Beyond Salsa for Beginners: The Cuban Timba Revolution: An Introduction to Latin Music for Dancers and Listeners

If you are in to Rueda de Casino or Cuban salsa this is a great resource guide for you. It has everything in it that I need. Don't let the title confuse you. It is not only for beginners its for all levels. I have been dancing 3+ years.

While this latest volume of the excellent Beyond Salsa series is titled "For Beginners," just about any musician not born and raised in Havana can learn quite a bit from this book. It's a well done and comprehensive music appreciation course covering the history and development of Latin music, with an emphasis on Cuban music.It alternates between "listening tours," the author's four guided tours that cover the development of Cuban music from 1900 to the present, and various exercises designed to help you gain greater awareness of the rhythms. There are a multitude of audio files available to download (free with the purchase of the book)that will demystify the rhythms and help you feel the groove. Numerous exercises for dancers are included as well.There are also overviews and listening recommendations for nearly all the major Cuban artists, as well as a section covering Cuban folkloric music.There is a whole lot of material in this book, the result of years of research. It can change the way you listen (or dance) to this great music.

I keep this one out whenever I'm studying. It constantly points me at good music, provides some interesting insights, and helps clarify some tricky things about the music. It's the perfect music recommendation source and condensed original and entertaining guide through cuban music. I think it's got what everyone needs. You'll be better off for having a copy.

This is a brilliant book if you aren't a musician and you want to try and understand more about Cuban timba. Kevin Moore is highly respected in the world of Cuban music (I know of him from the timba.com website) and has written lots of stuff for musicians. This is his first attempt at something for non-musicians.The book includes suggestions for various Listening Tours with example tracks. These are really excellent. There are also audio files for download to support exercises. Kevin Moore is extremely knowledgeable and the book is clear and very well written.The only slight disappointment - which I think is Amazon's fault - is that I thought there would be a glossary of Cuban slang as is commonly used in timba tracks. In fact the glossary only contains one entry that I can see explaining Cuban slang (an entry for 'ahi nama').It's not a cheap book and costs mount as you start buying MP3 tracks and the odd recommended DVD - but it is very well worth every penny. If you really want to get to grips with Cuban music through the eyes of a musician rather than a musicologist, this is the book to get.I love it.

Per chi alla ricerca di un serio approccio alla materia. Richiede uno studio approfondito di mesi, non ha la ricetta magica per imparare la salsa. Non è di facile comprensione se non si ha senso del ritmo, sebbene sia alla portata di chiunque. Consigliatissimo.