The Latin sound called salsa, or, more correctly, Afro-Hispanic music of the Antilles, is a vital force on the international contemporary music scene. Having followed the same path as did other popular music genres, such as jazz, from ethnic origins to urban underground and on to worldwide acceptance, salsa has recently also become a subject of academic study. Here Figueroa presents materials about salsa and related musical genres that are accessible in the non-Latin world, with an emphasis on English-language sources.

Attempting to serve the varied interests of the musicologist and the...