The Next Case of the Barefoot Latin Dance Party

I just got a big batch of used Latin LPs in the mail... let's play 'em!

Today I return to the Barefoot Latin Dance Party theme. This is my chance to highlight material that originated in villages and rural areas rather than in the big cities of Havana, New York, etc (although this music in many cases followed migrant workers to big cities).

The show today is split evenly between our familiar stomping grounds of Cuba, but also some newly acquired gems from the "Peru Negro" genre. Peru is pretty far from the Atlantic slave trade, but some Africans were taken to Peru as slaves, and they nurtured their own musical traditions working with the same basic ingredients as communities in Cuba, Brazil, Colombia, etc: African rhythms and percussion, along with Iberian peninsula hymns and folk songs, including gypsy flamenco guitar. 

Today's set starts with brief case studies on each of those traditions: the first set is a variety of takes on Afro-Cuban roots, especially music derived from Santeria religious rites. We'll hear just a bit of true folklore here; mostly fusion music pairing Santeria themes with European instruments and arrangements.

The second set today focuses on European parlor music as interpreted in the Americas: we'll hear some waltzes and ballads first, then we'll hear these musical traditions performed with African percussion. Ironically, it was often true that these vintage European musical forms (and hybrid versions thereof) were embraced more enthusiastically by African-derived communities in Cuba and Peru more so than among white audiences, who tended to follow the current musical trends from Europe and America. 

The balance of the show today features African and Spanish musical influences working together in popular music from the 70s and 80s. We'll maintain a rootsy feel today, in keeping with our barefoot theme. By the end of the show we'll hear some fairly modern dancefloor salsa.