Latin Music Wakes Up the Dead Rhythm, Survival, and the Voices That Refused to Stay Quiet
By Justin Z. MartinezRhythm, Survival, and the Voices That Refused to Stay QuietAbout this book
Summary
This book explores how Latin music became more than entertainment—how it functioned as survival technology in communities shaped by migration, inequality, joy, and loss. Through stories of midnight ballrooms, recording studios, and stages both full and empty, Justin Z. Martinez traces how rhythm replaced language, how music built trust where institutions failed, and how voices from the street reshaped global culture. At the center is a clear-eyed look at brilliance and cost: the rise of ethical experiments like Fania Records, the making of legends, and the quiet damage of fame without protection. The book honors artists not as myths, but as human beings—brilliant, vulnerable, and mortal—while showing why the music outlived them. Part oral history, part philosophy of rhythm, and part elegy, Latin Music Wakes Up the Dead argues that the music survived because it was never just sound. It was memory, coordination, and proof of life—carried forward every time bodies move together in time.Book information
Genre
History
Length
1 hr 2 mins
Publish date
Dec 28, 2025
Language
English
About the Author
Justin Z. Martinez
Table of Contents
1Dedication
11Chapter 10
2Chapter 1
12Chapter 11
3Chapter 2
13Chapter 12
4Chapter 3
14Chapter 13
5Chapter 4
15Chapter 14
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