Jensen Davis' Salsa Blog

 Salsa Rhythms: Musicians, Lyrics, Singers From all of the material that was provided for this week, I was able to learn all about the different rhythms, musicality, and the inspiring musicians that were present in the Mambo and the Palladium. There are many West African rhythms that were present in Mambo music and that is because of the Africans who moved to Cuba. They brought over music with them, which they created from Yoruba drums. One of the leading cultural inspirations of the mambo genre of music and salsa is the brilliant black composer and instrumentalist by the name of Orestes López. He worked in the leading danzón orchestra of Cuba in the summer of 1939. He suspected that if singing mambos in the Kongo religion of Cuba brought down spirits, then singing mambo from a bandstand might similarly activate a strong and vivid dance reaction. This is precisely what took place, first on the bandstand, and then on the dance floor. It is apparent to see how big of an impact that O...

 January 15, 2023 Jensen Davis DCE 306 Professor Olarte Salsa Blog Entry #1 Hello, my name is Jensen Davis. I am currently 18 years old and my birthday is January 26th. My pronouns are he/him. I am from Temecula, California. I used to play tennis in high school. I am a freshman and I am currently studying software engineering here at ASU. Salsa Rhythms: Musicians, Lyrics, Singers I think that the most important thing that I learned throughout the videos and this first week of this course is the importance of rhythm within the salsa. Everything about the music and the dance connects back to the rhythm. Rhythm can mean anything from the music that is being danced to, the movements within the dance, or the rhythm between the two dance partners. I realized the upbeat and passionate nature of the salsa dance. I realized how they sing about things that are important to them, like their family, friends, and especially their homeland. I think this is what is so special about salsa. Culture...