From the editor

Latin Beat Magazine, Feb, 2004 by Rudy Mangual

This issue marks the beginning of our fourteenth year of publishing Latin Beat Magazine, a project that arose from the need to fill a void that existed in the printed media industry with respect to Latin music. The worlds of salsa music, Latin jazz and alternative Latin music were nearly non-existent or voiceless for many years, restricted to serving as mete filler material in the back pages of mainstream music industry rags of in the gossip-filled farandula music magazines. Latin Beat Magazine returned to the limelight the explosive power of Latin music and its artists through extensive historical articles and colorful narration by some of the top Latin music historians and musicologists. By documenting the evolution and constant changes in the arena of Latin jazz music at an international level, we nourish the minds of its aficionados via CD and concert reviews, as well as informative interviews with the luminaries of the genre. As for the history of Latin music in general, there's no better place than these pages to enrich your knowledge of the numerous rhythms and genres of Latin music.

Throughout the years our pages have been the stage for the artists of the past, the present and the future of Latin music: Machito, Tito Rodríguez, Orquesta Aragón, Tito Puente, Benny Moré, El Gran Combo, Ismael Rivera, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Oscar D'León, Cubanismo, Rubén Blades, Celia Cruz, Marc Anthony, India, Victor Manuelle, Mongo Santamaría and Ray Barretto are but a few whom have graced these pages.

From the alternative music arena Latin Beat has introduced readers to the sounds of Juanes, Café Tacuba, Mellow Man Ace, Fito Paez, Manu Chao, El Tri, Maná, Orisha, Millo Torres y El Tercer Planeta, Los Amigos Invisibles and Quetzal. The rhythms and sounds of Brazil also playa big role in Latin Beat Magazine as well as the contributions of world music artists and bands. Presently, we are no longer alone in the printed media arena. Many music and lifestyle publications have followed suit and attempted to jump on the Latin music bandwagon with interesting and varied results. Self-serving as it sounds, the music has been around for more than our 14 years of documenting it and our mission remains the same: promote and educate the public on Latin music to the best of our ability and maybe entertain a few folks along the way. From time to time we also cover fine arts, dance, theater and cinema as it relates to Latin culture and daily lives.

Volume 14, Number 1, February 2004 covers vocals with "The Danzonete: The Creation of a Style and The Rise of the Featured Vocalist" by contributing writer Francisco Ojeda; Gran Reunión de Pleneros by long-time LB resident Elmer González; Alfarona X by retired senior editor Max Salazar; and an article on the recently departed pianist Rubén González (of Buena Vista Social Club fame) by Frank M. Figueroa, plus the usual wealth of musical goodies.