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In the Caribbean, especially on the island of Puerto Rico, photography has a longstanding tradition.
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Dominican music, full of fusions that range from folkloric to classic, enriches the rhythms of the Caribbean and the Americas, only to end up stealing the limelight on the world stage. Its main historic milestones, its top acts and the most faithful performers fill the pages of this compilation that promises to pack a punch among experts and enthusiasts of the island nation’s music.

To a naked eye, the album this article has been named after –coming along with a couple of CDs- doesn’t give readers the true dimension and scope of the work the Cultural Center in Spain of the International Cooperation Agency, the General Authors Society (Collection LCD El Europeo) and other European and Dominican institutions and authorities are trying to portray: Dominican music construed as a cultural legacy with major contributions made by Hispanic, African and indigenous civilizations that eventually make up the national identity of the Dominican people. At the same time, the author has wanted to pay tribute to musician and songwriter Luis Diaz for his valuable and paramount contribution to the fusion of Dominican traditional music and urban beats.

A thorough skimming through the table of content reveals the presence of texts in which scholars have put words of their own: Luis Diaz, the Electronic Cimarron (Soraya Aracena); African presence in Dominican music (Josue Santana); Perspective on Dominican folkloric and popular music (Luis Diaz); Dominican traditional musicians (Soraya Aracena); The Dominican meringue: Background Notes (Soraya Aracena); The meringue and its top performers (Soraya Aracena); Musical Fusion (Jose Duluc); Musical fusions with meringue in the Dominican Republic (Crispin Fernandez), Those who make fusions (Soraya Aracena); Bachata or Amargue (Soraya Aracena); Bachata or Amargue and its forerunners (Soraya Aracena), and The photographers of the clan (Amable Lopez Melendez).

Each author tackles the topic from his or her personal perspective, the problem he or she studies, the evolution of the different trends and currents within traditional and popular music in the Dominican Republic, the most boldface names that have left their own prints in a variety of rhythms and their repercussions worldwide, as well as the influence of so many musical phenomena, that have come into being in other parts of the western hemisphere or the planet, in Dominican music, in different stages of its independence wars, people’s movements, nationalist movements and in defense of the national sovereignty.

The 134-page album is enriched by a lovely array of photographs, vast bibliography and two CDs, one containing traditional music, fusions and musical themes (sarandunga, wild Indians, ethno-fusion, pri-pri, meringue fusion and bachata), and the second one featuring an anthology with some of Luis Diaz’s greatest hits (meringues and Dominican rock). There’s no doubt that Dominican Jaleo: A Tribute to Luis Diaz is a piece for reflection and analysis, an invitation to enlightenment on Caribbean music, especially about this nation, and melodies to listen to or dance to –make your pick- but never to remain indifferent to.