Boogaloo

Can't miss! Hear all about boogaloo at Soul Sides:

It's a genre that, for a long time, didn't get much respect. Latin purists treated it as a pop fad - beneath the majesty of the mambo and older, more classic Laitn dances. Certainly, the boogaloo was a fad-driven music - blazing hot in 1966 and then tapering into oblivion by the late '60s. However, that doesn't automatically make it bad. The reason why boogaloos were so popular was because dancers loved the easy accessibility of the boogaloo rhythm - usually a simple 4/4 dressed up with tasty piano and brass riffs.

I recently reviewed the new Rough Guide to Boogaloo for NPR and wanted to expand on it vis a vis a few podcasts that call attention to the genre and its legacy. Today's podcast is an introduction to the boogaloo, its history and sound. Next time, I'll discuss the evolution of the boogaloo and its phenomenal growth in the mid-1960s. My third podcast will examine the lingering influence of the boogaloo as was as showcase a few of my favorites.