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A multifaceted portrait of "El Rey", the king of Latin music, this is the first in-depth historical, musical, and cultural study to trace the career and influence of Tito Puente. 57 photos. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A vital contribution to our cultural heritage.
As a longtime fan of "El Rey," I enjoyed reading about Tito Puente. He is not only a Latino icon but an American institution, even if English-only America refuses to recognize his cultural and musicalcontributions. The author does a workman'sjob in exploring Puente throughvarious interviews with musicians, dance promoters, writers, and friendswho know Puente well. The book offers good insight into how Puente developed his great sound and establishes the fact that he is a truemusical genius like Gershwin and Ellington before him. While the book isthe first true biography of Puente, I'm disappointed that it will not reachmore people than it should. Unless the reader has an established grasp ofAfro-Cuban music and is familiar with musicians in the field, my fear isthat the general reader will get lost and lose interest in the book. It'snot an accessible book for those who know little to nothing about themusic. Still, it's a vital contribution to our understanding of Puente,Afro-Cuban music and the critical role that Latinos have played indeveloping America.

A great portriat of "El Rey," Tito Puente!
I loved this book! Admittedly, I am a huge fan of Tito Puente, so my opinion may be a little biased. However, in light of his many achievments and the joy his music has spread throughout the world, it is only fittingthat we honor Tito Puente while he is still with us. Thanks to the author,Steven Loza.

The book gives us an overview of Tito's life thenproceeds to zero in on various aspects of Tito's career through interviewswith Tito and various musicians who have shared the spotlight with him.

I was particularly impressed with Joe Conzo's honesty. Joe Conzo is ahistorian, close friend of Tito's and his "curator." Many of themusicians interviewed are able to speak volumes about Tito's awesomemusical talent. However, Joe Conzo manages to humanize Tito and show us aside of the man we rarely see.

Perhaps the most significant aspectof this book is that one cannot read it without being in awe of TitoPuente's many accomplishments. From the Palladium era in the 50's to Salsain the 90's, Tito has done it all. As he often says, he has been there andback.

The author's closing thoughts dwell on the spiritual aspectsof Tito's music and the joy his music brings. Tito's music brings peopletogether regardless of race, color or creed. It has been said that theMambo has done more for race relations in this country than ourgovernment!

This book is an important part of Latin music history.Also, it is now an essential part of Tito Puente's legacy. We all know TitoPuente's music, or at least we all should! Allow Steven Loza to introduceyou to the man.

Tito Puente recently celebrated his 76th birthdayand is going strong. Palante Tito! ... Read more

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This book contains many descriptions, data and suggestions for making your Rumba, Salsa and related dancing more knowledgeable, easier and more fun. ... Read more

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This reference book also deals with the incandescent rhythms of Puerto Rico and - to a lesser degree - Santo Domingo, integrated today into salsa and Latin jazz. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

It's very complete !!!
For lovers of the real salsa music, Cuban and Puerto Rico's music, this is a excelent book. Show the beginning of salsa, cha cha cha, mambo, plena, bomba, guajira, guaguanco, danzon, son, montuno and every rhythm about that times and the present, personally that's was and will be the best music; I don't like the music salsa of today, it's simple, abstract, don't have anything!!!
I recommend this book. ... Read more

Product Description
Latin dancing, especially salsa, has never been more popular, and this step-by-step, practical guide will give even the most hesitant of beginners the encouragement they need to learn to dance. Desperate to dance? Want to salsa with style? Want to put rhythm in your rumba? Ideal for complete beginners and keen improvers alike, "Collins need to know? Latin Dancing" is the one-stop guide to dancing with style, confidence and irresistible Latin spirit! This easy-to-use guide is essential reading for anyone who wants to learn Latin dance. There is a chapter devoted to each of the most popular Latin dances. Foot diagrams, step-by-step photographs and clear instructions will help you to master the steps and sequences. In addition, there are fascinating facts about the origins of each dance, plus a comprehensive directory of dance schools, publications, clothes and shoe suppliers and Websites. The contents include: Dress codes and dance holds; Cha cha cha; Samba; Salsa; Rumba; Merengue; Disco; Freestyle; and Directory of dance schools, publications, shops and Websites. ... Read more

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5 pages. ... Read more

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The Value of Latin Pompeii Ancient Rome The Roman Forum The Roman House Roman Slaves Roman Children Education among the Romans Some Common Professions and Trades among the Romans Roman Doctors The Roman Soldier Caesar Cicero Vergil Horace Roman Literature Some Famous Women of Ancient Rome Roman Holidays Funeral Customs and Burial Places Roman Games Some Famous Buildings of Ancient Rome Some Famous Roman Letters Some Ancient Romans of Fame A Roman Banquet Roman Roads Some Roman Gods Some Famous Temples of Ancient and Modern Rome Some Religious Customs Some Famous Pictures and Sculpture Roman Book and Libraries Ancient Myths and Legends The Ancient Myth in Modern Literature What English Owes to Greek Modern Rome Italy of To-day O Tempora! O Mores!
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This digital document is an article from Latin Beat Magazine, published by Latin Beat Magazine on February 1, 2005. The length of the article is 2624 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: The infectious merengue.(history and influences of merengue music and dance)
Author: Frank M. Figueroa
Publication: Latin Beat Magazine (Magazine/Journal)
Date: February 1, 2005
Publisher: Latin Beat Magazine
Volume: 15Issue: 1Page: 26(3)

