While many of the Puerto Rican bands in the eastern U.S. have favored Afro-Cuban salsa, the two New York-based units heard on this album, Los Pleneros de la 21 and Orchestra Melodia, specialize in the traditional Puerto Rican form known as plena. Comparing Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico to traditional Afro-Cuban music, it becomes clear that the latter has had a much greater influence on popular Puerto Rican salsa groups like El Gran Combo and El Conjunto Clasico. But while such comparisons are interesting from an historical ...
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While many of the Puerto Rican bands in the eastern U.S. have favored Afro-Cuban salsa, the two New York-based units heard on this album, Los Pleneros de la 21 and Orchestra Melodia, specialize in the traditional Puerto Rican form known as plena. Comparing Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico to traditional Afro-Cuban music, it becomes clear that the latter has had a much greater influence on popular Puerto Rican salsa groups like El Gran Combo and El Conjunto Clasico. But while such comparisons are interesting from an historical standpoint, this collection underscores the fact that Puerto Ricans were making vibrant, captivating music long before they started embracing salsa. ~ Alex Henderson, Rovi
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