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As a melomano at heart, I consider Héctor Lavoe’s biopic "El Cantante" one of the biggest tragedies of this year that is about to end. Probably devised as a vehicle to showcase its celebrities, the film stayed at the most superficial level possible, ratifying sad Latino stereotypes and failing to address a social context that is impossible to detach from Lavoe’s career.
Paraphrasing César Miguel Rondón, born in New York, Salsa was spontaneously adopted in barrios all over Latin America in a process driven by folks [as opposed to record labels] who could very well identify with the experience of New York City’s Latin communities. At the center of it and unifying feelings across the region was a mix of violence and poverty as well as a huge need for real media representation. As you can imagine it was a bit difficult for the typical Latino to identify himself with the Rolling Stones or with the bad guy on TV.
Beyond its quality and a great deal of innovation, it was consistency with daily life the defining factor that turned Salsa into a regional phenomenon on its way to achieve global importance. The music in its most pure form is still part of the most eclectic environments: From the Paris neighborhood bar to big bands in Japan. Let’s hope that its history doesn’t get lost in translation, it should be as essential to the music as the music itself.
