Since the 1970s, salsa has been the most widely disseminated popular music throughout Latin America. But beyond its importance in economic terms, it has also become a symbol of pan-Latin American identity, expressing Latin American and Latino resistance to the overwhelming influence of mass culture emanating from the North Atlantic. Until recently, however, it has been difficult for teachers in the United States to incorporate studies of salsa into their Latin American and Latino studies curriculum, because most of what was in print was either in the popular press—and therefore uncollected by most university libraries—or else in Spanish-language journals or books difficult to obtain in this country (for example, El libro de la salsa: crónica de la música del Caribe urbano, by César Miguel Rondón, 1980; La salsa, by José Arteaga, 1990).
This situation has improved with the publication of a number of English-language articles, chapters, and books on various aspects of the music (“Salsa, Maracas, and Baile: Latin Popular Music in the Poetry of Víctor Hernández Cruz,” by Frances Aparicio, Melus 16:1, 1990; Caribbean Currents: Caribbean Music from Rumba to Reggae, by Peter Manuel, 1995; Salsa! The Rhythm of Latin Music, by Charley Gerard and Marty Sheller, 1989; Salsiology: Afro-Cuban Music and the Evolution of Salsa in New York City, by Vernon Boggs, 1992). Although each of these endeavors has made a valuable contribution, individually they lack the historical grounding and sociological focus that would make them more appropriate for general classroom use.
It is in this context that Hernando Calvo Ospina’s book must be evaluated. This is not the definitive work on salsa that scholars (such as I) have been waiting for, but it should be welcomed nevertheless as a useful addition to the English-language literature on the subject appropriate for undergraduate classes. Calvo, a Colombian journalist and professed avid salsa dancer, has no scholarly pretensions; he writes in an informal, free-ranging style. Some chapters are straightforward chronological accounts, while others are narrated by imaginary salsa fans who offer political and social commentary along the way. All nine chapters are interspersed with lyrics in both Spanish and English, which provide an idea of salsa’s characteristic range of topics and use of language but which, unfortunately, seldom relate directly to the surrounding text.
In spite of the book’s somewhat naive style and lack of theoretical underpinnings, I found it to be the most refreshing, accessible, and above all, comprehensive socio-historical treatment of salsa to appear in English to date. Calvo, intensely involved with salsa as a dancer since adolescence, brings a genuine and commendable desire to historicize salsa’s trajectory and explain its meaning. Happily, his experience as a journalist has helped him explicate the social, cultural, economic, and political terrain in which salsa is embedded, particularly how issues of race, class, nationalism, and gender have influenced its development. For example, he acknowledges the nationalistic debates on who “owns” salsa (Cuba or Puerto Rico), but he quite properly situates salsa’s emergence in New York City’s multinational barrio. Then he describes its subsequent development not only in New York but throughout Latin America. He underscores how class has shaped audience responses to salsa, which was initially embraced only by the urban poor, whether in New York, San Juan, or Caracas; only after salsa had spread throughout Latin America did the middle class jump on the bandwagon and accept the music as a symbol of Latin American cultural identity.
Calvo rightly chastises the political left for misunderstanding salsa’s early working-class aesthetic. More recently, salsa’s orientation shifted to middle-class aesthetics and values. As a result, Calvo notes, salsa began losing its appeal to working-class dancers. Calvo should also be commended for including an entire—if short — chapter analyzing women’s participation. In summary, advanced salsa researchers may find the book too thin on bibliography and theory; but those seeking a basic but insightful introduction to what salsa is, how it evolved, and what it means to its fans will find this book an enjoyable and illuminating read.
