Lopez and tge late percussionist Manny Oquendo kept abreast of the happenings in Cuba after the '59 revolution in Cuba. Manny is who exposed Eddie Palmieri to the new
Mozambique sound by Pello El Afrokan. Allowing EP to produce a rendition of it. How is Tipica '73 recording
Songo styled tunes like "La Candela" by Los Van Van if there's a wall between Cuba and the U.S., the way the Salsa Goals youtube channel contends? (No offense brother!)
I just think it could be better. Because both Padura and Acosta have access to U.S. based archivists, collectors, music industry people and can pursue a much deeper investigation (scrutiny) of what the popular narratives are. But they're convinced Mario Bauza invented an entire genre of music. Even Juan de Marcos Gonzalez of Afro Cuban All-Stars fame constantly cites Mario Bauza's importance as an arranger. Yet is unable to furnish the total amount of charts Mario arranged. That's because Nario was never an arranger. Prolifically or occasionally. But that's part of the legend surrounding Mario Bauza. Paul Austerlitz study on how the Machito orchestra invented Afro-Cuban Jazz is a hagiographic presentation. And he's a PhD scholar.
When people decide that a square peg CAN fit into a circle, there's no stopping them from trying to push that opinion as being a fact. Or they'll use something out of context to justify what they're lobbying.
