During last week’s trip I discovered a type of music I had never really listened to before. I used to think salsa music was not something I would be interested in. After going to the Museum of the City of New York, I had a new interest in the history and culture behind Salsa music. The Beginning of Salsa music is very similar to the Beginning of Jazz music in America. Both of these musical movements follow a change in the population of urban areas like New York City. Salsa began in the 1960’s as a mixture of various musical genres. The main influences came from Son Cubano and North American music styles like Jazz or Funk. The instrumentation of these groups came from the mix of the genres as well. In a typical salsa band the instruments you would see are congas, bass, piano, bongos, trumpets, trombones and hand percussion.
In the Museum, there were many exhibits including the Rhythm and Power exhibit that highlighted Cuban and Puerto Rican communities during the 1960’s and 1970’s. There was a large amount of discrimination faced by the Latino communities. During that time there was a significant effort made by these communities to band together to stay strong and protect themselves. This sense of unity is also present in the salsa music of the time. It was no longer about one group of people but rather a brand new larger culture that emerged out of the discrimination.
The Museum of the City of New York shows that there is still discrimination in New York when it comes to Housing and Education. I believe there is an important message from the Rhythm and Power exhibit showing the importance of advocating against discrimination and working toward a brighter future through laws, protest and even music.
