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Article 1: Perception and Reality
I chose this title, because it reflects the average beginner student, and general public idea of what the genre is all about... the "Flash and Trash" of performance, and the insatiable appetite for Spinning.
MUSIC... its origins and meaning, in relationship to dance. The deeper origins are based on the religion of Santeria, and a combination of folk dances such as Yambu and Orisha. But first, lets examine its more recent roots.
Much has been written about the evolution of Mambo/Salsa, and I would like to try and give a clearer pathway to the musical side of things .
Its nigh impossible to give credit to all those who have contributed, so I have selected a few names, whom I believe had a major impact on the current status of music.
 No discussion about the music can pass without the inclusion of its core instrument, the Clave (2 wooden sticks), these are the driving force that "lay" down the rhythm. They are easily identified by their "Click.. click, click.. click.. click..", often referred to phonetically, as "shave .. haircut.. 2 bits". You may also hear this rhythm sequence included in many Piano and Bass and Tumbao sections .
On the written side of music, "Son" is a time signature ( 4/6 ) that was introduced into the already pulsating rhythms of Cuba, by Maria Montillo and her daughter from the Dominican Republic in the 1800s. Going back to the Clave, it is normally "struck" in a 3/2 sequence for Salsa, but may be reversed to 2/3 for Guajira and Montuno rhythms.
I should add, that it will not affect what you are dancing, at the early stages of your learning experience. And you may not even realise that the "change" has happened.
This insignificant in appearance, piece of wood, has become the identifying driving force, along with the "change" in its appearance within the chord structure, for the varying types of rhythm built around the Son format, for e.g. Son Montuno, Son Guajira, Son Guaganco etc.
 The reason it is important to know the differences? They should reflect this in our dance interpretation (more on this in later editions). In addition to these, we also have other "rhythm" contributors to the " mix" such as Bugaloo, Cumbia, Pachanga and Charanga ,etc.
 So who do we credit for all these paradigm shifts in music ? I suppose we have to begin with Perez Parado who in 1940, introduced Mambo to the States. However, it is a widely held belief, that "Cachao" was the first to develop the rhythm in the 30s , and he is sometimes called the "Father" of Mambo (the music, NOT the dance). His last DVD is priceless in content.
The transition to popular dance music in the 40s and 50s was in large part due to bands like Machito, Puente, Tito Rodriguez and Cal Tjader, to name but a few. They began to incorporate, in many cases, a heavy Jazz influence, which is still prominent in many of today’s recordings (specifically in Descarga). But the person  who is given high status in the industry for his major talents in so many areas, is Hector Lavoe. His contribution to music comes second to none .
There is so much more to write about the bands, the musicians and the music they created, but this is only meant to be an introduction, and a brief guideline to some of the "Giants" of the genre. I’m sure we could fill a page with other names, and many will have their own selections.
I have kept this article superficial ,as there are many academic pieces that are available, and this hopefully, will give a better understanding to the newer convertees to the genre in simpler terms.
Next...Music and Dance. from Basic to "Showtime".
Article 2: Mambo to Salsa
Looking at this from a purely social aspect, it would be fair to say, that the A.Murray Studios were the driving force behind its resurgence in the 50s. It crept into the States in the 40s mainly in the NYC area and LA, also, the more authentic forms were very much confined to the barrios in NY and other Latino enclaves, but it had not yet reached the masses.
The reason for the public awareness was in large part due to the TV show in the 50s, when Arthur Murray personally, with his wife, fronted the program. Each week a dance was performed by two of his teachers ,Terry Leone and Pat Traymore from the NYC studio. (I actually managed Terrys studio many years later, he was also Mrs Murrays personal teacher).
When Mambo was demonstrated on the show, it was the beginning of a new paradigm in dance. It flooded the studios with wannabe Mambo dancers, and the studios obliged.
It had attracted so much attention, that in 1961 in LA, when the Arthur Murray Regional Medal Ball was held at the Palladium with over 2000 attending , the band they booked was Tito Puente!
The NYC Palladium, of course, was in high gear at this time ,and the only other club to my knowledge that could compete, was Virginias in L.A, with the distinct difference between the 2 venues (size apart) were its clientele .
NYC was in a position to attract many of the indigenous Latino locals from the Boros, as well as the general public being in a prime location on Broadway. But, if memory serves me well, in LA it was the teachers from the many studios, that gave great support to the many bands that appeared on a regular basis, such as Tito Puente, T. Rodgriguez, Cal TJader, Machito et al.
The Crescendo on Sunset attracted a more diverse crowd due to its location ,and was one of the venues that Machito played on a regular basis, whereas Virginias, being downtown, was more of a Mambo aficionados hangout .
There was one other club that Rocki Mari promoted, whose name escapes me, but was always well attended .
There were several well known "characters " in the scene at the time from the inimitable Steve Peck (who went on to movie fame) and the likes of promoter/dancer, Rocki Mari, Natalia, Jimmy Ramos, and the Rivera twins. And of course, the Palladium had their luminaries in the likes of Cuban Pete and Millie and "Killer" Joe Piro, among the countless other dancers of that era.
In the next edition: Perception and reality - what really were the differences in the developing styles?
Article 3: From MUSIC to DANCE - in one easy lesson
Dance, from a partnership perspective, has been around for several hundred years, but we need to address approximately (timelines sometimes, are tenuous) as to exactly when the formation of the Social style of Latin dance, became part of the social dance mainstream.
