Uno ....Dos ... Tres ... Quatro! The Rhythm Is Going to Get You

Carlos Santana at Woodstock

From La Bamba to Livin' La Vida Loca. from the smoothness of the cha-cha-cha to the violence of the narcocorridos, from Carmen Mirnada to J-Lo, Latinos have played a huge role in the development of American popular music.  And now in American Sabor, the 1st of its kind bilingual, interactive, multi-media exhibit at the Ripley, the Smithsonian has chronicled just how widespread that role is.

Many of the names are familiar: Ricky Ricardo, Carlos Santana, Linda Ronstadt, Gloria Estefan, Selena. So are the dances, the cha-cha-cha, the mambo, the rumba, salsa.  But what isn't as well-known is the scope and diversity of the Latino influence, a situation American Sabor is designed to rectify.

The exhibit is arranged according to 5 stations, each one representing an American city of notable Latino cultural and musical contributions. The cities are: New York, Miami, San Antonio, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.

As a classic rock keyboardist, I was most taken by the presentation of how the old Mexican accordian sound was transferred into the Farfisa/Vox organ notes that drive such rock classics as Sam the Sham and the Pharohs'  "Wooly Bully" or ? Mark and the Mysterians' "96 Tears." By the way, an interactive station allows you to try out those rifs on your own lighted keyboard, while a dance-floor station next door allows others to perfect their mambo steps.

Then there was the presentation that convincingly contended that the 3-chord structure of Ritchie Valens "La Bamba" (itself borrowed from old traditional Mexican folk song) is identical to that of other rock staples such as "Twist and Shout" and "Louie Louie" and therefore is really the most vital, important chord progression in all of rock and roll. Important stuff, indeed.

Even for the most knowledgeable of musicologists, there is much to learn here. For example, I doubt that few people know that the chord drop in the Beatles "Do You Want Know a Secret" was copped directly from a Hispanic guitar song or that the working title of The Eagles hit "Hotel California" was "Mexican Reggae." I know I didn't.

Of course, much of Latino music is loved for its percussive beat driven by congas, timbales, and other assorted drums. That too is documented here with hours of film clips.  There is Tito Puente and his band at NYC's legendary Palladium. And Santana exploding into public view at Woodstock. And Los Lobos at the Filmore. And younger contemporary acts such as Lysa Flores or El Vez playing punk venues today.

As your Latino friends would say "Experiencia American Sabor. Usted aprenderá, que te guste, y que definitivamente va a querer bailar."

Travelers' Tip:
Thorough research is vital to successful travel. Even though this outstanding exhibit has been on view since early July, we didn't view it until today. The reason - I hadn't discovered it in my research and, just by walking by the sign on the National Mall, somehow got it in my head that I didn't want to go.  How sad that would have been. Both Judy and I agreed that this was one of the best exhibits we have seen since we arrived in DC. And even though the exhibit closes on the Mall this Sunday, you still have a chance to see it since it is touring the country. To see where it will be showing, check the American Sabor website, which is linked in the 1st paragraph of this post.