Salsa vs Mambo

[IsaacAltman]

A question that comes up from time to time is "what is the difference between Mambo and Salsa?" This question is of course talking about the dances, however, let me expand the question to the music as well. What is your opinion? :artsy:

[borikensalsero]

A question that comes up from time to time is "what is the difference between Mambo and Salsa?" This question is of course talking about the dances, however, let me expand the question to the music as well. What is your opinion? :artsy:

Salsa the music...
Its own genre which incorporates mambo,guajira, son, son montuno, rumba, merengue, cumbia, Jazz, etc...

Salsa the music has its own dance which is the same as the one for the music Mambo, in the US at least.

Mambo, its own genre of music derived from guguanco, danzon :arrow: son. I hope I remember that one correctly.

Mambo's dance is Mambo as well.

But one question definitely argued over by just about everyone. Which everyone has a compeling argument over. Some say everyone is right, some say everyone is wrong. For me every defintion seems valid.

The difference between Mambo and Salsa the music? Hmmm, as long as we aren't talking about Tito Puente like MamboJazz, then a bunch. Mambo the music doesn't include merengue, cumbia, etc, Salsa does. Original Mambo is a more reserved and simpler than Salsa... etc, etc, etc...

Musically speaking, Hmmmm, I have got no clue. All I know is that I can tell what song playing is considered mambo and which one is considered salsa, and even which one is considered straight Mambo/Jazz. Hmmm, maybe I can't even tell and think I can. :shock:

[d nice]

I can tell because Mambo Jazz like Tito Puente and Pete Escovido play has me on the floor all night long. Salsa has me on the floor for two or three songs at a time.

But for all practical purposes there is no difference... All mambo is salsa, not all salsa is mabo. All Swing is Jazz not all Jazz is Swing.

Why do people focus on the differences and nagatives, instead of the positives and similarities?

The whole title of this thread is ridiculously negative.

[superbimmer]

All I have to add is this ... I have an old friend, whose husband was a dancer in the movie "Mambo Kings". She often quotes his favorite expression: "Real men Mambo!"

[SDsalsaguy]

Why do people focus on the differences and nagatives, instead of the positives and similarities?

The whole title of this thread is ridiculously negative.

Absolutely! And this same negativity has been present the last two times there have been threads to this effect in the salsa forum as well.

Anyway, if anyone's really interested in pursuing this, here are the threads we already have on this, negativity and all:
:arrow: Mambo versus Salsa (http://www.dance-forums.com/viewtopic.php?t=502)
:arrow: Salsa vs. Mambo (http://www.dance-forums.com/viewtopic.php?t=502)

It always makes me wonder what people's agendas are when things are presented in such a manner... :?