I’ve been in the salsa world for about five years now.

The music has something to it that makes the world want to dance.

Salsa literally means ‘sauce’ in Spanish. The roots are in Africa and the Caribbean and the music developed in New York where it fused with jazz and other styles. Puerto Rico and Cuba have strong salsa scenes.

Mambo, Cha Cha, Boleros, Merengue, Bachata, and other music and dances are all related to salsa.

Understanding the clave and rhythmic base of the music is very important.

If you try and approach it like you approach jazz, you probably will sound ‘off’.

Don’t try and force Bird’s licks or something Trane played into it, it might work in some cases, but it’s going to need to be adapted to fit the music if you play those licks.

A lot of times, playing something simpler is better if it feels good.

The music is for the dancers, and they’ll let you know if it didn’t go right.

If you’re looking for saxophone salsa books, check out Salsa Latin Jazz.

Let me know if you have questions about it!