Customer Reviews

Salsa Around the World

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This CD is a great compilation of Salsa from different places than the top four(Puerto Rico, New York, Cuba, and Colombia). The quality of the musicianship is top notch and most of the songs are danceable salsa rhythms. These bands are all veteran musicians and the variety means it does not get repetitive, but even the deviation is grounded to such a level that I liked all songs.
This Cd will mostly appeal to hardcore salsa fans looking to expand their musical horizon. About half of the songs are in spanish with the other half in other languages which no one person would be expected to know all, but even those songs can be enjoyed due to their great rhythm and harmony. This CD is just as good for listening on the road as it is for dancing at a party.
P.S. As far as the definition of Salsa, salsa is usually defined not by what sub-rhythm it has, but rather its danceability. Salsa must be able to produce a meter of eight beats for a dancer to take six steps. This mixed with the percussion ensemble of Timbal, Conga, Bongos, Guirro, and/or Bell, etc. creates salsa, regardless of whether it is mambo, charanga, descarga, etc.

When the first great mass of Cubans fled their Island and entered the U.S just 90 miles away from their homeland due to political reasons in the 60's, they did not want to be reminded of any thing from Cuba. The Cuban youths in the U.S. only listened to the North American, British (rock & roll) music of the 60's and were absorbed in the psychedelic era sounds. Only the elderly would listen occasionally to the old Cuban music. However, the Puerto Ricans in New York (New York Ricans) were still listening and dancing the Cuban music in a faster pace with some changes to the rhythm appropriate to modern times labeling it salsa because of the blend of the Cuban son, mambo, guaguanco, rumba, guaracha, guajira that was played by the great talented bands of Tito Puente, Ray Barreto, Larry/Andy Harlow, the Palmieri brothers, Johnny Pacheco, Willie Colon, Lou Perez and many others from New York. It was the Puerto Rican Community that kept the Cuban music alive and popular (Fania All Stars) in the nation and around the world. Today salsa in played in many forms from many countries that adopt their country traditional music and incorporated in with the salsa rhythm. This is what this CD is all about; it all started with the Afro Cuban roots (mostly the Cuban son) the forerunner of what today is known as salsa. Buy it! you will not regret it!

Good Cha-Chas on this album. Don't let the album title mislead you. The album is Latin music in general and not strictly Salsa. For the dancers that take a critical ear to music, only 6 of the 12 songs are actually Salsas. The remaining songs are five Cha-Chas and one Rumba. I bought the album for the first track which is a very good Cha-Cha. I didn't expect a Salsa titled album to be a good source for that, and I think they should remarket it. The album is unique with the different flavors enhanced by languages and styles other than Spanish. Some may find it difficult to make the adjustment. You can dance to all the tracks except for one Salsa which is just a bit too fast. As a DJ, I found five songs worth ripping to play on the open dance floor. The other songs are suitable for practice.

"Salsa Around the World" is a spicy blend of the most sizzling horns and percussion amidst enchanting flutes and rhythmic acoustic guitars. It is the Latin experience set to music. It's rich blend of emotion and soul makes for a truly enjoyable listening experience. The bands featured on this CD are masters of their craft, an art which is rooted in pre-colonial Latin America and Diasporic Africa. They are proof of the preservation of culture through the strength of music. Several thousand years of culture are trapped within every note played and every percussive strike. It is the perfect mood-setter for either a dance or dinner party. This CD is meant for all music lovers who appreciate skillful musicians and upbeat tempos. I would reccomend this album for anyone who enjoys good music.

I am not a salsa music fan, but I do like this album. What got me interested in it was the opening song, a track from a band in Scotland, Salsa Celtica, that mixes Scottish sounds with salsa music. I love new blends/fusions of music, and this really appealed to me! So wild to hear bagpipes and fiddles in a salsa tune!

Another favorite track is by Shaan, from India, that also does a great job of mixing Indian sounds with salsa. Totally cool! Unfortunately, this song is less than two and a half minutes long.

My third favorite track is by El Septeto, from Finland. They use a trumpet that makes me feel like I'm right in Tijuana, another place, like Finland, not normally associated with salsa.

The rest are less adventurous in mixing styles, but still there are some noticeable influences in local musical flavors. That's something interesting about this album--the bands are from countries not normally associated with salsa music: Japan, Senegal, Italy, Morocco, etc. I think it gives it a little more of a fresh flavor.

This is a very nice CD if you don't expect to hear 12 tracks of salsa. Only about half of the songs can qualify as salsa. Some of them are really good (Rapada, Anna Maria, Flores y Tambores) and make the buy worth while even for those who expected strictly salsa. The rest of the songs are sons, cha-cha's, etc. Still good.

this cd is a misnomer. whoever classified this as salsa cd does not know how to dance. most of the songs here are cha-cha and only one or two are real salsa music. but don't get me wrong the cha-cha music here are superb and danceable. so if you are looking for an all salsa c.d. this is not it.

Thanx to this Putumayo's compilation we have a chance to hear that salsa (and a couple other flavours of latin music) is played in many other countries than Cuba:)
There are no fillers here. Cool to play in the car, fine as a background during dinner for two.
Two thumbs up!

We first realized salsa had gone global after hearing Orquesta del Sol ("Japan's first salsa band"); indeed, a successor group, Orquesta de Luz (see, for example, Lo Esencial) is on this album. More than the mastery of salsa from musicians outside of the traditional powerhouses, however, this album also represents new influences from outsiders who have made "salsa" their own. Perhaps the most intriguing example of this is Mana Janab Ne Pukara Nahin, which sounds a bit like Hindi Santana. We say "salsa" in quotes because, as others have noted, "salsa" seems to be shorthand for the various Afro-Cuban rhythyms of Latin America represented on this album. Nonetheless, it is true that "salsa" is effectively shorthand for Afro-Cuban music for much of the world - a world that has become increasingly exposed to these genres. The album, in the end, represents globalization at its best and maybe a glimpse of what "salsa fusion" will sound like.

I found this rather by accident and I think its a great cd. i adore "sol de la noche" the first track as it mixes scottish instruments with traditional Latin sound. most every song is a real winner, and another one that stands out is "ruñidera", which states "son de verdad, de cuba". which i guess is a lie, because they're from Finland, but wow do they sound authentic! that's my favorite. i also love ignane which starts in what i think is Senegalese, then goes to french, then to Spanish. its a linguistic/ cultural/ musical extravaganza. makes a great gift for the person who has everything but this cd.