Salsa is danced to a 4/4 count—but what the heck does that mean? Counting music is most easily achieved if you know how to read music (so you’re already ahead if those jazz band years in middle school still ring a bell). If not, don’t worry. Learning the value of each … [Read more...]
Music News and Reviews
Get the latest music news, reviews and happenings in salsa, Cuban salsa and more at Dance Papi.
Best Salsa Albums You Might Have Missed in 2018 (Part 2)
At the end of the year you start taking stock of the year that is passing. My goodness, there was sure a lot of good salsa music that came out in 2018. You might have missed the following albums. Spanish Harlem Orchestra15 Anniversary(Artist Share, 2018) Under the … [Read more...]
Best Salsa Albums You Might Have Missed in 2018 (Part 1)
Out of the many salsa recordings we had a chance to get our hands on this year, these were the best of the crop. You can’t go wrong with any of these. This is salsa at its best. Ed Martínez Conjunto Qué no se acaben los cueros (indie, 2018) It’s good to know … [Read more...]
Salsa Albums You May Have Missed | Summer Edition 2018
Take a trip down memory lane with us and revisit some important salsa albums you may have missed over these last couple of years. Don Perignon y la Puertorriqueña Música Maestro (Don Records, 2016) Pedro Luis Morales Cortijo, aka Don Perignon, is a Puerto … [Read more...]
Salsa Con Vino (Vol. 3): July 21st, 2018
Dance Papi and the Napa Valley Opera House present “Salsa Con Vino (Vol. 3),” a lively celebration of dance, music and wine on Saturday, July 21st. This community dance event includes live salsa and timba music by Rumbaché, salsa lessons by Nick and Serena and DJ Walt … [Read more...]
What is Salsa Choke?
When Brasil inched Colombia out of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, salsa lovers were left with a sweet consolation prize: The introduction to the latest dance craze, “salsa choke.” This isn’t necessarily a new phenomenon, and dancers in tune with Colombia’s unique moves were … [Read more...]
Cuba and Its Music: From the First Drums to the Mambo
A review of Ned Sublette’s tome on Cuban music. We were all surprised when Ned Sublette came out with his hit recording Cowboy Rumba (Palm Pictures) in 1999. It was the perfect—yet totally unexpected and hard-to-imagine—blend of country-western and Afro-Caribbean … [Read more...]
A Farewell to Albert Torres
When I wrote my “Salseros Lost in 2016” pieces for Dance Papi, I never thought I’d be writing a tribute to Albert Torres only months later. Unfortunately, that is what is happening now. Albert Torres, promoter, salsa congress organizer, dancer, etc., died on May 25 … [Read more...]
Salseros Lost in 2016: Part 2
We continue remembering artists we lost in 2016 and who contributed greatly to salsa and Afro-Cuban music. They—and others—are now up in that great rumbón in the sky. Ismael Quintana (June 3, 1937–April 16, 2016) Ismael Quintana was born in Ponce, Puerto … [Read more...]
Salseros Lost in 2016: Part 1
2016 saw the loss of several great artists who made considerable contributions to salsa and Afro-Cuban music. In Part I, we remember two great soneros—one from Mexico, another from Cuba. Luis Ángel Silva Nava - "Melón" (October 2, 1931–February 8, 2016) Melón … [Read more...]