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

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"This sketch of the iconography of the dance does not pretend to be a history of the subject, except in the most elementary way. It may be taken as a summary of the history of posture; a complete dance cannot be easily rendered in illustration. " ... Read more

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Here's a great learning piece that gives students a chance to try some simple string effects like col legno, double stops, and other sound effects. Based on the traditional Mexican Clap Dance. (Boosey and Hawkes) Dur: 2:30 ... Read more

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The music of the peoples of South and Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean has never received a comprehensive treatment in English until this multi-volume work. Taking a sociocultural and human-centered approach, Music in Latin America and the Caribbean gathers the best scholarship from writers all over the world to cover in depth the musical legacies of indigenous peoples, creoles, African descendants, Iberian colonizers, and other immigrant groups that met and mixed in the New World. Within a history marked by cultural encounters and dislocations, music emerges as the powerful tool that negotiates identities, enacts resistance, performs belief, and challenges received aesthetics. This work, more than two decades in the making, was conceived as part of "The Universe of Music: A History" project, initiated by and developed in cooperation with the International Music Council, with the goals of empowering Latin Americans and Caribbeans to shape their own musical history and emphasizing the role that music plays in human life. The four volumes that constitute this work are structured as parts of a single conception and gather 150 contributions by more than 100 distinguished scholars representing 36 countries. Volume 1, Performing Beliefs: Indigenous Cultures of South America, Central America, and Mexico, focuses on the inextricable relationships between worldviews and musical experience in the current practices of indigenous groups. Worldviews are built into, among other things, how music is organized and performed, how musical instruments are constructed and when they are played, choreographic formations, the structure of songs, the assignment of gender to instruments, and ritual patterns. Two CDs with 44 recorded examples illustrate the contributions to this rich volume. ... Read more

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The Maya of Mexico and Central America have performed ritual dances for more than two millennia. Dance is still an essential component of religious experience today, serving as a medium for communication with the supernatural. During the Late Classic period (AD 600-900), dance assumed additional importance in Maya royal courts through an association with feasting and gift exchange. These performances allowed rulers to forge political alliances and demonstrate their control of trade in luxury goods. The aesthetic values embodied in these performances were closely tied to Maya social structure, expressing notions of gender, rank, and status. Dance was thus not simply entertainment, but was fundamental to ancient Maya notions of social, religious, and political identity.

Using an innovative interdisciplinary approach, Matthew Looper examines several types of data relevant to ancient Maya dance, including hieroglyphic texts, pictorial images in diverse media, and architecture. A series of case studies illustrates the application of various analytical methodologies and offers interpretations of the form, meaning, and social significance of dance performance. Although the nuances of movement in Maya dances are impossible to recover, Looper demonstrates that a wealth of other data survives which allows a detailed consideration of many aspects of performance. To Be Like Gods thus provides the first comprehensive interpretation of the role of dance in ancient Maya society and also serves as a model for comparative research in the archaeology of performance.

Customer Reviews (1)

A Must-Have for "Outsider" musicians
As the first chapter suggests, we're all outsiders...Puerto Ricans playing Cuban rhythms, Cuban players playing jazz, white guys arranging Latin dance music and Latin Jazz...the book at times is hard to read, owing to my lack of proficiency in reading music; however, for anyone who is reasonably well versed in sight reading the excerpts are short...the chapters on percussion are extremely easy to read--even for the "non-reader"...and uncertainties are cleared up by listening to the accompanying CD, which has patterns that lend insight into the intricacies of Latin music. The book makes a convincing case that there is room for an academic approach in understanding salsa, while making it equally clear that there are shortcomings as well. Well done. ... Read more

Product Description
The music of the peoples of South and Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean has never received a comprehensive treatment in English until this multi-volume work. Taking a sociocultural and human-centered approach, Music in Latin America and the Caribbean gathers the best scholarship from writers all over the world to cover in depth the musical legacies of indigenous peoples, creoles, African descendants, Iberian colonizers, and other immigrant groups that met and mixed in the New World. Within a history marked by cultural encounters and dislocations, music emerges as the powerful tool that negotiates identities, enacts resistance, performs beliefs, and challenges received aesthetics. This work, more than two decades in the making, was conceived as part of "The Universe of Music: A History" project, initiated by and developed in cooperation with the International Music Council, with the goals of highlighting cultural representation from the perspectives of Latin Americans and Caribbeans and emphasizing the role that music plays in human life. The four volumes that constitute this work are structured as parts of a single conception and gather 150 contributions by more than 100 distinguished scholars representing 36 countries. Volume 2, Performing the Caribbean Experience, focuses on the reconfiguration of this complex soundscape after the Conquest and the strategies through which groups from distant worlds reconstructed traditions, assigning new meanings to fragments of memory and welding a fascinating variety of unique Creole cultures. Shaped by an enduring African presence and the experience of slavery and colonization by the Spanish, French, British, and Dutch, peoples of the Caribbean islands and circum-Caribbean territories resorted to the power of music to mirror their history, assert identity, gain freedom, and transcend their experience with lasting musical messages. Essays on pan-Caribbean themes, surveys of traditions in 23 islands and continental territories, and riveting personal accounts capture the essence of pluralistic and spiritualized brands of creativity through the voices of an unprecedented number of Caribbean authors, including a representative contingent of distinguished Cuban scholars whose work is being published in English translation for the first time in this work. Two CDs with over 40 recorded examples illustrate the contributions to this rich volume. ... Read more