Latin Beat: The Rhythms and Roots of Latin Music From Bossa Nova to Salsa and Beyond

by Ed Morales
Da Capo Press, 400 pp., $18.95
You know you're in for a ride off the beaten path when Ed Morales goes into an extended riff on claves, the wooden sticks that provide an underlying rhythm in Latin music.

"[Claves] most likely embody the function of unlocking the 'code' of Afro-Cuban music. ... Taken from the Spanish word meaning key and also the musical term clef ... claves doubled as pegs of hard wood used in the making of ships, adding another meaning -- clave in Spanish also means 'nail.'"

And you thought they were just pegs.

In Morales' able hands, claves and other "small" details undergo careful scrutiny in Latin Beat. The end product is a tightly spun account of various Latin musical traditions, from vintage (décima) to popular forms (salsa), and how they influence mainstream traditions and vice versa.

Throughout, Morales provides a valuable look at how the present reflects the past. He doesn't treat the "Latin Explosion" as a head-scratching phenomenon like most mainstream press, but as a milestone in a long trajectory of musical traditions. This then-and-now focus is particularly elegant in key chapters such as "The Latin Ballad: From Bolero to the New Latin Pop," "The Hidden History of Latinos and Latin Influence in Rock and Hip-Hop," and "Contemporary Cuban Music."

Morales manages to pack reams of information into 10 chapters. While one could argue with the short shrift given to forms like Norteño, Tejano, and conjunto, the author does provide a starting point for anyone interested in launching their own investigation.

A regular writer for Rolling Stone and other publications, Morales provides a highly readable text, seamlessly weaving commentary, comparative analysis, history, and the occasional scholarly citation. The love of the subject shines through, and ultimately the reader has as much fun with Latin Beat as Morales apparently had writing it.