Discover the origins of Latin music’s success with New York Hispanics.
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© Art
Broadcast on 17 December to 22H30 on Art
When it comes to Latin music, we necessarily think of Latin America. It is however not there that it developed in good part, but in New York. Arte recalls it here with a documentary on the Barrio, the Hispanic district of the Big Apple. This is where the famous salsa was born, although it is often associated with Cuba. At first, this success story starts off rather badly. After the war, many Puerto Ricans fled the poverty of their island and congregated in eastern Harlem and the southern Bronx. Ostracized, they must struggle to live in a hostile environment where drugs and gangs abound. Associations are born to defend the community, like the Young Lords, and demonstrations take place. It is in this context that Hispanic artists begin to take over this identity revolution. By combining the musical styles they rub shoulders with in in the metropolis (rumba, merengue, etc.), they are gradually rallying all Latinos to their movement. Their alliance is at the very origin of the record company Fania, a breeding ground for renowned artists such as Willie Colón, Héctor Lavoe and Celia Cruz. Together, they create the salsa and it is the consecration. Their music became known around the world and would rule over Latin music until the emergence of reggaeton.
With this documentary, it is not only the history of a musical genre that Arte retraces. At the same time, the channel offers a iimmersion in the daily life of the Hispanic community which today represents nearly 30% of the New York population. A discovery that will delight both music lovers, lovers of cultures from across the Atlantic and history buffs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwbEz4mOL9Y
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