Rating: 
Summary: enjoyable but inaccurate
Review: The main asset of this book is that it covers a great variety of Latin and Afro-Caribbean styles from different countries, from the origins before WW2 until the present day. I can't think of a single truly important musician or band that has been omitted. The book also gives due credit to songwriters such as Tite Curet Alonso and Omar Alfanno, who normally get very little attention because they are not performing artists. Furthermore, the book has an attractive layout, with many nice illustrations, album covers and so on.However, as has already been pointed out by other reviewers, the book contains many inaccuracies. For instance, the former lead singer of Los Van Van is called Pedro CALVO, not Calvi, as has been wrongly stated several times on page 84. And in the photograph on page 101, the band leader of El Gran Combo, Rafael Ithier, is not located in the centre, but third from the left (wearing sunglasses). I also spotted many errors in the discography... To conclude: a nice book to have if you can get it for a low price, but certainly not a Bible of Latin music.
Rating: 
Summary: A "must read" for all Latin American music fans.
Review: There's relatively little available on Latin American music by itself, which makes this new title so important. Chapters cover salsa, merengue, and Latin jazz using plenty of biographical portraits and cultural overviews to trace the evolution of these styles and the musicians who fostered them. The addition of many bright color photos and drawings enhances the attraction and easy reading of this survey, making it accessible to newcomers to the styles as well as prior fans. Highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: Enjoyable book on Salsa
Review: This is a colorful book, full of pictures and printed on quality paper. Being new to Salsa, I can not vouch for its historical accuracy. However, it seems to me that every author on the topic has their own opinion on the "true" history of Salsa. If you aproach the topic with a light hearted curriosity, you will not be dissapointed by this book.
Rating:
Summary: A quick, classy, well-informed music guide
Review: Wow. Weighing in at a mere 176 pages, this snappy little volume sure packs a wallop! This is the Cuban music equivalent of McGowan & Pessanha's "Brazilian Sound," but with more dynamic layout, and exceptionally precise writing. "Musica!" features several geographically-centered chapters, exploring salsa traditions in Cuba, Puerto Rico, Columbia and, of course, the explosion of modern salsa in New York and Miami. Brief overviews of the style's spread into Europe and Africa, and a look at modern salsa-pop crossovers. Each chapter features a central narrative, along with numerous sidebars that at first might seem unwieldy and distracting, but are tremendously informative and fun. These include profiles of artists ranging from the superstars to the obscure and the forgotten -- Tito Puente, Ruben Blades and Celia Cruz share the dance floor along with The Mambo Aces, Jesus Colon, and Maria Teresa Vera. The writing is remarkably compact and informative. Steward is especially effective at describing musical concepts and performance techniques, details that other writers often flounder over while trying to explain. The historical photographs, engravings and album reproductions are also illuminating and gorgeous-- laid out in crazy-quilt fashion, the colorful artwork alone makes this book a must for latin music fans. There are parts of this book which felt too short, but as an easily-assimilated guide to the music of four continents, this is pretty hard to beat. Highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: A quick, classy, well-informed music guide
Review: Wow. Weighing in at a mere 176 pages, this snappy little volume sure packs a wallop! This is the Cuban music equivalent of McGowan & Pessanha's "Brazilian Sound," but with more dynamic layout, and exceptionally precise writing. "Musica!" features several geographically-centered chapters, exploring salsa traditions in Cuba, Puerto Rico, Columbia and, of course, the explosion of modern salsa in New York and Miami. Brief overviews of the style's spread into Europe and Africa, and a look at modern salsa-pop crossovers. Each chapter features a central narrative, along with numerous sidebars that at first might seem unwieldy and distracting, but are tremendously informative and fun. These include profiles of artists ranging from the superstars to the obscure and the forgotten -- Tito Puente, Ruben Blades and Celia Cruz share the dance floor along with The Mambo Aces, Jesus Colon, and Maria Teresa Vera. The writing is remarkably compact and informative. Steward is especially effective at describing musical concepts and performance techniques, details that other writers often flounder over while trying to explain. The historical photographs, engravings and album reproductions are also illuminating and gorgeous-- laid out in crazy-quilt fashion, the colorful artwork alone makes this book a must for latin music fans. There are parts of this book which felt too short, but as an easily-assimilated guide to the music of four continents, this is pretty hard to beat. Highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: A quick, classy, well-informed music guide
Review: Wow. Weighing in at a mere 176 pages, this snappy little volume sure packs a wallop! This is the Cuban music equivalent of McGowan & Pessanha's "Brazilian Sound," but with more dynamic layout, and exceptionally precise writing. "Musica!" features several geographically-centered chapters, exploring salsa traditions in Cuba, Puerto Rico, Columbia and, of course, the explosion of modern salsa in New York and Miami. Brief overviews of the style's spread into Europe and Africa, and a look at modern salsa-pop crossovers. Each chapter features a central narrative, along with numerous sidebars that at first might seem unwieldy and distracting, but are tremendously informative and fun. These include profiles of artists ranging from the superstars to the obscure and the forgotten -- Tito Puente, Ruben Blades and Celia Cruz share the dance floor along with The Mambo Aces, Jesus Colon, and Maria Teresa Vera. The writing is remarkably compact and informative. Steward is especially effective at describing musical concepts and performance techniques, details that other writers often flounder over while trying to explain. The historical photographs, engravings and album reproductions are also illuminating and gorgeous-- laid out in crazy-quilt fashion, the colorful artwork alone makes this book a must for latin music fans. There are parts of this book which felt too short, but as an easily-assimilated guide to the music of four continents, this is pretty hard to beat. Highly recommended!
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