| Homepage | Field Reports | Bibliography | People | Places |
| A History of Salsa In Lubbock, Texas |
|
Salsa has not always existed in Lubbock. About fifteen years ago, Jacob had the idea to start a salsa night for a couple of reasons. First, he had always wanted to have a salsa night in town, as he had personal interest in the music and dancing. Second, there was a market for it, especially because of the foreign students/professors in the population of Texas Tech University. More than one person had told him how they wished such a leisure interest existed because they had grown up attending such events and missed being able to be part of a community that had ties to their cultures. There had been multiple attempts to have salsa nights, but they were always in locations where space was an issue, such as restaurants. The clientele were willing to participate, but there was not enough room for dancing or proper acoustics for music volume. At the time, Jacob was working for a radio station (in Lubbock) that plays a variety of “Latin” music sub-genres. Along with two DJs from the station (Jacob was the production manager), he procured a contract with a local sports bar and grill for a salsa night. This, of course, is the salsa night our group attended on Thursdays at Jake’s. Jake’s is located on 50th and Slide, which is situated in a middle area of town, and easily accessed by most people. The salsa night at Jake’s began very traditionally, with “traditional” music, such as salsa and merengue, as the primary focus. Many people attended the salsa night because it was the only available one in town. However, Jacob said it soon became less about the atmosphere and more about the number of people coming in (i.e. more heads = more money, because they charge cover). Alcohol sales became prevalent and the music was changed to accommodate the larger and more varied tastes of the group in attendance. Eventually, Jacob left the radio station, but was unable to move the contract because it was through the station. He began scouting for locations and discovered Melt, an upper-class restaurant situated in the Depot District, or downtown area of Lubbock. Though smaller, Melt seemed the ideal location for a new salsa night, as its location and clientele-orientation combined nicely to create a classy atmosphere that drew a “better” crowd. (Jacob had explained that the “numbers” problem at Jake’s had consequently resulted in less control over attendance. This introduced people whose behaviors and attitudes were directly opposite of those that are typical of “traditional” salsa settings.) As a partner in the restaurant, Jacob explained that his goal in beginning a salsa night at Melt was to try and create the environment found in the Latin clubs in urban centers with large Latino populations. Often, these clubs have strenuous requirements for clientele wishing to attend. There is always a dress code, which sometimes is so strict that women can enter only if they are wearing dresses or skirts. I.D. checks are rigorously conducted at the door. Cover tends to be on the upper end of the scale; some places have a “wait,” as they will only allow a certain number of people in the club at a given time (this is usually related to the seating and tables available). Melt’s entrance requirements are not so strict, but a dress code is stressed as much as possible. There is also an age requirement (21 and over) that is standard policy, though some exceptions have been made for very specific reasons and people. (The management at Melt, and Jacob, made an exception like this for our group. Three of four members started the semester under 21. We're grateful that they made the exception for us and were so welcoming and open with our group.)These conditions, along with its more out-of-the-way location and Wednesday night event time, have kept the ambiance exactly how it was designed to function. Jacob also explained that, as someone who is very interested in promotions (as was part of his job as station production manager), he also tries to find ways to promote the salsa nights in special ways every so often. For example, during one of our fieldwork sessions, a promotional salsa night took place during which music was broadcast live from Los Angeles via a local radio station. Another contributor to salsa nights in Lubbock is DJ Mario. His interest in salsa started when he was working in a radio station. He worked with two DJs who were actively "gigging" for salsa nights in Lubbock, and when they had to leave the business, DJ Mario was left with a decision to make. In his terms, it was a decision on whether to get in the game and keep salsa going, or to let it die. He now works at Melt every Wednesday night. He has been a very valuable informant for our group. ~ Abi Rhoades* For a more comprehensive history of salsa and it's development pre-Lubbock, visit this link:Salsa: Development |
|
Merengue is a type of music very similar to salsa, but with a different beat. While salsa focuses around a 2 on 3 beat with steps that generally move forward and back, merengue has a 2/4 beat and moves side to side. It's tempo and steps resemble sort of a march. |
|
~ Chasteen, National Rhythms, African Roots ~ Willie Colon |
In order to understand the development of salsa, we must first understand the history of music and dancing which helped to create and influence salsa as we know it today. The earliest roots of salsa travel back to the late 15th and early 16th centuries, when the African slave trade began in earnest. By 1518, the Spanish crown admitted that over one-third of the native American population had been wiped out. To combat these losses in their workforce, Europeans started importing Africans at phenomenal rates to Caribbean plantations to serve as labor. Organized into societies based on the differing African nations they belonged to, the slaves preserved their ancestral rites and religious beliefs within rites and traditions practiced by Europeans, particularly those of the Catholic Church. It is through this system that santeria was born – the allying of those African teachings considered pagan by the Church with the rites of the Church, pairing Christian saints with the spiritual beings of African traditions and those objects/elements (such as stones, shells, and iron) those beings supposedly inhabited. One of the most important traditions maintained through this practice was the performance of sacred drumbeats. Talent and inspiration were considered natural gifts deserving of appreciation and respect, as not all drummers possessed the same power (ashe) needed for the gods to hear the beats. Another important element was the ability of a singer to improvise, whether singing solo or alternating with a chorus. Finally, dancing also played an important role in slaves’ lives, though frequently discouraged by plantation owners. Having an understanding of the African background of the development of music in the Caribbean, it is necessary to turn to the Europeans and explore their