The 350 Year Evolution of Salsa – Review #1

Dressed from head to toe in white, Jose Obando and his band gave the performance of their lives Tuesday evening in the Baruch multipurpose room 1-107. The group was brought in to start off what is going to be an exciting Latino Heritage Month at Baruch College. It was very appropriate to start the month off with a presentation about one of the most amazing arts Hispanics contributed to today’s world: Salsa.

With its energetic beats and wide assortment of Spanish cuisine, the event did not only satisfy the soul, but the stomach as well. After everyone finished engorging themselves with various Latin American foods, from empanadas to rice and beans, the performance began. Denise Delgado, the main organizer of the event, introduced the band, “I promise that whether you are a salsa lover or not, each and every one of you will be out of your seats salsaing by the end of the night.” Denise made the promise, and Jose and his crew kept it.

It was hard not to be engaged by the upbeat tempo and variety of instruments at the musical performance. It was almost difficult to imagine how truly engaging it was. Within the first 20 seconds of playing and singing, Jose had people clapping along to the beat. Within the next 60 seconds, a couple was up dancing along to the beat. By the third song, half of the audience was on the floor. By the second to last song, the entire audience was literally up from their seats, each and every one of them making some sort of attempt at the dance Jose had just taught. And 20 seconds into the final song of the night, an audience member took over Jose’s instrument and was leading the rest of the band. The level of audience participation was outstanding, and added an unforgettable effect to the performance.

Although at first it seemed you were attending a musical performance, in actuality, everyone was attending just another class. Jose did not just come prepared with a charismatic band and a catchy rhythm; he came prepared with a lesson plan as well. He called his class a “didactic concert”, and it was that indeed. Before every song he had the band play, he gave background as the how the music developed and arrived in that Country. He told us about the African slaves, with one man’s leg chained to another man’s leg, and how the dance grew from their inability to move that chained leg. He told about the 350 years over which salsa developed. He incorporated music from many of the different countries that salsa had influenced over those 350 years, never once repeating a certain country’s style. His presentation enlightened us with all the aspects of the origins and culture of Salsa music, just as his advertisement had promised.

Jose’s “The 350 Year Evolution of Salsa” is a must see for anyone tired of boring college lectures and interested in an interactive and lively style of music. The 20 years of experience Jose has in his field does not go unnoticed. There are 350 years of Salsa music out there that you probably know nothing about. Spend three short hours with Jose and his crew, and you can Salsa your way into understanding the greatest art contribution Latin Americans have given the world: Salsa.