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Exhibition
curator Louis Bauzó with
LP Founder and photographer Martin Cohen |
The Raices Latin Music Museum of Boys and Girls Harbor, an affiliate
of the Smithsonian Institute, in conjunction with the Museum of the City
of New York, is presenting
"Raices: The Roots of Latin Music in New York City", in the North
Gallery of the Museum of the
City of New York, from October 5, 2002 to February 16, 2003. The multi-media
exhibition features highlights from the Raices collection, which is the largest
and most diverse collection of Afro-Caribbean Latin music culture in the United
States.
Documenting the evolution of Latin music known as
"Salsa", the exhibit features numerous, diverse items of historical
and popular significance. The curator, Louis Bauzó, who is also a respected
musician and folklorist, and the founder of Raices, has chosen to highlight
the musical influences of Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. The
exhibit also features seminal musicians like Machito, Tito Puente and Tito
Rodriguez along with famous Latin dancers, composers and arrangers and the
venues associated with the evolution of Latin Music in New York City during
the twentieth century, including the Palladium Ballroom, the Puerto Rican Theater,
and the Park Palace.
Carefully chosen artifacts, costumes, instruments, posters and photographic
stills from other collections augment the extensive Raices collection, to further
illustrate the impact of Afro-Caribbean Latin music culture in the United States.
A selection of one hundred photographs taken by Latin
Percussion Founder, Martin Cohen, is part of the exhibition and is on display
in an iMac computer centrally located within the exhibition. Cohen has been
photographing the legends of Latin music for over forty years. His passion
for the music and its purveyors is evident in these pictures, which evoke the
flavor, energy and romance of "Salsa" as it developed in New York
City.
Although it evolved in New York City, Salsa is now an essential part of American
culture. Whether it is through the instruments of beloved Latin musicians,
the costumes they wore, or the photographs of Martin Cohen, The Raices exhibit
honors an art form truly unique to New York City, and at the same time clearly
illustrates the profound influence the Hispanic culture has had on this country.
Many of the photos that were used in the exhibition can now be seen on Martin
Cohen’s website, congahead.com.
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