Folklorist Elena Martínez is a producer for the documentaries “From Mambo to Hip Hop: A Bronx Tale” and “We Like It Like That: The Story of Latin Boogaloo.” What makes these documentaries stand out is, of course, the fabulous music. But the perspective or point of view of both films is just as important. The films examine the music through the lens of urban folklore—music created by and for the people in the neighborhood, a small stretch of the Bronx often known for urban blight and not much else. Well, as the films demonstrate, there is a lot more-the sound of Mambo which adopted Cuban rhythms and Puerto Rican traditions, a Latin beat joined up with R&B and funk which gave birth to Boogaloo, the creation of the New York salsa sound, the rise of hip hop. And astoundingly, all this creative energy happening in the same small neighborhood in the Bronx. In this podcast, Elena Martínez talks about the making of “From Mambo to Hip Hop” and “We Like It Like That” She takes us through the exuberant Latino musical traditions of the Bronx and its impact on the people who live there. Martínez is an enthusiastic guide to some fabulous urban music traditions.
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