Salsa A Musical History (2008)

Fania’s 4-disc, 68-song boxset, Salsa: A Musical History takes on the challenge of presenting a music style that many argue doesn’t even exist. Tito Puente famously joked that “salsa” was a sauce, “you put on your steak.” But even if salsa music is more of a concept than a single, identifiable sound, there’s no denying its social, cultural and musical impact as a movement. It’s that legacy that Salsa pays tribute to.
Assembled by reissue producer Dean Rudland, with extensive liner notes by Ernesto Lechner, Salsa is divided into three main eras: Disc 1 covers “The Roots of Salsa 1960-1971” and highlights many of the New York Latin giants of the 1960s, including the late Joe Cuba and his swinging guaguancó “Bochinchosa,” Eddie Palmieri and his infectiously groovy “Azúcar,” the teenage prodigy Willie Colón and newly discovered vocalist Héctor Lavoe on “Borinquen” and veteran bandleader Johnny Pacheco and the song that inspired the name for Pacheco’s new label.
Salsa’s “Golden Years” in the 1970s are deep enough to warrant dozens of discs and with only two to work with, Rudland opts for a delicate balance between breadth and depth. There are some massive commercial classics included - Ray Barretto’s defiant “Indestructible” or Rubén Blades and Willie Colón’s disco-influenced “Plástico” for example - but Salsa also aims to capture the complex range of styles being experimented with during the era. There’re the beautiful vibes of Cheo Feliciano’s surprisingly brass-less ensemble on “Anacaona,” the explosive, driving passions of Ricardo Ray and Bobby Cruz’s “Agúzate,” and Roberto Roena y su Apollo Sound’s mellifluous “Mi Desengaño” and its mix of Cuban and Brazilian rhythms.
The final disc, “Salsa Moderna” is arguably the most interesting; there’s a palpable tension regarding what Lechner describes as “the tepid brand of salsa romántica” that dominated the 1980s through ‘90s. Despite that, the disc’s 14 tracks pull out both songs of historical import and enduring quality, spanning from Sonora Ponceña’s “Sola Vaya” with its classic Afro-Cuban styles merging with ‘80s synthesizer whines, all the way to the introduction of a brilliant new 22-year old singer in the form of La India on her and Eddie Palmieri’s “Mi Primera Rumba” from the 1990s.
A Musical History pulls off the most difficult of missions - to both serve as a primer for the uninitiated yet still satisfy the hardcore fan. In distilling the history of the sprawling salsa movement into 68 distinct moments, Salsa serves both interests in simultaneously introducing and reminding listeners of the music’s vast range and unique merits

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01. Alegre All-Stars; Cheo Feliciano - Sonó Sonó
02. Johnny Pacheco y Su Nuevo Tumbao - Fania
03. Joe Cuba Sextet - Bochinchosa
04. Celia Cruz - Son Con Guaguancó
05. Eddie Palmieri - Azúcar
06. Santos Colon; Tito Puente & His Orchestra - Corta el Bonche
07. Ricardo Ray - Cabo E
08. Cortijo y Su Combo; Ismael Rivera - La Soledad
09. Willie Rosario y Su Orquestra - Campanero
10. Bobby Valentín - Tu Eres Mi Coco
11. Fania All-Stars - Me Gusta el Son
12. Héctor Lavoe; Willie Colón - Borinquen
13. La Lupe - Puro Teatro
14. Ray Barretto - Mirame de Frente
15. Eddie Palmieri - Vamonos Pa'L Monte

01. Fania All-Stars - Estrellas De Fania
02. Cheo Feliciano - Anacaona
03. Pete Rodriguez - Johnny Pacheco - Dulce Con Dulce
04. Ricardo Ray - Bobby Cruz - Aguzate
05. Orquestra Harlow - La Revolucion
06. Tito Puente - Salsa Y Sabor
07. Roberto Roena - Avisale A Mi Contrario
08. Andy Harlow - La Loteria
09. Justo Betancourt - Pa Bravo Yo
10. Ismael Miranda - Asi Se Compone Un Son
11. Charlie Palmieri - La Hija De Lola
12. Eddie Palmieri - Nunca Contigo
13. Hector Lavoe - Willie Colon - Calle Luna Calle Sol
14. Ray Barretto - Indestructible
15. Johnny Pacheco - Celia Cruz - Quimbara

01. Orquestra Harlow - La Cartera
02. Tommy Olivencia - Plante Bandera
03. Ray Barretto - Guarare
04. Hector Lavoe - Periodico De Ayer
05. Tipica 73 - Sonaremos El Tambo
06. Pete Rodriguez - Catalina La O
07. Roberto Roena - Mi Desengano
08. Sonora Poncena - Boranda
09. Ruben Blades - Willie Colon - Plastico
10. Ismael Rivera - Me Tienes Loco
11. Roberto Roena - Cancion De Las Canciones
12. Willie Colon - Toma Mis Manos
13. The Lebron Brothers - Siempre Sera
14. Hector Lavoe - La Fama

01. Ismael Miranda - Yo No Soy Juguete
02. Fania All-Stars - Hector Lavoe - Me Voy Pa Moron
03. Sonora Poncena - Sola Vaya
04. Ray Barretto - Celia Cruz - Ritmo En El Corazon
05. Lalo Rodriguez - Ven Devorame Otra Vez
06. Frankie Ruiz - La Cura
07. Luisito Ayala - Puerto Rican Power - Juguete De Nadie
08. Oscar D'Leon - Detalles
09. Eddie Palmieri - La India - Mi Primera Rumba
10. Johnny Rivera - Ray Sepulveda - No Vale La Pena
11. Eddie Santiago - Lluvia
12. Jose Alberto - La Hora Que Me Llamen Voy, A
13. Fania All-Stars - Andy Montanez - Aqui El Que Baila Gana
14. Tito Rojas - Por Mujeres Como Tu