Review of Raíces: The Roots of Latin Music in New York City

Authors

Antoni Pizà, CUNY Graduate CenterFollow

Document Type

Review (of Book, Film, Etc.)

Publication Date

2002

Abstract

When I was in school – and that was, obviously, a long time ago – the word Latin, whether as a noun or as an adjective, referred to the world of ancient Rome, its language, culture, and civilization. Needless to say, this definition has now been replaced by another, whose connotations refer to the culture of the countries south of the border of the United States. When a term alters its meaning, it is undoubtedly indicative of larger issues. In recent decades, for example, the popular music of the Spanish-speaking world, not only has attained by appropriation a distinct name (Latin music), but the legitimacy and everything else that goes with that: students, scholars, institutions, and grants.

Comments

This review was originally published in Music in Art, available at https://www.jstor.org/stable/41818736