Light and Latin

Just as no two music lovers are ever likely to agree on the precise boundaries that define Light Music, aficionados of Latin American music will happily argue about its origins. Most will probably accept that the vast continent of the Americas from Mexico southwards qualifies as ‘Latin America’, so the rhythms and styles of more than twenty countries have contributed to its emergence – particularly from the 1930s onwards – as an enjoyable part of the popular music scene. Add to this the influence of music makers from the United States and Europe, and the result is a mix that may sometimes have corrupted the roots, but has succeeded in making what we all regard as ‘Latin American Music’ universally popular. It is therefore hardly surprising that many light orchestras have included it in their repertoire, notably Percy Faith, Werner Müller, Carmen Dragon, Stanley Black, and André Kostelanetz.

Just as no two music lovers will probably ever agree on the precise boundaries that define Light Music, the aficionados of Latin American will also happily argue about its origins. There seems little doubt that most will accept that the vast continent of the Americas, from Mexico southwards, qualifies as being generally regarded as ‘Latin America’, so the rhythms and styles of more than twenty countries have contributed to its emergence - particularly from the 1930s onwards - as an enjoyable part of the popular music scene. Add to this the influence of music makers from the United States and Europe, and the result is a mix that may sometimes have corrupted the roots, but has succeeded in making what we all regard as ‘Latin American Music’ universally popular. It is therefore hardly surprising that many light orchestras have included it in their repertoire, notably Percy Faith, Werner Müller, Carmen Dragon, Stanley Black and Andre Kostelanetz, among many others.