Mary Kent's book Salsa Talks! features interviews with legendary salsa artists such as Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, and Eddie Palmieri. Through their stories, the book gives readers insight into the roots and development of salsa music. The artists discuss key events in their careers and the salsa scene in their time. They also offer their perspectives on the unique art form of salsa. The book presents these interviews and musician portraits in an engaging editorial and design format. It provides a complete historical and cultural look at salsa music.

1. BY ABEL DELGADO
A number of folks have written books about salsa, a fiery form of Latin music whose roots are still currently a
matter for heated debate, with some claiming it’s Cuban music under a different name and others seeing it as
a pan-Latin creation that synthesizes a number of different musical styles, including jazz, Brazilian rhythms and
even R&B.
Mary Kent’s Salsa Talks! may not end the debate on salsa roots once and for all, but it does something equal-
ly remarkable: it allows the salseros—the creators and practitioners of this music—to tell their individual sto-
ries. Kent spent years tracking down a host of performers, ranging from legends like Tito Puente, Celia Cruz and
Eddie Palmieri to lesser known but key artists like Louie Ramírez, Canelita Medina and Juan de Marcos González.
She also included some of the non-musicians who were key players in the music, such as producer Al Santiago
and Jerry Masucci, head of the Fania Records salsa empire during the 1970s. While recording their stories, she
also captured their images to give readers vivid pictures of these men and women.
What initially draws the eye in Salsa Talks! are Kent’s superb, beautifully composed portraits of the salseros, all
framed in a slick, vibrant design. The musicians’ stories take it from there: fans will learn more about the sad
story of salsa’s clown prince, Héctor Lavoe, whose antics delighted audiences, bemused colleagues and ulti-
mately took him on a path to self destruction; Celia Cruz, universally acknowledged as salsa’s queen, who sur-
prises with her account of how fans reacted angrily to her replacing singer Mirta Silva in La Sonora Matancera
in the early 1950s; and Joe Cuba, who explains how he—born to Puerto Rican parents in Manhattan—acquired
his stage moniker, details his remarkable crossover to the American market in the 1960s and sheds some light
on what the scene was like in his highly competitive day, which in his case included duels between his band and
that of the legendary Tito Puente.
But the anecdotes do more than amuse, surprise or inform: they offer a variety of insider perspectives that give
salsa fans a new understanding—and much deeper appreciation—of this unique art form. It’s important to
note that Salsa Talks! may well be the first book on salsa to be compiled professionally in terms of both the
editorial and design, in marked contrast to other books on this music. This book offers a complete package of
historical and cultural insights presented in a handsome volume, making it a welcome addition to anyone’s per-
sonal library. To obtain a copy of Salsa Talks!, go to salsatalks.com.
30 NOVEMBER | DECEMBER
Salseros
Have Their Say
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