Salsa is a style of Latin dance music that blends a variety of African and Spanish elements. The term salsa is Spanish for sauce, perhaps referring to the hot, spicy character of the music.
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Salsa is rooted in Cuban music of the early 1900’s, especially a style call son. Cuban immigrants carried son to the United States. There, it absorbed elements of Puerto Rican music as well as jazz and rock music, especially in the 1960’s and 1970’s. At this time, the resulting musical blend became known as salsa. Salsa was adopted especially by Puerto Rican immigrants who settled in New York City. The music became a strong part of Puerto Rican cultural identity in the United States.
Salsa is both vocal and instrumental music. Most salsa bands feature a lead singer with backup vocals by other band members. A typical salsa band includes from 10 to 14 pieces. The horn section is made up of a saxophone, trombones, and trumpets. The rhythm section consists of a piano, bass, and Cuban percussion instruments that give salsa its driving beat. The percussion instruments include bongos, conga drums, cowbells, rattles called maracas, and a notched scraper called a guiro. Puerto Rican salsa bands may also include a small stringed instrument called a cuatro.
Salsa uses a basic rhythmic pattern called the clave. This rhythm is played by two round sticks also called claves. Salsa may also include a call-and-response practice among the singers taken from African music and previously used in the Cuban son. The lyrics of many Puerto Rican salsa songs refer to life in the barrios (Spanish-speaking neighborhoods) of New York City or to life on the streets of urban Puerto Rico.
A big band blend of Cuban music and jazz became known as Afro-Cuban jazz during the mid-1900’s. During the late 1900’s, salsa spread to other Latin American countries. It became particularly popular in cities in Colombia, Panama, and Venezuela.
A number of performers have gained fame in salsa music. The best-known artists have included the bandleaders Ray Barretto, Tito Puente , Willie Colon, and Eddie Palmieri, all born in New York City to Puerto Rican families. Other leading salsa artists have included Panamanian singer Rubén Blades , Dominican bandleader Johnny Pacheco, Cuban singer Celia Cruz , Cuban bandleader Machito , and Cuban percussionist Mongo Santamaria. Several American jazz stars incorporated Cuban music forerunners of salsa into their music. These stars included bandleader Stan Kenton and trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie .
