Did Salsa Congresses Save Salsa Music ?

[Luke]

My feelings about instrumental solos in Salsa...

Personally, I like to improvise since I came to Salsa from a jazz background. Salsa and jazz are like two peas in a pod -- they have much in common and both have informed each other.

But... unless ( as some have already mentioned ) it's a concert or a special kind of event then I think instrumental improvisation should be limited. I agree that many music directors should be more aware of this. One singer I work with goes overboard -- he wants trumpet and trombone solos on almost every song. We don't like that so much. Playing a brass instrument in a Salsa band is very demanding and we need to conserve our chops for the hard parts, mambos, moña's, etc. If I get to play one brief solo per set then I'm happy.

If there is a truly great soloist in a band then they should be featured with an "open" (extended) solo at least once during the set... people like Luis Aquino, Jimmy Bosch, Papo Lucca, Piro Rodriguez, Ricky Marrero and many others. These kind of players can really excite things up and if the dancers don't like it then they just don't know what they are missing!

There are not many venues nowadays where people go as much to dance as to appreciate the music and the musicians. One place in New York City still fills this void, the Julia De Burgos Latino Cultural Center (Taller Boricua) in East Harlem. On Wednesday nights you will see bands like the Mambo Legends Orchestra, Orchesta Broadway, Jimmy Delgado ( www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcu9YZhAoHc&feature=related ). If you're in New York City it's definitely worth checking out. The center is in danger of shutting down due to financial reasons, which would be a shame.

Thanks for the tip! Orquesta Broadway I didn't even realise they were still around!

 

[MAMBO_CEC]

Another great thread that got somewhat derailed!! No Congresses did not SAVE Salsa music, it just gave it a bigger platform, to spread its wings and come out from the underground. With regard to romantica, I would argue it was just another phase that salsa/afrocuban music went through, just as mambo,boogaloo,sal
sa dura etc.One could argue also that "The salsa social" saved salsa dura?

 

[El Caobo]

Another great thread that got somewhat derailed!! No Congresses did not SAVE Salsa music, it just gave it a bigger platform, to spread its wings and come out from the underground. With regard to romantica, I would argue it was just another phase that salsa/afrocuban music went through, just as mambo,boogaloo,sal
sa dura etc.One could argue also that "The salsa social" saved salsa dura?

No congresses did not "save" salsa, but it did a lot for the renaissance of salsa de la mata. Performers generally do not perform to romántica, nor do they go social dancing to it. So, first the classics became popular again. Then, more bands started making music with the "classic sound." There were always bands sticking with the classic sound, but now there are more, because it is more popular again... generally speaking.