Customer Reviews

Salsa Guidebook: For Piano and Ensemble

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This book is for anyone who is hungry to aquire the knowledge and history of the rhythms from Cuba and how these rhythms came from Africa to the caribbean. The format is very easy to follow, the information given is great and very accurate, the people that knows some of the great salsa performers will appreciate the wealth of pictures printed on the book, like Israel Cachao, Luis Quintana "Changuito", Juan Formell, Tito puente, Isaac Oviedo, etc. The discography list is a must for anyone who wants to learn about salsa and rhythms alike. The musical examples, like the montunos on the piano are a must to learn. Excellent book! Rebeca Mauleon is an excellent musicologist.

For students of Latin rhythms, this book is essential. It has a good historical perspective and develops the concepts from the history in a clear methodical fashion. The examples of each instrument's parts in various rhythmic styles are perfect and it is an essential reference for anyone who wants to understand the rich culture of Latin music.

This is the best book on this topic I've ever read. It's thorough, clear, easy to read, and fun to learn from.
After reading and playing with this book, I feel very confident with the clave.

Mrs. Mauleon research of Afro-Cuba and others Afro-Caribbean rhythms, well desert an A+. On the other hand placing all of these rhythms together, and calling them salsa is incorrect. Mrs. Mauleon's definition of salsa is plain wrong. Artists usually know what they play. One that definitively knew what he was playing was the king of Latin music " salsa " Tito Puente. It's obvious that Mrs. Mauleon didn't take the time to ask the king, that is salsa? Neither did she asked Johnny Pacheco, co-founder of Fania Records and creator of the Fania All Stars. Which according to her own words, were responsible for the creation of the term salsa. Interview of both: Tito Puerte and Johnny Pacheco, also of Papo Luca, Ruben Blade, Gilberto Santarosa and many other great " salsaros," could be found on you-tube. Make your own mind. It would be hard to imagine, that any of the artists that Mrs. Mauleon is shown with on this book, would agreed with her on this matter. This book is a good cake with a bad frosting. On it musical content, I grade this book with an A+. On the definition that the author Mrs. Mauleon give to salsa with an F.

My son is the pianist and he thought it was very helpful and thorough.