Episode 40 highlights salsa songs with a great solo section, whether with piano or other instrument types like strings, brass, percussion, and bass. Replay below (2:05:07, 24 tracks).
I will guess that most DJs and salsa enthusiasts are in agreement that songs with a solo part have special appeal compared with those without a solo. It is certainly a thrill to hear a musician given some time during a song to add their personal flair on the instrument of their choice. At times, a solo comes across as the work of a genius. This episode of Encanto TropicaI contains 24 such tracks which especially ring true for me -- I emphasize the selection is highly personal in nature and not meant to be authoritative. Surely, there are hundreds of amazing salsa songs with 'fabulous' solos.
While the most common kind of solo in salsa might be with the piano, I wanted to also include solos with other instruments, such as the trombone, trumpet, saxophone, congas, bongos, contrabass, violin, cuatro/tres and electric guitar. Featured artists include Larry Harlow, Mongo Santamaria, Alfredo de la Fe, Israel Lopez 'Cachao' and José Mangual Jr, to name only a few well-known salsa musicians.
There is so much material to work with that I can easily imagine a Part 2 on this theme. Stay tuned. In the meantime, I hope listeners can enjoy these 24 tracks -- some of which are commonly known, but others may not be. Full attribution is provided on the show. Replay below. Pa' gozar!
