From Afro-Cuban rhythms to Latin jazz

Abstract

Fernandez, Raul A. From Afro-Cuban Rhythms to Latin Jazz, Berkeley, CA: U of California P, 2006. 199 pp. Much of research behind Raul A. Fernandez's From Afro-Cuban Rhythms to Latin Jazz comes from author's participation as a consultant to Smithsonian Institution's Jazz Oral History Program from 1994 to 2000. While working in this capacity, Fernandez interviewed Afro-Cuban musicians in United States and throughout world. His access to these musicians-Celia Cruz, Mongo Santamaria, and Israel Cachao Lopez, to name just a few-is both greatest asset to his short book and, unfortunately, underscores its most significant weakness. While study tries to assess influence of Afro-Cuban over course of twentieth century, and Cuban son in particular, result is an unevenly divided introduction to Cuban dance music: one third historical and theoretical analysis, two thirds biographical sketches with rich anecdotal testimony. As Fernandez organizes book, chapters one, two, and three are devoted to roots of Cuban son, undeniably, and unquestionably, foundation of Cuban popular in twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Fernandez seems to feel it necessary to prove this point, along with others like importance of dancing in Cuban music, as if there were ever a debate over subject. Nonetheless, historical information provided is accurate, if not new, and does offer a concise overview of genealogy of Cuban dance from African drumming traditions through rumba, culminating in son of early 1900s. What is presented, however, has already been explored in greater detail in works by Cristobal Diaz Ayala, Helio Orovio, Natalio Galan, Leonardo Acosta, Peter Manuel and John Storm Roberts. This shortfall could be mitigated significantly if book were clearly geared toward a popular, that is, non-academic, audience. Unfortunately, Fernandez embraces terminology such as transculturation, and imagined communities without explanation or even acknowledgment of Fernando Ortiz or Benedict Anderson, a move that likely alienates popular reader. After historical background of son, remainder of first part focuses on what Fernandez calls, following lead of Willie Colon, the salsa concept. While there is room for such a discussion-one that distinguishes a unique attitude and point of view identifiable with salsa-the author never really gets there, instead referring vaguely to ethnic identity and Latino pan-ethnic music without coming any closer to a definition of salsa than his predecessors (17). Salsa has always been a slippery term, and for good reasons that at least initially were more political and economic than aesthetic. In fact, cornerstone of any attempt at a definition of salsa must begin with its development in United States in late 1960s and 1970s, a period after Cuban Revolution when this permutation of Cuban son, performed by Cuban, Dominican, and Puerto Rican emigres, was distanced from its Cuban roots and guilt-by-association with Fidel Castro in order to sell records during Cold War. An argument can be made that two unique strands of dance based in Cuban son developed soon after 1959. One remained on island and is typified by Los Van Van, Irakere, and, recently, NG la Banda. Likewise, another strand developed in exile, mostly in United States, and is performed by Cubans and Cuban-Americans, as well as other Latin American immigrants and their children. This music, saka, is represented by Celia Cruz, Tito Puente, Mongo Santamarfa, Willie Colon, Ruben Blades, Johnny Pacheco, and many others associated with Fania record label. Fernandez, however, elects not to address this important historical and cultural development. Except for a few cursory references, book barely mentions 1959 revolution and its impact on Cuban dance on and off island. …