Salsa Symbiosis: Barry Rogers, Eddie Palmieri s Chief Collaborator in the Making of La Perfecta

Cuban musical modalities, particularly son and its hybrids, have been passionately adopted by dancers and listeners throughout the Hispanic Caribbean basin; fueled by a major Puerto Rican migration, New York became a major part of this hybridization. By the late 1960 s, this music was being marketed under the magnificently effective catchall phrase salsa. One of the groups that helped define this music was Eddie Palmieri s dance band, La Perfecta. Of all of the bands of salsa s period of nascency (the early 1960s), it arguably presented the most potent mix of Cuban musical tradition and mid-twentieth century American musical styles. The key element in La Perfecta s success was the collaboration of leader Eddie Palmieri and Barry Rogers. Although Barry Rogers is best remem-bered as a trombonist, the breadth and dynamism of his musical conceptions made him one of the most important figures in vernacular American music, in addition to his role in the patrimony of salsa.