Where is Salsa originated? Salsa is believed to come from various different sources. It's been said that Salsa is the music of Puerto Rico. Others talk of its roots in African rhythms, Spanish lyrics, Cuban street bands, Caribbean song and dance styles and Latin American jazz. The roots of Salsa take us back to Cuba. Cuba was the home of diverse styles like son and guajira, and the African rhythms of rumba. Salsa is probably the term most often heard in connection with Latin music, and oddly enough it is one that came into use in New York. Salsa emerged in the 1960's in New York, arising mainly from Son but also from Montuno, Gauguin and Guaracha, blended with Puerto Rican Plena and Bomba and North American jazz, to produce its distinctive sound. The many Latinos living in the states, especially those of Caribbean origin (Cuba, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Venezuela etc.), mixed sounds and dances of their countries and added some new elements, creating a really tasty new "sauce". El Barrio, New York's Latin Quarter is said to be the birthplace of Salsa. From there artists like Tito Puente and Celia Cruz started the worldwide triumph of Latin music and also opened many doors for Salsa. In the late sixties and early seventies artists as Joe Cuba, Willie Colon, Rubén Blades, Ricardo Ray and Eddie Palmieri began to accept the commercial term Salsa to describe their musical concept. .
In the beginning years salsa lyrics mainly were about the problems that moved the people living in the Barrios all over Latin America, like social struggle, discrimination, financial needs and dreariness. Later Salsa lyrics developed into simpler arrangements called Salsa Romantica and Salsa Erotica. This style was characterized by a more moderate tempo and by lyrics that were love and sex related. This kind of Salsa can be fun, especially while dancing - which is what Salsa is all about.
Salsa could be described as a mixture of brassy arrangements, repeating choruses and jazzy solos.