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wax poetics - issue 49 - the latin issue - wax poetics - magazines

The latin issue!

Pianist Eddie Palmieri is a true Latin-music visionary. His complex rhythmic compositions and daring improvisation put him at the forefront of musical icons who challenged conventional limitations. Though steeped in the Afro-Cuban tradition, Palmieri has always pushed the boundaries and in the process reinvented the sound of the Latin dance band.
From the late 1950s to present day, doo-wop and sweet soul has been the unofficial soundtrack of the Chicano experience. Coming out of a landscape of racial inequality, Chicano lowriders found that these sentimental R&B ballads spoke volumes. Staying close to their roots, Chicanos have kept the tradition of Lowrider Oldies alive, breeding heavyweights in the record-collecting scene in the process.
Ultimately, the greatest salsa band of all time, the Fania All-Stars, took the all-star tradition to the big leagues. From tiny clubs to Yankee Stadium, this dream team of clutch players hit it out of the park, cut after cut.
Vibraphonist Cal Tjader was one of the first American jazz musicians to embrace Latin music. He played with notable percussionists Armando Peraza, Willie Bobo, and Mongo Santamaria early in his development. He covered Dizzy Gillespie and Chano Pozo’s famed “Guarachi Guaro” in 1955 and made it his own in 1965 as “Soul Sauce.”