What's become of Latin music?

Latin Beat Magazine, Oct, 2002 by Frank M. Figueroa

In Puerto Rico, the insipid "salsa monga" has seen its demise. For years, record labels released record after record with almost identical arrangements and inane lyrics. Radio stations exclusively played that

type of salsa plus an inordinate number of merengues and now, it is OVER. In spite of it all, good popular music in Puerto Rico thrives. Fighting the good fight and struggling for exposure on the radio are such Puerto Rican stalwarts as El Gran Combo, Andy Montañez, Cheo Feliciano, Willie Rosario, Papo Lucca, Roberto Roena, Humberto Ramírez and Luis "Perico" Ortiz.

Fortunately, there have been several successful attempts in Puerto Rico at reviving the folkloric bomba and plena. In addition to the annual festivities in the legendary village of Loíza Aldea, other plena and bomba festivals are regularly held on the island. Today's youth is being introduced to local traditional music by groups of young musicians such as Plena Libre, Edwin Colón Zayas, Pedro Guzmán and William Cepeda. They have modernized the plena, using modern arrangements and instrumentation. The cuatro guitar, a key instrument in Puerto Rican typical music, has also been recast. Pedro Guzmán, a virtuoso of the cuatro, has developed a special group to play what he calls "jíbaro-jazz." Guzmán plays a hip cuatro, and backed up by his group, produces a swinging blend of jazz and Puerto Rican traditional music. Edwin Colón Zayas, another cuatrista, has remained closer to the rural tradition. His group has also recorded several albums of typical Puerto Rican danzas. While we cannot say that popular Latin music is alive and well in Puerto Rico, at least it is not in intensive care and all indications are that the patient (the music) will survive.

In Cuba, there has been a vigorous revival of traditional music. Regularly scheduled events such as "The Bolero Festival," "The Son Festival," and "The Benny Moré Festival" are commonplace. Legendary performers Compay Segundo, Omara Portuondo, Rubén Gonzáles, Elíades Ochoa and other Buena Vista Social Club artists have regained their popularity at home and achieved recognition abroad.

The present generation developed a style known as "timba" a few years back that incorporates elements of North American rap. Charanga Habanera, Los Van Van, NG La Banda and Isaac Delgado have utilized the timba style in their repertoires.

With the deaths of Tito Puente and Chico O'Farrill, the end of the big band format is near. The current instrumentation of Latin groups includes an occasional saxophone player as a soloist, without the five or six saxophone front line of the big bands. Where will the future saxophone players come from? Where will they get the experience of playing as an ensemble with their peers? When Latin music groups venture to record quality music, how can they get the necessary airplay? In the United States, were it not for non-commercial public radio, recordings made by the best Latin artists would not be heard.

In the meantime, many talented musicians cannot make a living at their profession. Recorded sounds, instead of live music, are preferred at dance clubs. Rhythm boxes and canned music accompany some singers and solo musicians, since clubs don't pay enough for bands. Many older Latin artists find themselves surviving on their small Social Security checks, without the benefit of the pension checks that the average retiree enjoys. A large number of musicians not only live in poverty, they die in poverty.