The Latin music world lost a long time champion this past weekend, as Max Salazar passed away on Sunday, September 19, 2010. Born on April 17th, 1932 in New York, Salazar found an affinity for Afro-Cuban music at a young age, but didn't really pursue his interests professionally until the late sixties. He began working as a journalist for Latin New York magazine in 1968 and his love for the music just drove him deeper and deeper into the genre. He researched the style meticulously, interviewed countless musicians, promoters, and business people, and observed the music's most significant turning points first hand. His unstoppable drive led to writing assignments with a number of important publications, including Billboard, Latin Time, The Village Voice, Musician Magazine, Latin Beat, and Impacto. He shared the music's most significant recordings and interviewed important musicians live on a weekly radio show, housed in New York's WKCR. He continued his radio work for years to come, eventually expanding to include a show on WBAI. He served as a guest lecturer at a number of important institutions such as UCLA and the Smithsonian institution, sharing his vast knowledge of New York Latin music with the world. In 2002, he released a collection of his writings entitled Mambo Kingdom: Latin Music in New York, giving a good taste of his knowledge and background. Salazar dedicated his life to the preservation of Latin music, placing the style in a position of respect and seriousness.
I never meet Salazar personally, but I knew his writing well. Any serious study of Latin music involves the reading of Salazar's many articles, interviews, and commentaries. He was simply one of the prime sources of information on the evolution of Latin music in New York. A true tribute to Salazar would involve a focused reading of his many works—something that I highly recommend; I personally plan on revisiting several articles and discovering others in the near future. In the meantime, I've taken some quotes from Salazar's work and used them as inspiration for short riffs on Salazar's contributions to Latin music. Pulling these quotes out of context sometimes does change the intention slightly, so by all means, go back to Salazar's original writings to find his true meaning; they simply serve as inspiration here for a tribute to one of Latin music's most avid supporters.
“After 1917, when the Puerto Rican community in New York began to build itself with additional migrants, the stirrings of a Latin music scene emerged."
- “Latin Music: The Perseverance Of A Culture"
While Salazar wasn't around New York in 1917, he was a first hand witness to the growth and development of Latin Jazz and salsa. His work as a writer for Latin New York pushed him out into the Latin music scene, and his passion for the music kept him digging deeper. He heard the Big 3 at The Palladium and watched as the mambo integrated more jazz qualities, eventually finding a comfortable spot next to be-bop. Salazar became a personal friend to Machito and Tito Puente, spending ample time getting to know the subtleties of their work. He found himself in the music's inner circle, always keeping himself aware of the music's sometimes harsh realities. As he became closer to the scene, Salazar respected the music fully and worked overtime to meticulously study its development and document its history. As artists began to integrate soul and funk into Latin rhythms, giving us boogaloo, Salazar was there, getting the full scoop. When Ray Barretto, Willie Colon, and Celia Cruz burst onto the world scene with salsa hits, Salazar watched the growing trend with complete interest. He followed the evolution of salsa romantica, small group Latin Jazz, experimentation with folk rhythms, and much more. In many ways, Salazar's life followed the evolution of Latin music in New York, from early stirrings to modern developments; he fortunately documented his experiences, letting us see the history that unfolded before his eyes.
“Without recognition, encouragement, exposure and employment are insufficient to nurture a promising career. Recognition is also necessary for posterity if a history of a culture is to be chronicled."
—"1968 First Latin Music Entertainment Awards"
Promoting Latin music and writing about it often has its share of rewards and struggles—you're rewarded with a deep connection to the music that you love and you struggle to move the work into the greater world. Salazar certainly loved Latin music deeply, and his passionate connection to the music drove him to work tirelessly to promote it. He found several different venues to educate, inform, and expose the public to great music, historical facts, and the cultural relevance of Latin music in the United States. As a writer for numerous publications, Salazar spoke intelligently about Latin music from an informed perspective—he told the truth about the music and he based it upon real life experience. He was intimately familiar with the repertoire of several bands, so when he worked as a disc jockey on WBAI, he could give listeners the most engaging tracks that would simply get them hooked on the artist. As a lecturer at several different universities, he had years of research to draw upon, personal anecdotes to share, and a personal connection to the music that had to be inspiring. He wrote about the struggles associated with the promotion of Latin music, but his tireless promotion of the art form suggests that he simply plowed past them, insisting that the world recognize the importance of New York Latin music.
