The Crossover

Three crossover waves: a cha-cha becomes a rock anthem, Chicano bands build a new fusion, and a salsero breaks into English-language pop.

Crossover did not happen once. In 1962 Tito Puente recorded 'Oye Cómo Va' as a New York cha-cha-chá; Santana's 1970 cover carried the same composition into rock. At almost the same moment, El Chicano and other Mexican-American bands were building a broader Latin-rock language from Afro-Cuban rhythm, jazz, funk and soul. Then in 1999 Marc Anthony crossed in another direction, moving from Spanish-language salsa into English-language pop. Follow three different ways this music travelled beyond its first audience: a song was reinterpreted, a new fusion scene took shape, and a salsero changed markets without leaving his musical identity behind.

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