Salsa MusiciansThe first salsa musicians were found in New York City nightclubs during the period following World War II, performing for the mass of Cuban and Puerto Rican immigrants who arrived in area at the time. These musicians combined elements of the Cuban Son with the styles such as the rumba, mambo, African roots music, Puerto Rican music, and jazz, to create a unique Latin American art form. While the salsa bands originally played traditional salsa exclusively for the benefit of the dancers, they are now featured at concerts in which they combine elements of rock, pop, and rhythm and blues as well as mixing in other styles like meringue, cumbia, Latin jazz, and the plena. The Perferct Metaphor 
Some of the most famous salsa musicians include the percussionist Tito Puente, pianist Eddie Palmieri, trombonist Willie Colon and many others like Perez Prado, Tito Rodriquez, Ray Barretto, Arsenio Rodriquez, and Machito. The term salsa, which means sauce in English, is a perfect metaphor these musicians who come from a variety of nations and ethnic backgrounds. The music of these musicians who became famous in 1960’s New York, spread and soon became popular in Cuba, Puerto Rico, Colombia, the Dominica Republic, Venezuela, and Mexico.
Salsa musicians generally follow a song structure derived from the Cuban Son which starts with a simplistic melody that always goes to a solo section called a coro. They improvise frequently throughout a song and utilize techniques like syncopation and call and response.
The Lifeblood of Salsa Percussion is the lifeblood of salsa, and therefore a typical band has one or more musicians playing instruments like the timbales, congas, bongos, claves, maracas, vibraphone, marimba, and the cowbells. These percussionists provide multiple poly rhythms derived from the music of Africa and the Cuban son, to give salsa its unique rhythm, perfect for dancing. The other musicians in a band play instruments such as the piano, accordion, violin, bass, electric guitar, flute, trombone, saxophone, and trumpet. Soneros and Soneras Singers at the forefront of a salsa band are not the norm as salsa music is generally played primarily for the dancers, not an audience. However, many salsa singers have made a name for themselves including Celia Cruz, Ruben Blades, Hector LaVoe, and more recently Jose Alberto, Gilberto Santa Rosa, and Marc Anthony. Male salsa singers are often referred to as soneros and female singers as soneras. Tito Puente While Elvis may be the king of Rock and Roll, there is only one musician referred to as “El Rey del Timbale”, “The King of Mambo”, and “The Sultan of Salsa” These are all the deserving nicknames of the legendary percussionist, bandleader, and composer, Tito Puente. Africando Africando is a unique musical group featuring West African singers joined by New York based salsa musicians. Together they formed this popular Afro Cuban band. Africando became a worldwide phenomenon by drawing on the popularity of salsa music in Western Africa as well as its popularity in Latin countries. Celia Cruz Celia Cruz, the Queen of Salsa or “La guarachera de Cuba". Besides being one of the most successful Cuban singers ever, she is one of the most influential female figure in the history of Afro-Cuban music. With her powerful and strong voice she inspired many people. Gilberto Santa Rosa Gilberto Santa Rosa also known as "Tte Gentleman of Salsa”, is a renowned salsa singer. He is famous for his versatility with both the tropical and romantica style. Eddie Palmieri Eddie Palmieri is a Puerto Rican pianist and bandleader who is known for his unique blending of traditional Latin music with jazz and funk rhythms. He has over fifty years of experience in music including multiple tours around the world and nine Grammy Awards. La India La India is a Latin singer of intensely emotional songs. She is also knows as “The Princess of Salsa”. She is a multiple Grammy Award nominee and Billboard chart topper known as much for her outward beauty as her beautiful salsa voice. Jerry Rivera Jerry Rivera comes from a very talented family. He successfully crossed over to the American charts in 2006 when Wyclef Jean and Shakira sampled his song “Amores Como El Nuestro” in the chart topper “Hips Don’t Lie”. Oscar de Leon To each performance, he brings a mix of his rich tenor voice, the nasally singing of the Cuban son, and a charismatic stage presence which often includes frantic dancing while playing his upright bass. Go from "Salsa Musicians" back to "Homepage"
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