Thoroughly enjoyed the first 'Latin Music USA' on BBC4 on Friday night. This one looked at the Afro-Cuban origins of Latin music in the USA. I didn't see as much dancing as I'd hoped, but the style of some of the dancing from the 40s and 50s was gorgeous.
One of the key points in the programme was how influential Latin music was, even on the rock that supposedly superseded it. The classic example is the Louie Louie riff which is based on a chachachá. I've got another example where a cover version makes explicit the unacknowledge Latin roots of a song. Africa Boogaloo) has a great track called 'Quiero Wapacha' by Charles Lembe which combines Afro-Latin music with surf guitar. It sounds strangely familiar. Trying to find out about the singer I came across a review which pointed out that the track is actually based on the The Ventures' early 60's song "Walk Don't Run" - clearly the Congolese musicians recognised it as a Latin track and repurposed it with their own lyrics.
Next week's programme is devoted to salsa. It's repeated on the Sunday night.
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