Series: Latin America in Translation/en Traducción/em Tradução
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press; 1 edition (March 10, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0807858595
ISBN-13: 978-0807858592
Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 0.9 x 9.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #694,311 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #50 in Books > Arts & Photography > Music > Musical Genres > Ethnic & International > Salsa #122 in Books > Arts & Photography > Music > Musical Genres > Ethnic & International > International #250 in Books > Arts & Photography > Music > Musical Genres > Ethnic & International > Ethnomusicology
I would ordinarily not review a book I didn't finish, but Rondón made two errors in the first 28 pages so grievous that I put the book down for good. First, about the debut album from Eddie Palmieri's band La Perfecta, he claims: "Eddie's older brother, Charlie, was the pianist and in charge of composing and arranging most of their repertoire." If he owned this album--one of the most important in the history of salsa--he could plainly see that Charlie wrote the liner notes and did nothing else on it.Then, a few pages later, he attributes the song "Micaela" to Pete "El Conde" Rodriguez. Now this is an error so common that Fania records itself has made it on at least one of their compilations, but Rondón should know better. There were two different artists named Pete Rodriguez on the Fania label--Pete "El Conde" Rodriguez, the salsa singer who did "Catalina La O," among other classics, and Pete Rodriguez (and his Orchestra), who was dubbed "The King of Boogaloo." It was the latter who did "Micaela."It's bad enough that Rondón, a Venezuelan, tries desperately to maintain that Venezuela was as important to the history of Salsa as Puerto Rico, but these huge factual errors (as well as minor ones--the original Perfecta included a flautist and was heavily influenced by charanga, though Rondón seems not to know this) indicate a stunning lack of knowledge about his subject and a failure to get anyone to fact check his work.
I read this book in it's original Spanish version, so I can't comment on the translated English version now available. The Spanish version was an entertaining read with a "Sociological Perspective" about the rise of Salsa in the 60's and 70's mostly focused on the artists on the Fania label - which is considered the "Golden Age" of Salsa Music. If you're a fan of that era, it's definitely worth a read. It'll bring back lots of memories. I only gave it 4 stars because the author, as has been pointed out by other reviewers, was a little loose with the facts and sometimes gets some of the details wrong. Although overall he gets the gist and spirit of the music and the times right. The other thing is that the author refers to Venezuela quite a bit, his home country, when this story is really more about Puerto Ricans in Puerto Rico and New York who were the real stars of this music (besides Celia Cruz of course). But, cut the dude some slack, he's proud of his home country like everyone in the Caribbean is... (Que viva Colombia !Carajo!) Highly Recommended to fans of Old School Salsa.
Rondon became a TV Producer the same way he became an author. He is smart enough to do research and knows how to exploit people's ignorance. Rondon, an egghead from Venezuela knows nothing about the true essence of the Salsa Movement. He interpretes eveything all the way from a Venezuelan perspective, a place that is light years away from the eye of the storm, New York City. Because of this, and his natural national chauvinism, he tends to downplay the Puerto Rican and Nuyorican phenomenon that is the catayst and heart of the story.There are too many errors and misinformation in this book. While the voluminous publication is nice to look at, with a few photos, it is misleading and a waste of time. Rondon recognized the dire need and hunger for a book like this and hastily put one together. That is his true talent, he is an empresario. Although Cubans are usually equally chauvisnistic about the music, surprisingly Leonardo Padura Fuentes' book FACES OF SALSA is much more accurate and a better read.http://www..com/Faces-Salsa-Leonardo-Padura-Fuentes/dp/1588340805
Good buy and prompt delivery. Thank you!
This is by far the best Android YouTube app, much better than YouTube's own app.For one, you can download almost all of the videos, even ones where the unloader doesn't want you to be able to watch. (Read below) And you can download on manyThere are a few annoyances however, snd that's why it deserves the 4 star rating. It doesn't multitask video playing, although I suspect that's Google's fault. Android "multitasking" is a lie. The organization of the videos is not very well developed.But it's fairly reliable.Hint: Use this in conjunction with the Soul Player app, the best video playing app I've found so far.When you come across a video that YouTube says you can't watch on mobile devices, either touch the green down arrow or the maximize button on the video screen. They both do the same thing: bring up the download screen. From there you can download and sometimes play the video anyway. In fact, sometimes the green arrow doesn't show up. Press the maximize window button. You can download from there.
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