Roots Of Rhythm-Blues DVD-767685947630

Originally broadcast on public television as Routes of Rhythm. this classic three-part series narrated by Harry Belafonte is one of the most vibrant and insightful histories of Latin music out there. The difference is in the footage: from the African drummers processions to the battle for Cuban independence. from back-alley rumba troupes to the turn-of-the-century ballrooms where the danzón and later the mambo and cha-cha-chá were born. Roots of Rhythm brings the story of the music to life with vintage images. (The series has had a second life as projected visuals for Latin dance clubs.) The three episodes. 'Across the Ocean.' 'The Fiery Romance.' and 'To the Top of the Charts' present a chronological history. The Yoruba and Dahomeyan peoples of present-day Nigeria made up the bulk of the African slaves used by Spain to build their New World empire. so it is with them that Belafonte begins. specifically with the drum. which served a religious and social significance that still exists today in Cuba. It is the meeting of the drum with the Spanish traditions of verse and stringed composition on lute and guitar that birthed Latin music in the cabildos of colonial Cuba. Visiting elders such as the tresero (Cuban guitarist) Isaac 'Papi' Oviedo. one of the first Cuban musicians to be recorded for Edison audio cylinders. Roots gets the story from the source. The third episode shows the flowering of Cuban music into the pan-Latin sound of salsa artists from Tito Puente and Celia Cruz to Gloria Estefan. Ironically. the advent of the Buena Vista Social Club. the worldwide phenomenon that sparked interest in Cuban music anew in the late 90s. happened after this groundbreaking production. Thus Roots preserves the attitudes of Cuban musics elders. unsullied by the commercial prospects of their music and free from the critical superlatives that have recently saddled the music with an air of hyperbole. What emerges instead is the story of hardworking musicians upholding centuries-old traditions. ever adapting. but ever faithful to their roots. Chalk up another one for Harry Belafonte (and the directors Howard B. Dratch and Eugene Rosow. plus Latin music savant Rene Lopez) -- these Roots are yet another significant work of cultural preservation and education. Mark Schwartz