Live Salsa band, Cambalache

2011. Cinco de Mayo celebration of Latin Culture in the United States. South Puget Sound Community College.

It was an honor to have the opportunity to recommend my favorite Northwest Salsa band for this event. Cambalache truly has a Cuban sound. They also were very generous to backup the Salsa lessons by providing a simplified, yet strong foundation sound of Salsa. I highly recommend this band for any Latin-themed event.

When beginning the journey into Salsa dancing, it is common to be a bit confused with so much going on in the music, as most Salsa bands have 7 to 14 musicians. It is my educational theory that if the student hears the foundation of the Salsa sound when learning the basics, they will be able to have more confidence when dancing.

The main element of this foundation sound is Clave, the beat that all the musicians are playing off of. When the dancer learns learns Clave, soon there is the sensation of being part of the band, of creating with their dance, rather than just reacting to the music.

Clave is simple to learn and understand, as it is heard in much of music from the United States - Rock, Blues, Jazz, etc. In the 17 and 1800's there was much exchange of music between New Orleans and Cuba (birthplace of Clave).

Here is a quick Clave lesson - try it with hand claps -

.... it is contained in 8 beats of the music - or two bars - and has 5 claps ... (the * represents the silent beats, the numbers represent the claps)

1 * * 2and * * 4 * * * 2 * 3 * * *

.... got it? ok, now reverse it ....

* * 2 * 3 * * * 1* * 2and * * 4 *


have a great spring into summer!

!suave con fuerte!
(my Cuban teachers in dance and percussion said over and over and over...)

Category:

Education

Tags:

• cambalache
• chris
• hamm
• salsa
• in
• olympia