contributions to the same music. First and foremost, the imposition of European languages is extremely important to the development of music in this region of the world. Because of the widespread dialects used by slaves, it was fairly easy to superimpose a new language (Spanish, in the Caribbean). The Spaniards also contributed a love of romance, rhymes, songs, stories, and musical instruments. European instruments included trumpets, cornets, trombones, double basses, violins, flutes, clarinets, accordion, mandolas, harp, and guitars, the latter of which was altered to produce new versions of the instrument, each unique to their country of origin. The most important musical contributions of the Europeans were melody, harmony, and musical structure. Beginning in the late seventeenth century, poor immigrants from Spain had been settling in Cuba, bringing the Arab-influenced tradition of the Spanish couplet. This underwent a series of changes to become the guajira, which was accompanied by a dance comprised of stamps and jumps. The 1791 Haitian rebellion against French colonial rule did more than enable Cuba to become the leader in sugar exports. The fleeing of the Creoles, some French, and some blacks from Haiti to Cuba, combined with the migration of people from the Cuban countryside to the sugar shipping ports all helped the music and dance of the countryside infiltrate Cuban towns. A large number of people also moved to Cuba following Napoleon’s sale of the French Louisiana territory in 1820. Strong contact with the French opened the door for numerous Western European genres to be assimilated into Cuban repertory, including the the pavane, polka, mazurka, French romance, operatic aria, and the waltz. By 1794, European-style dances such as the contredanse were extremely popular in Cuba. The early nineteenth century saw the creation of a particular Cuban form of contredanse. National forms of dancing also became prevalent, such as the danzon, which became the main dance in Cuba in 1879 and remained fashionable until the 1920s. The ten-year war against Spainish colonial rule led to the abolishment of slavery, but it did not end poverty. The year 1886 saw a large migration of former slaves, Creoles, and mulattos and their cultural traditions to Cuban towns. Just when the aristocracy seemed to have everything under control, the east of the island introduced a new sound that influenced subsequent development of dance music in Cuba, the Caribbean, and across the continent. Enter, the son. The basic format of the son had a story (the motivo) which was told by a solo singer with “collective affirmation” by chorus and instruments. This type of song appealed to poorer levels of society, as it was sarcastic and impertinent. The first attempt to establish son in Havana came shortly before World War I; the musicians who performed it were young country boys fleeing forced entrance into a newly created army. They played at popular and religious celebrations, requesting donations to help round out the income they earned from day jobs. By 1910, the impact of son had become so great that other musical forms began to change. The danzonete was created by adding a son theme in the second part of the danzon and also at the end. Son was considered to be so influential that the Cuban bourgeoisie tried their utmost to suppress it, citing the obscenity and immorality of the movements provoked in those who danced to it. Although son was banned by the government (for the Cuban aristocracy), by 1918 it was being danced in “high society” clubs and the ban lifted by 1920. The main external influence on the development of salsa came from jazz, which was absorbed into Latin musical practices with great rapidity. The time period from 1935-1960 or so saw rapid changes in musical structures that were heightened due to the economics of “keeping with the times.” The first chachacha was performed in 1948 in a Havana club. This new dance prompted the creation of new musical groups referred to as “orchestras” which over time would come to be specifically associated with distinct types of Latin music genres. The inevitable blow to the development of Cuban music would fall in 1959, when Fidel Castro and his guerilla army entered Havana. His rise to power would have significant impact on Latin music in the years to come, as many musicians fled Cuba to escape the dictatorial regime.
Many Cubans and Puerto Ricans had already begun moving to the United States long before Castro’s takeover. Musicians from both countries had been performing in America since the early twentieth century; most often they were brought over as exotic attractions. However, economic and social conditions within their countries of origin caused many people to move to the industrial cities of America, in search of better life conditions. They ended up in tenements that gained their collective name in New York City – El Barrio. Life in this neighborhood was very hard, and music began to reflect the conditions of this new way of life. However, new influences on Latin music began to creep in from the black Americans who also lived in the Barrio. Jazz and swing bands were popular in the 1930s and the 1940s saw the explosion of bebop onto the jazz scene. The exchange between Latin and jazz groups was extensive, with constant searching for new rhythms and timbres to enhance both musical and dance experiences. By the 1950s, mambo had arrived on the Cuban musical scene and continued to grow in popularity because of widespread denouncing by the Church and rich Latin Americans. The constant stream of rhythms being supplied by Cuban musicians inevitably found their way to New York, where Latin bands adapted them, i.e. the mambo which was revised into the chachacha. In the 1960s, massive political upheavals and other world events would pave the way for an incoming wave of new musics. The arrival of the Beatles marked the birth of pop music and also the relegation of Caribbean music as appropriate for “old folk.” Bossa nova, a samba rhythm from Brazil, satisfied the need for “exotic” music, and Latin musicians seemed in danger of being buried under the landslide of pop mania. Adaptability would save them once more, and in the 1970s, salsa as a genre was officially born. Not easily defined, salsa was neither strictly Cuban nor inherently New York authored. It was an amalgamation of styles that was dependent on the co-existence of people from multiple countries and a multitude of experiences, all of which generated new possibilities. Its ease in encompassing rhythms, sounds and tendencies made it accessible to everyone, thus ensuring its continued success and popularity. Salsa tore down philosophical and territorial barriers where other musics had failed to do so. Its ability to unite has made it a crucial medium for integration and identity, both then and now. |
| Bibliography |
|
Aparicio, Frances R. Listening to Salsa: Gender, Latin Popular Music, and Puerto Rican Cultures. Hanover, NH: Wesleyan University Press, 1998.
|
