Clave and Surf

Nope, not a new seafood dish. :-) Gary and I finally found something to dance the clave to that we both really love...surf music! We've been having some trouble with this dance...we know the clave pretty good, but not good enough to dance it to the rocket fast salsa songs played at Latin clubs. And besides, we like to dance the clave to a more romantic, dreamy Latin sound...which we found in surf music.

You might be thinking surf? And Latin dances? Really? It does seem weird at first. But I've always heard a whiff of the Latin in surf tunes; even the Beach Boys have it if you listen closely. Then I discovered the king of surf, Dick Dale, had an Uncle who introduced him to Latin and middle eastern music.

So there you are. Latin infuences. Even in the Beach Boys. However, although I do love the Boys (you can't be sad listening to their music), I prefer my surf with a bit more of that exotic flavor. There are many good surf bands out there, my favorite one is the Aqua Velvets. The clave (along with the rumba and tango and I'm sure many others) fit this music perfectly.

Listen to the video below. You can almost hear the palms swaying on some distant shore. I imagine myself dancing with Gary in a Moroccan nightclub at the edge of the sea bathed in moonlight...