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Where salsa comes from

2.It starts with Africa and Spain, in Cuba

Long ago, Spain ruled Cuba. Spanish settlers brought guitars and songs. Enslaved people from West and Central Africa brought drums and a special rhythm called the clave (say: KLAH-vay).

They also brought call and response singing. One person sings a line. A group answers back. This is called coro singing. Cuban music mixed African drums and Spanish guitar together. This mix is the base of almost everything that came after, including salsa.

ListenQue Viva ChangóCelina y Reutilio · 1949A song to Changó, a saint of Afro-Cuban religion, sung in the Spanish-rooted country style of rural Cuba: both roots in one recording.