Where salsa comes from

8.New York, Puerto Rico, and the name “salsa”

In the 1940s–60s, Cuban music met jazz in New York City, especially through musicians Machito, Mario Bauzá, and Tito Puente. Many of the dancers and musicians were Puerto Rican, or Nuyorican (Puerto Rican and raised in New York). Puerto Rico's own bomba and plena styles fed into the mix too.

In the late 1960s–70s, a record label called Fania Records packaged all these related styles under one catchy name: salsa, Spanish for “sauce.” Some musicians said this was just old Cuban music with a new label. Others said the name usefully brought many styles together.