The New Case of the Barefoot Latin Fiesta

We are getting back to country roots today with a selection of guitar-driven music from Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the latin diaspora in the US.

Country music in Latin America is primarily influenced by guitar music traditions from Spain, but African drumming is frequently incorporated. We start the show today with some guitar folk, adding more African influence as we go. At the end of the first hour we will hear some of the first recorded son music from Cuba, the essential precursor to all Twentieth Century latin music. As the first popular music to fully incorporate African drumming, the son allowed even small bands (sextets and septets, typically) to fill an entire dance hall with paying customers, something that previously required the expense of hiring a full orchestra.

In the second hour today we follow the sounds of the islands as they were transplanted into the US in the post-war era. The country sound goes uptown in the US, but the roots still show. We will hear that country tradition transplanted into pachanga, charanga, and early salsa music.