The  Corner


My favorite Cuban music sites


Sites listing who is playing around town in Havana and elsewhere in Cuba


Keeping up with the latest in Cuban music


Michelle White's collection of Timba videos


Some of my Favorite Cuban Salsa CDs

Salsa, Timba, Son:

Hard-core Timba:

Extensive List of Favorite Songs


A few notes about terms used to describe music and dance in Cuba

In Cuba, "Salsa" is the music, and "Casino" is what you dance to it. In Cuba, you don't dance "Salsa", you dance "Casino."

In the "¡Salsa a la Cubana!" videos series, the Demostrational video and Instructional videos #1, #2, #3, #4 are all about dancing "Casino." Only the second half of the Instructional Video #5 is about "Rueda de Casino."

"Casino" specifically refers to the style of turn patterns, and leading & following techniques used in partner dancing, but does not refer to the body movement itself.

"Despolote" and "Tembleque" are terms used to refer to how Cubans will shake their body during certain portions of the music.

Actually in Cuba, the musical genre "Salsa" officially does not exist, but is used quite often these days as an umbrella term for many genres of music. (They also often use this term when refering to salsa music produced from outside the island (from New York, Puerto Rico, Colombia, etc.)) In Cuba, there is "Son" music, Changüi (and many others), and the very popular "Timba" music, all of which fall under the umbrella term, "Salsa." "Timba" is a relatively new style of music (15 years or so), and basically is Cuba's version of modern salsa.