The Latin Beat: The Rhythms and Roots of Latin Music, from Bossa Nova to Salsa and Beyond |  | Author: Ed Morales
Publisher: Da Capo Press
Category: Book
List Price: $18.95
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Seller: Durham-City-Bookshop-England
Rating:  4 reviews
Sales Rank: 116206
Media: Paperback
Pages: 384
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 8 x 6 x 1.1
ISBN: 0306810182
Dewey Decimal Number: 781.64098
EAN: 9780306810183
ASIN: 0306810182
Publication Date: October 2003
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
For everyone who has fallen in love with Latin music, a guide to its many styles that also traces its place in American music and culture. The Latin explosion of Marc Anthony, Ricky Martin, and the Buena Vista Social Club may look like it came out of nowhere, but the incredible variety of Latin music has been transforming the United States since the turn of the century, when Caribbean beats turned New Orleans music into jazz. In fact, we wouldn't have any of our popular music without it: Imagine pop sans the mambos of Perez Prado and Tito Puente, the garage rock of Richie Valens, or even the glitzy croon of Julio Iglesias, not to mention the psychedelia of Santana and Los Lobos and the underground cult grooves of newcomers like Bebel Gilberto. The Latin Beat outlines the musical styles of each country, then traces each form as it migrates north. Morales travels from the Latin ballad to bossa nova to Latin jazz, chronicles the development of the samba in Brazil and salsa in New York, explores the connection between the mambo craze of the 1950's with the Cuban craze of today, and uncovers the hidden history of Latinos in rock and hip hop. The Latin Beat is the only book that explores where the music has come from and celebrates all of the directions it is going.
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| Customer Reviews:
 Excellent quick and detailed overveiw for a north american like me March 18, 2006
A. Moore (San Francisco, CA United States)
1 out of 6 found this review helpful
Also I have some friends who are espanol and some friends from Brazil. Not only are the languages very different but so is the music; anyway my two types of friends refuse to associate if i invite them to my house together so I think Mr Morales may be forgiven for not understanding Brazil. Brazil is a very special country unto itself.
Also I didn't read it for political history or festival information but I learned alot about Caifanes, Mana, Soda Stereo, Cafe Tacuba, Los Tres, even Juanes and La Ley! which was most delightful and unexpected! Did you know Juanes is the son of a rancher?
 A Broad Overview June 9, 2006
M. Wahl (Rochester, New York United States)
3 out of 6 found this review helpful
This is a good, basic overview of Latin music, heavy on the Cuban/Puerto Rican scenes past and present. It is unfortunately marred by naive, right-wing political comments that fit pretty well into the George Bush I and II's view of Latino realities. But for those 'cumbancheros' who look beyond the politics there is lots of info here. For Cuban music, however, one might be better served by the bargain 'Cuban Music' by Phil Sweeney or by the erudite works by Fernando Ortiz.
 Gross historical/musical inaccuaracies February 20, 2005
H. Gonzalez (Los Angeles, CA)
21 out of 26 found this review helpful
First, I am basing my poor review mainly on the sections on Brazilian music, which are a significant part of this book.
Contrary to the Editorial review stating Mr. Morales' "incredible depth of historical and musical knowledge" I found the author's lack of knowledge of some of the more basic elements of Brazilian history and music culture downright ingnorant.
As an example of some of the minute details that may seem insignificant, the famous pre-lenten Carnaval celebrations are not "winter" celebrations since the entire southern hemishphere has opposite seasons from North America. In other more significant areas, the migration of laborers from the north was not due to the "failure of northern coffee plantations" as the coffee regions were all part of southern Brazil. A basic reading of any decent history of Brazil, such as Skidmore's "Five Centuries of Change" would have taken care of such innaccuracies.
Erroneous uses of traditional instrument names and the reference of samba as "a call to wild, mass movement, an (...) of percussion, not the structured rhythmic base for improvisation that came from the fusions of African rhythms and courtly European dances in Cuba...samba is more like 'chaos in tempo'" reek of the typical non-Latin view from insensitive writers who knew little about Latin American culture. It is surprising that a latino, especially in 2003, would be subscribing to the exoticism that permeated the work of scholars (and non-cholars) from the early 20th century.
The author uses no citations, although he does include a rather short bibliography of sources. Perhaps the auhtor should have focused on the music and history of the parts of Latin America that he is more familiar with, rather than attempt to be all-emcompassing at the risk of demonstrating such utter lack of basic historical and musical knowledge of Brazil.
Worse book on Latin music EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! June 9, 2007
Tribilin Cantore (Denver)
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
This book is so badly written and full of errors and misconceptions that it should be banned, this should be used on how NOT to write a book. One star is way too high a rating...............
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