Boggs presents a readable, even exciting, history of Salsa, showing how Afro-Cuban music was embraced in New York City, how it has undergone cycles of popularity, and how it has been replicated abroad. Extensively illustrated with photographs of the bands and clubs as well as the key leaders and promoters, a night at the Palladium, the Cheetah, or the Park Palace comes alive. In addition, Boggs provides interviews with such key figures as Palladium Mambero Ernie Ensley and Izzy 'Mr. Salsa' Sanabria.
From its roots in Cuba through present-day Salsa clubs, Boggs provides a tour of a popular music form that has had a significant impact in the Latin community as well as among contemporary pop and serious composers. This book is required reading in the fields of musicology, black studies, American culture, sociology, anthropology, and for students of contemporary Latin-American culture.