What shows use Salsa music?

[ErinDillyFan]

Posted: 10/27/06 at 9:17am

I happen to listen to some salsa yesterday.

Seems like shows would find away to put a salsa number in. I'm coming up blank, but there must be some.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 10/27/06 at 9:29am

SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER used "Salsation" in their dance competition (for one of the couples).

Several amazing dance numbers in THE MAMBO KINGS were 'salsa' infused.

[Jon]

Posted: 10/27/06 at 9:38am

KISS OF THE SPIDERWOMAN - Aurora's first big production number has a salsa feel - especially on the dance break.

[ErinDillyFan]

Posted: 10/27/06 at 9:40am

Two shows I haven't seen and don't have the cast albums.

Is "The Mambo Kings" based on the movie by the same name with Antonio Banderas and Armand Assante?

[ErinDillyFan]

Posted: 10/27/06 at 9:46am

KISS OF THE SPIDERWOMAN

"Her name is Aurora" sounds like tango to me.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 10/27/06 at 9:48am

Yes...THE MAMBO KINGS musical is based on the novel, which the film was based on.


Old THE MAMBO KINGS info from Broadway.com

[timote316]

Posted: 10/27/06 at 9:48am

Yes, it is. It played out-of-town (in San Francisco, I think?) last season, got awful reviews, and closed before coming to Broadway.

Barry Manilow's COPACABANA has some numbers that may fall under the "salsa" category.

[TechEverlasting]

Posted: 10/27/06 at 10:02am

I would consider some music from the original Evita to be salsa. ("What's new, Argentina...") I haven't heard the new London recording so I don't know if that's still the case.

Also Martin Short's introduction to the "Jackie Rodgers Junior" show has a salsa feel to it.

[ErinDillyFan]

Posted: 10/27/06 at 10:05am

I would guess Copacabana would have some. I didn't realize it had a cast album. Only London that I can find. What is the history of the US production?

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 10/27/06 at 10:20am

COPACABANA only has a London Cast Recording. An American recording was never issued as it never appeared on Broadway, only as a US National Tour.

EVITA never has featured 'salsa' type music in it's score. Salsa music is infused with Caribbean and African understones -- Argentina is heavily European infused.

NOTE: The song you referenced (and which is 'latin' infused -- not 'salsa' infused) is actually called "Buenos Aires" (as in "...what's new? Buenos Aires").

[TechEverlasting]

Posted: 10/27/06 at 12:07pm

I know what I heard on the original Evita recording, and I do know what salsa is.
I heard that when the show was revived in London last year orchestrator David Cullen was anxious to make the score sound more authentically Argentinian.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 10/27/06 at 12:22pm

Authentic Argentinean is one thing, but 'salsa' is totally different. Salsa music is typically from the islands, especially Cuba and Puerto Rico and the sound is quite obvious.

You ain't find no salsa music in Argentina. Trust me on this, as a fellow Argentine. The typical dance and music OF Argentina is the tango -- which is FAR from sounding like 'salsa music'.

[TechEverlasting]

Posted: 10/27/06 at 9:14pm

>You ain't find no salsa music in Argentina. Trust me on this, as a fellow Argentine.

Clearly you know what you're talking about. So, as an Argentine, did you think the original London and Broadway productions of Evita gave an accurate representation of the musical styles of Argentina? To my untrained ears, "Buenos Aires" sounds more like something from Brazil. Have you heard the new London production, and if so, is that closer?

This is just third hand gossip, but I heard that there was some friction as the new London Evita was being developed, with Andrew Llyod Webber wanting things to sound like the original concept album and others in the music department wanting a more authentic Argentinian sound.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 10/27/06 at 10:19pm

The only recording which (in it's own way) comes close to capturing any true Argentinean flavoring is the film-version. For the first time they actually orchestrated "A Night of a Thousand Stars" to sound like a real tango instead of the standard 'latin' orchestration the other recordings have done. Even "Buenos Aires" sounds very Argentinean in the film (even with it's 'pop' infusion) -- just compare the orchestrations of this number/song as well as most of the other numbers/songs to the 'cast' recording verions and the difference is quite immense.