“Perhaps someday there will be enough Hispanics in our city who will stand up to the leeches who exploit our culture and say “enough . . . I will no longer listen to your bribery and flowery false adulation . . . This music is ours and whatever fruits are derived from it are ours."
- “Latin Music: The Perseverance Of A Culture"
This statement has been made since Salazar wrote this and the backbone of the argument rests upon Salazar's work—his extensive writings are a springboard for the current research around New York Latin music that happens today. When Salazar began writing about Latin music in the late sixties, it was an isolated topic, only covered by daring and alternative publications like Latin New York. When salsa became hugely popular, writers weren't digging into the music with much detail or respect for the cultural foundations of the style. Even as we moved towards the end of the century, the number of people taking a serious academic and historical look at Latin Jazz or salsa were minimal. In other words, as the music moved through decades of history and evolution, almost no one was documenting it . . . with the exception of Salazar. When modern researchers want to learn about the history of the music more completely, they inevitably find their way to Salazar's work. When a musician finds a need to connect history with performance, they will most likely spend some time reading something by Salazar. He simply provided so much real and concrete information about Latin Jazz and salsa that his writings become a natural starting point for a serious study of the music. Salazar's body of work is a true gift to the world that allows the music to be taken seriously and studied for years to come.
“There will always be another king. It's very possible . . . There are always others with potential."
- “Max Salazar On Tito Puente"
In the context of this article, Salazar reflects upon Puente's passing and answers a question about another young musician becoming “El Rey" of Latin music. His full response refers to Eddie Palmieri as a potential candidate and recognizes the fact that music will continue to grow; someone will move it forward into the future as Puente had once done. At the risk of twisting Salazar thoughts here, I'd like to look at this as a springboard for another concept—the ongoing support of Latin music. Salazar spent decades dedicated to the preservation of Latin music history, the promotion of the genre's finest artists, and the education of the public about the art form's cultural contributions to American culture. Latin Jazz and salsa will continue to evolve; the musicians and their approaches to performance will always be changing. The world needs people with Salazar's passion to submerge themselves in Latin music and catalogue the results. The general public across the United States needs someone to act as a bridge between common knowledge and the realities of Latin music. If one man can contribute so much to the survival of Latin music, just think what the combined power of hundreds or even thousands of passionate and intelligent fans could do. The only way that we can truly honor the work that Salazar did is to continue it for years to come—a responsibility that we all need to respect with the same level of integrity shown by Max Salazar.
I never meet Salazar personally, but I knew his writing well. Any serious study of Latin music involves the reading of Salazar's many articles, interviews, and commentaries. He was simply one of the prime sources of information on the evolution of Latin music in New York. A true tribute to Salazar would involve a focused reading of his many works—something that I highly recommend; I personally plan on revisiting several articles and discovering others in the near future. In the meantime, I've taken some quotes from Salazar's work and used them as inspiration for short riffs on Salazar's contributions to Latin music. Pulling these quotes out of context sometimes does change the intention slightly, so by all means, go back to Salazar's original writings to find his true meaning; they simply serve as inspiration here for a tribute to one of Latin music's most avid supporters.
“After 1917, when the Puerto Rican community in New York began to build itself with additional migrants, the stirrings of a Latin music scene emerged."
- “Latin Music: The Perseverance Of A Culture"
While Salazar wasn't around New York in 1917, he was a first hand witness to the growth and development of Latin Jazz and salsa. His work as a writer for Latin New York pushed him out into the Latin music scene, and his passion for the music kept him digging deeper. He heard the Big 3 at The Palladium and watched as the mambo integrated more jazz qualities, eventually finding a comfortable spot next to be-bop. Salazar became a personal friend to Machito and Tito Puente, spending ample time getting to know the subtleties of their work. He found himself in the music's inner circle, always keeping himself aware of the music's sometimes harsh realities. As he became closer to the scene, Salazar respected the music fully and worked overtime to meticulously study its development and document its history. As artists began to integrate soul and funk into Latin rhythms, giving us boogaloo, Salazar was there, getting the full scoop. When Ray Barretto, Willie Colon, and Celia Cruz burst onto the world scene with salsa hits, Salazar watched the growing trend with complete interest. He followed the evolution of salsa romantica, small group Latin Jazz, experimentation with folk rhythms, and much more. In many ways, Salazar's life followed the evolution of Latin music in New York, from early stirrings to modern developments; he fortunately documented his experiences, letting us see the history that unfolded before his eyes.
