Pachange, Boogaloo and Descarga
Boy, are you guys testing me.
Alright. Before we tackle the pachanga, boogaloo and descarga, there are a few things you should bear in mind:
i. You have asked the equivalent of "what is salsa?" This is an explanation only as I understand it, so please expect there to be significant differences of opinion.
ii. a music style is different from a music type:
A style refers to the instrumentation of a band. A conjunto style/format contains brass esp. trumpet and trombones, and you can get small conjuntos as well as large ones. Compare this with a charanga format that tends to contain flutes and violins instead (but not exclusively e.g. Africando). A more in-depth explanation can be found in "Salsa Guidebook for Piano and Ensemble" by Rebeca Mauleon.
A type refers to the result after every instrument layer is assembled i.e. chachacha, songo, mambo, son montuno
iii. not every music type has a specific dance form associated with it. Many types were extremely transient in nature, and their associated dances were not codified (and therefore not frozen for posterity). However, in some cases, dance movements can be approximated /"reverse-engineered" if you have a knowledge of the context of the period.
iv. a vamp is a repeated pattern of chords (usually between 2-5), with variations. A montuno (piano), or guajeo (violin, guitar family) are examples.
Pachanga
Heavily associated with New York - many places claim to have given birth to it, but most of the recording studios and distribution of music in the 60s were in NYC. The chachacha, mainly interpreted by charanga bands in the 50s, gave way to rock 'n' roll in the 60s (incidentally Fania and its distinctive sound of salsa was born in the 60s). The chachacha made a short-lived resurgence in the form of the Pachanga in the 60s but failed to take hold - hence the pachanga's association with charanga bands. Some people say it's a combination of the words Pacheco (Fania co-founder and flautist) and charanga.
Rhythmically, the congas play a pattern called "a caballo" instead of tumbao moderno. It is also slightly more up-tempo. And as a dance? Hardly any concrete evidence exists. From what I understand of the era, I would personally interpret it as a loose "non-ballroom" mambo, less high on the toes but still light on the feet, with more groove and swing (remember that the Boogaloo era was starting at this time).
I try to nail the accents on the conga in different ways because of the different tones: dry "slaps" on 1 and 3, and low round tone on 4 (excluding clave direction). From a ballroom background, I'd think of it as a cross between a mambo and a deep, groovy swing. On 1 or 2 depending on the alignment of brass with the percussion.
Fruko has some cheeky current-ish pachangas. Fania has some earlier ones.
Boogaloo
Possibly an attempt by Latin music to recapture lost ground from rock 'n' roll, also in the 60s, also mainly in NYC. Simplistically, its salsa and soul. Lyrics could be found in English, vibraphones in the melody, heavy backbeats (2 and 4) sometimes emphasised by hand claps.
Danced light, with a centre of gravity higher from the floor. Hip action is more lateral, swivelling around the vertical axis of the spine because of poorer leverage from the floor. This is closer in mode to inland Colombian styles (another dangerous generalisation). I tend to use rhythmic counterpoint, accenting beats 1 and 3 as the "call (pregon)" and letting the hand-claps in the music "respond (coro)" on 2 and 4.
Some artists (Fania): Joe Cuba, Joe Bataan. Also Sonora Carruseles, La Misma Gente.
Descarga
Lit. "Unload". A word that describes a passage of improvisation by musicians. A solid music/rhythmic framework is established with instrument vamps over percussion. (Usually) single instruments improvise freely and in turn over the course of a descarga. It can form part of, or be the length of a whole song.
You'd probably encounter it in the form of mambo, son, salsa.
Historically, dancers would improvise most at this stage, and the musician-dancer interaction would be at its peak. This phenomenon is diminishing because of a decline in live music. I personally think it's a great skill to have.
Cachao and his descarga sessions are highly recommended listening for students of AfroCuban music. My favourite is "Descarga de la Luz" by Orquesta de la Luz (Please don't shoot me, I'm only the bass player).
Hope this helps,
Loo
(well, I will have to, but later, when I have more specific questions)