It was in 1931, that the first Rumba was on show in the UK, and we know that its origins precede that by any number of years . Rumba, (an Umbrella catch all term) developed from Danzon, combined with Bolero (30s show style) became the model for today's version of Mambo and Salsa.
But before we continue this journey, lets back track... Danzon had become the nightclub dance of choice in Cuba in the 30s and 40s, and its "sister " the Guaracha, was another version, both based upon the "Box" step.
Also, around this time Mambo music was being introduced, and the first song recorded with Mambo as its title , was recorded by Orestes Lopez in 1938. However no formalised version had yet emerged on the international scene. Change was in the wind.
The name Mambo ,has several meanings and two are of Congolese / Nigerian origins, and means "Lullaby" (hardly an apt description of today's music!!). Another says it means "Chorus” and/or “Voices". But, literal translations often lose context in their conversion to the English language .
Around 1945/46, the time signature of that genre, had started to make a change from a 2/4 to a 4/4 rhythm, with added poly-rhythm syncopations. As with all dance, changes in speed and rhythm many times brings changes in the construction of what and how we dance.
In this instance, little did they know how monumental this change would become. It had adopted the name of Systemo Cubano and essentially (this is where Danzon and Bolero enter), they took the "Square" and opened it to this format......... Forward, Back, Side and Back, Side and Forward, with a QQS rhythm. This was the same basic structure of Bolero, but with a major difference in timing. Mambo on 2 for its breaks, and Bolero was, and is, on 3 of the bar. The rhythm stayed the same.
When the franchised dance schools of Arthur Murray took Mambo into their curriculuum, they used that basic format with one major difference, they commenced the 1st bar (see above), and placed it as a side and backwards direction to commence. In so doing, they had complied with a) the rhythm, and b) the premise of the dance, which is known as the "Call and Response" theory, emanating from the folk type dances of Yambu and Orisha.
Mambo was now becoming a formalized dance in many places, but was lacking in variety (Cubans still are notorious, for limiting variety in their dancing). This was resolved ,with the implementation of variations from the dances of Bolero and Swing .
I shan’t make a list per se, but I would like to credit the foundational dance patterns that still exist universally, which are... The Mambo Basic, Crossover Break, Backspot turn, Cross-body-lead, and all of the "break" type figures.
Let’s now examine some of the "rhythms" that have become part of the genre, that affected the way we were able to change our interpretation of specific types of music. It’s arguable which has had the most influence and effect, but let us look at two of the most common.
"Son" Guajira was originally written in a 6/8 and 3/4 time sequence . The credit for changing the Guajira, and refining to a Salon style, was a singer from Cuba, Guillermo Portables .
The Guajira rhythm can be defined musically as having a Syncop built "within" the bar as in 1,2, 3 and 4 . This was and is often played at faster as well as slower tempo, and from this, triple Mambo developed. In some cases, bands play a double syncopation by following with a 1,2, 3 , 4 and 1 and thus "joining " 2 bars together.
It now becomes abundantly clear how Cha Cha was developed. The Guajira style is still danced by many Latinos, and many of my compradres, do not consider Cha Cha Latin.
The individual given credit for Cha Cha music, is Enrique Jorrin, who was a director of the famous band Orquesta America. He recorded a song in the early 50s "La Enganadora" and transposed the Guajira rhythm to what we now use today. The name, Cha Cha Cha incidentally, again has several claimants, notably the sound made by the shuffling of the feet of the "front" singers in the bands.
Article 4: The emergence of Salsa and its development musically and dance direction.
The Mambo had a popular life span from the 50s but it waned dramatically in the early 60s ,primarily due to new dance fads, however, it did remain popular through the NYC enclaves.
The resurgence of a "new" sound began to emerge in the very late 60s and early 70s. The many Latino and jazz musicians in NYC began to change the direction of Mambo , musically speaking, and created a new paradigm in the form of Salsa. Its name origins are a little cloudy , but suffice it to say that the "new " music being played and recorded, awakened a whole new following .
The introduction of Bugaloo and Cumbia rhythms, to the already established poly-rhythms, among others, started to make an impact on the way we danced and interpreted the new sounds .
It became the time of experimentation in music and dance. Orchestras from several countries began to get recognition, and their "style" impacted many changes in the way we danced and taught.
I will not go into a lengthy discussion on the "correct" timing for Salsa in general, but it’s sufficient to say that the standard break timing of Mambo suddenly began to change to "1" and "3". Many Cubans had used the "1" for years and some still do. The music construction, although still driven by clave had a distinctly different sound and feel. Cumbia rhythms and Bugaloo as well as Montuno became part of the new norm.
There are many musicians who played major roles in creating this "shift". As we previously noted, Hector Lavoe, along with Pacheco, were but two among many, who made significant contributions. Three major distinct forms emerged and were being thrust upon the public, namely Salsa Romantica, Salsa Dura and Descarga. They have all endured to this date.
These changes brought about changes in "dance styles", which are now firmly embedded in the culture. from L.A and N.Y to Power 2 , P.R.and Cuban, to name but a few .The origins are sometimes debatable, but I don't find that unusual. More importantly, it seems to have defined who we are by the way we dance.
I’m a great believer in letting the music I hear define that issue, NOT a pre-set rule.
Music changes frequently when we dance, and knowing and understanding those changes is the challenge we all face.
The author of the above articles is Terence Le Vine a Fellow with the I.D.T.A. and the U.K.A in B/room and Latin, and, a former Examiner with the N.A.D.T.A
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