“Without recognition, encouragement, exposure and employment are insufficient to nurture a promising career. Recognition is also necessary for posterity if a history of a culture is to be chronicled."
—"1968 First Latin Music Entertainment Awards"
Promoting Latin music and writing about it often has its share of rewards and struggles—you're rewarded with a deep connection to the music that you love and you struggle to move the work into the greater world. Salazar certainly loved Latin music deeply, and his passionate connection to the music drove him to work tirelessly to promote it. He found several different venues to educate, inform, and expose the public to great music, historical facts, and the cultural relevance of Latin music in the United States. As a writer for numerous publications, Salazar spoke intelligently about Latin music from an informed perspective—he told the truth about the music and he based it upon real life experience. He was intimately familiar with the repertoire of several bands, so when he worked as a disc jockey on WBAI, he could give listeners the most engaging tracks that would simply get them hooked on the artist. As a lecturer at several different universities, he had years of research to draw upon, personal anecdotes to share, and a personal connection to the music that had to be inspiring. He wrote about the struggles associated with the promotion of Latin music, but his tireless promotion of the art form suggests that he simply plowed past them, insisting that the world recognize the importance of New York Latin music.
“Perhaps someday there will be enough Hispanics in our city who will stand up to the leeches who exploit our culture and say “enough . . . I will no longer listen to your bribery and flowery false adulation . . . This music is ours and whatever fruits are derived from it are ours."
- “Latin Music: The Perseverance Of A Culture"
This statement has been made since Salazar wrote this and the backbone of the argument rests upon Salazar's work—his extensive writings are a springboard for the current research around New York Latin music that happens today. When Salazar began writing about Latin music in the late sixties, it was an isolated topic, only covered by daring and alternative publications like Latin New York. When salsa became hugely popular, writers weren't digging into the music with much detail or respect for the cultural foundations of the style. Even as we moved towards the end of the century, the number of people taking a serious academic and historical look at Latin Jazz or salsa were minimal. In other words, as the music moved through decades of history and evolution, almost no one was documenting it . . . with the exception of Salazar. When modern researchers want to learn about the history of the music more completely, they inevitably find their way to Salazar's work. When a musician finds a need to connect history with performance, they will most likely spend some time reading something by Salazar. He simply provided so much real and concrete information about Latin Jazz and salsa that his writings become a natural starting point for a serious study of the music. Salazar's body of work is a true gift to the world that allows the music to be taken seriously and studied for years to come.
“There will always be another king. It's very possible . . . There are always others with potential."
- “Max Salazar On Tito Puente"
In the context of this article, Salazar reflects upon Puente's passing and answers a question about another young musician becoming “El Rey" of Latin music. His full response refers to Eddie Palmieri as a potential candidate and recognizes the fact that music will continue to grow; someone will move it forward into the future as Puente had once done. At the risk of twisting Salazar thoughts here, I'd like to look at this as a springboard for another concept—the ongoing support of Latin music. Salazar spent decades dedicated to the preservation of Latin music history, the promotion of the genre's finest artists, and the education of the public about the art form's cultural contributions to American culture. Latin Jazz and salsa will continue to evolve; the musicians and their approaches to performance will always be changing. The world needs people with Salazar's passion to submerge themselves in Latin music and catalogue the results. The general public across the United States needs someone to act as a bridge between common knowledge and the realities of Latin music. If one man can contribute so much to the survival of Latin music, just think what the combined power of hundreds or even thousands of passionate and intelligent fans could do. The only way that we can truly honor the work that Salazar did is to continue it for years to come—a responsibility that we all need to respect with the same level of integrity shown by Max Salazar.
