December Playlist Highlights

 

Who Is?

• Colombia has a rich musical history and a long line of internationally successful artists from a range of genres. The genre of Salsa is no exception.  Arguably, Colombians have their own style of Salsa music and certainly have their own way of dancing Salsa.  One of the early Colombian Salsa artists, and one of the most successful, is Julio Ernesto Estrada Rincon aka Fruko.  His musical career goes back to the early 70’s when he joined a Cuban influenced band Los Corraleros de Majagual.  After visiting New York and being inspired by the music coming out of the Fania label, Fruko started his own band called Fruko y Sus Tesos.  It was with this band that another famous Colombian singer Joe Arroyo got his start.  The band has an impressive collection of very danceable Salsa songs, their most famous song being El Preso.  Some of my other favourites include El Ausente and Confundido.  If you enjoy Frukos’ music check out La Sonora Dinamita and The Latin Brothers, two other bands the he nurtured to success.  And for some insight into 1970’s Colombian fashion, the cover of the album “Fruko El Grande” is an excellent place to start.

 

What am I Listening to?

• I was introduced to an awesome CD the other day called Salsa Clandestina published by Music Rough Guides.  The word ‘Salsa’ in the title of the album should be interpreted loosely, at least from a dance perspective. While there are some very danceable songs on the album (Café Con Sangre), there are also some interesting oddities (a medley of “Sympathy for the Devil” and “El Cielo”).  The liner notes are excellent and provide a little history about each band and some background about each song.  The names of the albums where the songs originate are also listed.  What I really like about this album is how it pushes the boundaries of what most people consider to be Salsa music.  In my opinion, Salsa is a constantly evolving genre that draws on a wide range of influences, with artists continuing to experiment and play with the style. This evolution is what makes Salsa so exciting to listening to.

 

Questions, comments, requests? send me an email.

Espero que tengas una Feliz Navidad y año nuevo fantástico