A treasure trove of information, its 5300 entries document the history and evolution of numerous lesser-known regional styles such as Colombian champeta, Puerto Rican bomba y plena and Dominican bachata along with their better-known transnational counterparts, mambo, salsa and merengue. Of particular note is Baila!’s in-depth coverage of U.S.-based Latin music scenes in New York, Miami, Los Angeles and San Francisco, as well as those based in Australia, Canada, France and Germany. Valuable information may also be found on the various types of instruments used in Latin music ensembles, along with the many instructional works available on their history and performance practice.

These historical materials are complemented by a major biographical section offering material on the lives and careers of more than 1100 individual artists, dancers and others whose work has helped shape the trajectory of the music from Cubop of the 1940s to mambo and cha-cha-cha of the 1950s, pachanga and boogaloo/Latin soul of the 1960s, salsa and charanga of the 1970s, and Latin jazz of the 1980s and beyond.

Citations range in date from 1930 to 2011 and encompass materials in all major European languages, with an emphasis on English, Spanish and French.

The work concludes with an extensive reference section offering lists of Sources Consulted, a guide to relevant Libraries and Archives, two appendices listing artists and individuals by idiom/occupation and country, and separate Author and Subject indexes.