And the salsa beat goes on: salsa is dead. Gone. Kaput. Forget about it. A comatose genre swallowed alive by other styles of Latin music: rock en espanol and hip-hop, reggaeton and norteno. Salsa is dead. Or is it? And the salsa beat goes on ... Genre's alleged death greatly exaggerated.

(First printed in The Chicago Tribune on December 21, 2004)

For the last few years, the alleged death of salsa has been morbidly discussed in publications across the Americas. Much like the death of rock (or jazz, or punk or reggae), the subject has become a cliche, focusing on the limited commercial success of contemporary salsa in terms of record sales and mainstream recognition.

Take a look at the vibrant salsa community that continues to flourish in the U.S. and Latin America, however, and a different picture begins to emerge.

"Those statements…