Our Thing: The Birth of Salsa in Nueva York – Details, episodes & analysis

In 1964, an Italian-American ex-cop and a Dominican musician in New York City opened Fania Records, the “Motown of Salsa.” The artists from Fania toured the world, sold millions of records and changed culture forever. But Fania Records also became mired by royalty divisions, lawsuits and falling-outs. This is the story of the birth of salsa in Nueva York and the rebellious, seductive and political label that defined it: Fania Records.

Hosted by Oscar and Emmy-nominated actress and Brooklyn native Rosie Perez and produced by Pulitzer Prize-winning Futuro Media. It is the most comprehensive audio narrative yet made about the birth and wild heights of salsa, a genre that continues to shape global culture today.

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By 1973, drummer Ray Barretto is determined to make a high-stakes comeback and to make a political statement about the role of Salsa in the activism of the time. He’s set on performing at Fania’s most ambitious concert yet, at Yankee Stadium. The day of the concert, a frenzy erupts. But despite the wild turn of events, this night cements Fania as the leading label for salsa music. And whether the label wants to be or not, the very presence of Latino youth in Yankee Stadium – one of the most storied venues in the city – makes Fania political. 

Listen to The Music Behind Our Thing: The Birth of Salsa in Nueva York playlist here.

Archival courtesy of The Bronx County Archives at The Bronx County Historical Society Research Library, Maria Hinojosa for Latino USA, Mary Kent’s Salsa Talks interviews, Aurora Flores Hostos Interview and Craft Recordings, a Concord company. This episode also utilizes fair use clips from US National Archives, American Archive of Public Broadcasting, ABC, Internet Archive / formerly Radio Aeropuerto, Rockefeller Archive Center, Third World Newsreel Film Collective, Manhattan Neighborhood Network, WNET, and WMCA Radio.

Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ and you can binge the entire season of “Our Thing: The Birth of Salsa in Nueva York” right now. Plus, get exclusive episodes, sneak peaks and behind-the-scenes chisme on all our podcasts: www.futuromediagroup.org/joinplus.

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Larry Harlow, a Jewish kid from Brooklyn, and one of the first artists to be signed to Fania, pitches an idea to film an ambitious live concert. His suggestion will dramatically change the course of the label and salsa. After Fania bankrolls the live concert at the legendary Cheetah Club, the film Our Latin Thing releases one year later, a film and evening often referred to as the night salsa was born and a new Latino consciousness starts taking shape in the media.

Listen to the Music Behind Our Thing: The Birth of Salsa in Nueva York playlist here.

Archival courtesy of The Bronx County Archives at The Bronx County Historical Society Research Library, Craft Recordings, a Concord company, Mary Kent’s Salsa Talks interviews, Maria Hinojosa for Latino USA, Aurora Flores Hostos Interview, and Martin Cohen Congahead Archives. This episode also utilizes fair use clips from Oro Productions.

Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ and you can binge the entire season of “Our Thing: The Birth of Salsa in Nueva York” right now. Plus, get exclusive episodes, sneak peaks and behind-the-scenes chisme on all our podcasts: www.futuromediagroup.org/joinplus.

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In the mid 1960s, young musicians Joe Bataan and Willie Colón are quickly owning the boogaloo scene in East Harlem and the Bronx. The problem—Morris Levy, the mob boss who owns hit-making labels, is one of the few routes to stardom. Bataan and Colón have to figure out how to avoid Levy, while projecting a gangster image themselves.

Listen to the Music Behind Our Thing: The Birth of Salsa in Nueva York playlist here.

Archival courtesy of The Bronx County Archives at The Bronx County Historical Society Research Library, Buyout Footage, Craft Recordings, a Concord company, and Mary Kent’s Salsa Talks interviews, Maria Hinojosa for Latino USA, Martin Cohen Congahead Archives. This episode also utilizes a fair use clip from NBC Boston.

Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ and you can binge the entire season of “Our Thing: The Birth of Salsa in Nueva York” right now. Plus, get exclusive episodes, sneak peaks and behind-the-scenes chisme on all our podcasts: www.futuromediagroup.org/joinplus.

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The 1960s brings social and political change to the world and to New York City, where a young Johnny Pacheco keeps people dancing with his orchestra and charanga music. The Dominican musician is also going through a divorce and his lawyer, Jerry Masucci, happens to be a fan of Johnny’s music. The two form a music partnership that will forever change music. They call their music label Fania Records. 

Listen to the Music Behind Our Thing: The Birth of Salsa in Nueva York playlist here.

Archival courtesy of The Bronx County Archives at The Bronx County Historical Society Research Library, Maria Hinojosa for Latino USA, Craft Recordings, a Concord company, Mary Kent’s Salsa Talks interviews, Aurora Flores Hostos Interview, and Martin Cohen Congahead Archives. This episode also utilizes fair use clips from Prelinger Archives and WBAI Radio. 

Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ and you can binge the entire season of “Our Thing: The Birth of Salsa in Nueva York” right now. Plus, get exclusive episodes, sneak peaks and behind-the-scenes chisme on all our podcasts: www.futuromediagroup.org/joinplus.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.