Amazon.com description: Product Description: Here's an exciting and highly readable introduction to the musical and social roots of today's Latin music. The editors have assembled a collection of writings on Puerto Rican music and dance by some of the foremost experts in the field, which includes musicians, lay scholars, collectors, journalists, and music activists and promoters. Mixing scholarly essays, short articles, interviews, memoirs and even some poetry and creative prose, the readings are lively and interesting. Here are thoughtful critical analyses of the traditional Puerto Rican forms such as bomba, plena, and música jíbara, as well as new approaches to more familiar sounds like the mambo, Latin jazz and of course salsa. The collection also contains studies of the Puerto Rican role in reggae, punk, hip hop and reggaeton. In addition to fresh looks at musical rhythms and the major practitioners, the collection also addresses some of the historic venues, audiences and, most importantly, the dance styles and steps that have always been part of the Latin music scene. It's all here, as long as it has that swing y sabor!