In the 1930s, '40s and '50s, Cuban music within Cuba was evolving into new styles derived primarily from son and rumba, while the Cubans in New York, living among many Latinos from Puerto Rico and elsewhere, began playing their own distinctive styles, influenced most importantly by African American music.[5] Their music included son and guarachas, as well as tango, bolero and danza, with prominent influences from jazz.[29] While the New York scene continued evolving, Cuban popular music, especially mambo, became very famous across the United States. Following this was a series of other genres of Cuban music, which especially affected the Latin scene in New York. Many Latin musicians in New York were Puerto Rican, and it was these performers who innovated the style now known as salsa music, based largely off Cuban, and to a lesser extent, Puerto Rican music.[30]

Salsa's roots can be traced back to the African ancestors that were brought to the Caribbean by the Spanish as slaves. In Africa it is very common to find people playing music with instruments like the conga and la pandereta, instruments commonly used in salsa. Salsa's most direct antecedent is Cuban son, which itself is a combination of African and European influences. Large son bands were very popular in Cuba beginning in the 1930s; these were largely septetos and sextetos, and they quickly spread to the United States.[31] In the 1940s Cuban dance bands grew much larger, becoming mambo and charanga orchestras led by bandleaders like Arsenio Rodriguez and Felix Chappotin. Cuban-style big bands were formed by Cubans and Puerto Ricans like Machito, Perez Prado, Tito Puente and Tito Rodriguez.[32] New York began developing its own Cuban-derived sound, spurred by large-scale Latino immigration, the rise of local record labels due to the early 1940s musicians strike and the spread of the jukebox industry, and the craze for big band dance music.[33]

Combining technical mastery and emotive improvisation, Salsa music blazes a path to the souls of nearly all that listen. With roots in the warmth and depth of Cuba's rich musical heritage, Salsa's rhythmic and melodic prowess has led it to countries worldwide; an unmistakable swing from here to Japan! Of course, it wasn't always called "Salsa" and many believe such terminology was merely a commercial invention. But we're not here to theorize or argue about clave, simply to enjoy and respect the music. (Please take a quick look at our suggested reading list as we are sure you find a clarity and depth that we could not hope to put forth in just a few paragraphs.)

The Salsa Experience will focus primarily on the sounds and brilliance of Cuban music as it evolved in the last 40 years; we want to impart the joy and power of this musical style – its function as a dance music and its rhythmic dynamism.

This being said, we will also take a close look at Son, Salsa's most direct antecedent (which itself is a combination of African and European influences), and later the music of Arsenio Rodriguez, Felix Chappotin as well as the sweet and fierce violin and flute of Charanga (i.e. Orquesta Aragon) - for here lie many stylistic traits in pure and beautiful form which were to later be incorporated into "Salsa" as we know it.

Of course, we cannot forget other fantastic and hugely influential modern groups like Los Van Van, Manolito y Su Trabuco and others in our daily "listening breaks". Please take some time to check out these bands as we hope to focus mainly on PLAYING once we get to the island!