Seattle Rueda

Looking for a novel, including food, history, and Cuba?

Tastes Like Cuba: An Exile’s Hunger for Home by Eduardo Machado and Michael Domitrovich

A great read. I met the authors when they were in town in 2007 in conjuction with a play based on the book which showed at the Seattle Rep. Also great recipes in the book that have been crowd pleasers.

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Another good read…it seems. I actually have yet to read it. Purchased a copy that was an old library book from the Orange County Libary system at a reasonable price.

Cuban Fire: The Story of SALSA and LATIN JAZZ by Isabelle Leymarie

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How about a children’s book on Latin Music? And bilingual at that! Great holiday gift for a child.

SALSA by Lillian Colón-Vilá

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Want to learn about TIMBA? Want to really get all the details and history? Read this book:

Timba: The Sound of the Cuban Crisis by Vincenzo Perna (2005)

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Los Van Van is a household name around these parts! What is your favorite album and/or song by Los Van Van? I have so many and it is very difficult to choose, possibly something from the early 90s…but their new album is good too. It appears that their own site is currently down, but you can find much about them on timba.com. Check their discography put together by a fan.

Check out this DVD/CD set of a concert filmed at the Teatro Karl Marx in La Habana Cuba on June 17, 2006. It is very good current footage with many of the favorites.

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So after you read Cuba and its Music by Ned Sublette, you want more. (It is at times an intense, long read–but so worth it. I challenge you to read it.)

At least I wanted more. So since Sublette hadn’t at the time, and still hasn’t, published part II, I read:

Last Dance in Havana by Eugene Robinson (2004)

A very easy read including the history of Timba, Cuban Hip-Hop, and the Special Period written by a journalist/editor. Pick up a copy, just 250 pages, and it will give you insight on many of the Cuban timba songs you dance to at rueda practice.

Robinson says, “Music is the mother’s milk of Cuban culture…The music of Cuba is the real news. Those who make the music are the real journalists, analysts, social commentators. To understand what’s happening in Cuba, you have to meet the musicans and listen to their fabulous music.”

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If there is one book you should read on Cuban music and dance, along with the history of Cuba–you must read Cuba and Its Music: From the First Drums to the Mambo by Ned Sublette.

It is the comprehensive history from the very beginnings to the 1950s. Check the link above and you can read some pages via google books. If you are truly interested in finding out more about Cuba and its Music (no wonder that is the title!), pick up this book–trust me and I think others would agree. And for those that have read it, volume II from 1950s to present–we are still waiting.

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As I write I am watching the “In Performance at the White House: Fiesta Latina” and just heard President Obama say “Cuban Salsa” and he even got up to dance! If you get a chance, check out the program on PBS, it is the white house’s tribute to Latin music live at the south lawn of the white house. It aired on Oct 15th, and is airing again right now. This goes along well with my theme lately of Latin Music in the US.

I leave you with another book on the subject: The Latin Tinge: The Impact of Latin Music on the United States.

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Did you watch the second episode of LATIN MUSIC USA last night? It was very informative and provided some interesting history and trivia. It is very similar to the AMERICAN SABOR exhibit that was at the Experience Music Project in 2007/2008. Overall, both programs give a good overview of Latin music in the US. (Now I get why I loved all those rock & roll bands my parents listened to from the 1950s. See ”The Secret Latin Sounds of Rock and Roll.”  As a kid I’d get out their old records, and now it makes sense–that music had Latin influence. That was a “aha” moment for me.)

Check out the American Sabor website. Although, the exhibit is no longer at the EMP, the website still has some live links.

And, if you missed Latin Music USA–you can watch the entire program on their website.

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Did you watch the first of two episodes of LATIN MUSIC USA last night? If you didn’t, and/or if you did, do check out the show’s website which has some resources.

Although this isn’t Cuban music and dance specific, this show covers interesting chapters in Latin music. I’ll highlight a video used in the show called “Our Latin Thing” (”Nuestra Cosa Latina.”) It was recorded in New York City at the Cheetah in August of 1971. If you haven’t seen this film, check it out. It was the beginnings of salsa in the USA. Boy, do I wish I could have been there.

I got a copy at the Puerto Rico airport on a trip a few years ago. Looks like netflicks might have it. Enjoy!

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