Salsa really came to grips around 1955/56: Tito Puente, Joe Cuba, Ray Barretto, Santos Colon and the rest of Salsa maniacs. These are the guys that started it. They made music, music you can dance to, sing and go home feeling good. I know, I WAS there...they often would come to my home and jammed down in my basement in Queens, NY. When I would hear the new tunes, even as a yougster, I new that some of the songs would be a hit. I would hear my father singing around the house, and believe me you did not disturb him when he was singing. He would take me to all the clubs (Paladium, Latin Quarters, Tropicana, etc.) and I would dance the night away. I was in heaven with all the women asking me to dance (mind you I was only 6yrs old). Boy, if I only knew then what I know now, the women would have been in trouble.

Today's Salsa is a mixture of many afro-latin beats, with a little jazz thrown in around the edges and in some cases Rock. But pure Salsa is nothing more than Latin with Afican roots.

Best of the best:

Pure Salsa - Tito Puente, with Santos Colon singer.
Latin Rock (past and present)- Santana/Gloria Estefan.
Latin Jazz - Tito Puente (Ray Barretto tried in the 70's, but...!!!)

Keep in mind some of the guy's you mentioned are good, and I have met them all, but they were youngsters when Fania started their rein. But Latin music needed young talent to keep it going - to bring in the young crowd, to have the young Latinos stand up and say this is our music. Enough of the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Jacksons etc. (I was one of those kids that also followed the Rock/R&B scene). They wanted fire... and they got it.

Some of today's music/musicians are Tito,Santos and Ray wannabe's, but in my opinion they fall short.

I may be partial to the pure Salsa sound, because my father made us listen to it all and his name is Santos Colon. Tito Puente gave me my first set of drums and Ray used to let me beat on his congas. Too bad I didn't follow in their footsteps.

So, you see when people say they were there when Fania started the Salsa Craze, it makes me wonder how old they are and what type of music they were listening to as a kid.

Regards,