The Case of the Membership Drive Latin Fiesta

We are celebrating the 2015 Fall Membership Drive with a very tasty set of Latin tunes.

Most of today's set (including all of the first hour) is made up of vintage tracks from Cuba. But no grand orchestras today, and no urbane cha-cha-cha... the focus today is more on 'ritmos bravos'; spicy small group dance music for the working classes in Havana and other Cuban cities.

We start today with some "danzon" rhythms, a formal dance with roots in the Spanish colonial era. Featured artists include Electo "Chepin" Rosell and Israel "Cachao" Lopez. Listen for the montuno in these numbers... the swinging section at the end of the song with quicker tempo, often associated with Cuban son rhythm.

After that, we turn up the heat with spicy son and descarga numbers. A special focus here on Arsenio Rodriguez, the true godfather of small group son rhythms that would become salsa music in the 1960s.

The second hour today follows a similar theme, showcasing jazzy descargas alongside more spicy son. This hour features several songs from Felix Chappottin, the blazing trumpet player who inherited the Arsenio Rodriguez band after the leader came to America in 1950.

We wind up today's show with music from the "Nueva Yorica" scene of the 1970s, when the first wave of Cuban son revival was creating rootsy salsa dancefloor hits.