Salsa music

Salsa is a style of dance music mainly influenced by Caribbean traditions and music from Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, where African cultural syncretism in music and dance blends with European influences, African and indigenous instruments, along with contributions from the contiguous United States. Because most of the basic musical components predate the labeling of salsa, there have been many controversies regarding its origin. Most songs considered as salsa are primarily based on son montuno and son cubano, with elements of cha-cha-chá, bolero, rumba, mambo, jazz, R&B, bomba, plena, merengue (Pambiche) and pachanga as well as other music styles from Latin American countries traditions. All of these genres and their musical instruments are adapted and fused to accomplish smooth and seamless transitions between them when performed within the context of salsa. While retaining Afro-Cuban rhythmic foundations, Nuyorican and Puerto Rican musicians radically transformed the genre in the late 1960s and 1970s. Artists like Willie Colón and Héctor Lavoe from the South Bronx introduced aggressive trombone arrangements and lyrical themes focused on the urban diaspora experience, creating the distinctive "Salsa Dura" sound.

Originally the name salsa was used to label commercially several styles of Hispanic Caribbean music, but nowadays it is considered a musical style on its own and one of the staples of Hispanic American culture.

The first self-identified salsa band is Cheo Marquetti y su Conjunto - Los Salseros which was formed in 1955 in Cuba. The first album to mention Salsa on its cover was titled “Salsa” which was released by La Sonora Habanera in 1957. Later on self-identified salsa bands were predominantly assembled by Puerto Rican and Cuban and Dominican musicians in New York City in the 1970s. The music style was based on the late son montuno of Arsenio Rodríguez, Conjunto Chappottín and Roberto Faz. These musicians included Celia Cruz, Willie Colón, Rubén Blades, Johnny Pacheco, Machito and Héctor Lavoe. During the same period a parallel modernization of Cuban son was being developed by Los Van Van, Irakere, NG La Banda under the name of songo, which further evolved into timba in the late 80s with artists like Charanga Habanera; both styles are at present also labelled as salsa. Though limited by an embargo, the continuous cultural exchange between salsa-related musicians inside and outside of Cuba is undeniable.