Adriana Saez

5 Clubs to not stop dancing Salsa even on the last day of the week

Salsa parties don’t stop in London, its fusion of Caribbean rhythms with a subtle swing and a few drops of Latin folklore make this genre one of the most contagious and fun to dance as a couple or with friends.

For that, here we make a list of the best places to dance Salsa on the last day of the week and if you do it regularly you will obtain health benefits such as muscle toning, improvement of cognitive functions (memory and coordination), the release of stress, increased self-esteem through a positive and confident attitude, in addition to improving circulation and the physical appearance of the legs. Let’s start now!

We started with Medbar in Southampton. It’s the perfect place to drink, dine, and dance, as well as being one of the hottest hotspots in the heart of Oxford Street (50 Oxford St, Southampton SO14 3DP). Every Sunday from 6 PM is about Salsa, Bachata, and Kizomba. Beginner classes start at 6 PM, and advanced level lessons start at 6:45 PM. The value of each lesson is £8.

End the week with Medbar’s famous Latin nights and take advantage of the S.B.K social parties on Sundays from 7:30 PM until 2 AM.

A totally Latin atmosphere in London is the Salsa Soho Bar, Restaurant, and Nightclub, cataloged by many as one of the most authentic Latin music venues in the United Kingdom. Here you can enjoy the free Latin warm-up with Crossbody (LA) style Salsa classes for 45 minutes from 7:15 PM and continue with Salsa and Reggaeton lessons at all levels starting at 8 PM, you can also enjoy excellent South American dishes and 50 types of cocktails in this bar open seven days a week and located at 96 Charing Cross Rd since 1997. So live the experience of visiting Salsa Soho every Sunday and enjoy the Sundays X–perience until 2 AM with DJ José Luis. Admission is £5 after 8 PM. For more information visit their website. https://www.bar-salsa.com/soho

We continue with the Off The Cuff Live Music Bar located in the heart of Herne Hill (Arch 645, 301-303 Railton Road, Herne Hill, London SE24 0JN, UK). Voted by Mr. Hide magazine as one of the top five independent music venues in London, this bar offers one-hour Salsa Sessions every Sunday of the month from 6:15 PM to 7:15 PM, and the cost of admission is £10. Get fun the Sunday afternoon in the excellent company of Salsa.

We now walk through Juju’s Bar and Stage open six days a week. This place with a wide variety of events brings Latin parties every Sunday night for seven hours with DJ Javier “La Maquina De Cuba” and the Sambroso Sambroso dance academy.

Admission is free and starts from 4 PM to 11:30 PM. Juju’s Bar and Stage  is located at Ely’s Yard, 15 Hanbury Street, London, E1 6QR.

And in November! This prestigious space will play host to the EFG London Jazz Festival, London’s largest annual event, acclaimed for showcasing talent from around the world. This year the constellation of established and emerging stars will be intoxicating starting on Sunday, November 13^th with the presentation of Cuban artist Yuri Hernández, who organically entered Latin Jazz in 2020 with the single Loco Soñador. DJ Flecha (Joel Verdecia) will also perform in this presentation. The ticket costs £8.50 and the sets will be distributed as follows 6 PM – 8 PM and 9:30 PM – 11:30 PM. Get your tickets and don’t miss out on the EFG London Jazz Festival from November 11^th to November 20^th.

We end this tour at Bar Salsa Temple. Every Sunday is Cuban hits night. Relive the Havana of Puros by the River Thames! DJs Jorge Andre & DJ JJ Latin mixes the most recognized songs of yesterday and today from Timba, Salsa Cubana, Cubatón, and Bachata. Free Beginner Salsa Classes start at 6 PM, one-hour Sensual Bachata lessons start at 7 PM (£7), and Intermediate Cuban Salsa (Salsa Rueda) instruction is at 8 PM (£7).

Bar Salsa Temple is one of the largest Latin clubs in the country and is located on the Embankment, London. Join and experience the flavor of Cuban Sundays until 2 AM.

Swing And Tradition Of A Distinguished Venezuelan Artist

Chapter I: Aquiles’ Farewell

“With all the pain in my soul, I must publicly communicate that my friend, my brother, my accomplice Aquiles Báez passed away this morning at 5 in the morning in the city of Aachen, Germany. Aquiles was in the middle of a concert tour here in Europe. He flies high gordito.” Ramón Arturo Aular (Báez’s friend, musician, and professor at the Aachen Conservatory of Music) informed the community through his Twitter account the Monday, September 12^th.

The virtuoso musician, noble guitarist, arranger, and excellent composer died of a sudden heart attack at the residence of his friend Ramón Aular. His last concert was held in the city of Cologne located in western Germany as part of his 2022 European tour, the first he did after the cessation of activities due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The noble 58-year-old artist had already performed in Spain and was preparing to present his music in some German cities such as Berlin, Tubingen, and Hamburg, before finishing his tour in France and Portugal.

“I think it is important to project the work that one has been developing in other latitudes. This is very interesting because I realize that the music I make is universal, it is not limited only to playing for the Venezuelan diaspora, which of course also provides an audience”. Báez expressed this to an international media.

During his artistic career, he recorded 17 albums and collaborated on more than 150 recordings with other artists. Báez was a professor at the Berklee College of Music (Boston, Massachusetts) and was recognized for his mastery of the guitar with “elements of mixed Caribbean and Afro-Venezuelan cultures with classical music and Jazz.” Fragment extracted from his biography.

In life, he shared stages with artists such as Paquito D´ Rivera, John Patitucci, Romero Lubambo, C4 Trío, Ilan Chester, Simón Díaz, Huáscar Barradas, Worlds of Guitars, Aquiles Machado, Serenata Guayanesa, Iván Pérez Rossi, Fareed Haque, Dawn Upshaw, Richard Bona, Luisito Quintero, Solo Razaf, Marco Pereira, Oscar Stagnaro, and Ensamble Gurrufío.

Before passed away, Aquiles Báez was preparing the publication of two studio albums and the creation of five more. He was also in charge of making the music for the Venezuelan play Mi último delirio, which premiered on September 2^nd with the lead role of his friend Héctor Manrique and with great reception from the public and specialized critics.

Chapter II: Getting to know the musicians’ Master to the rhythm of the compass

Aquiles Báez was always an irreverent musician who made the type of music that he felt. “It is important to make music from what one feels it is, from that forceful energy that is the act of creating…Lately, I have been respected. It was hard to get that position. They have not always respected me, perhaps because of my way of being, irreverent. The people who manage cultural spaces have always taken me as an anarchist… I consider myself someone accessible, the teacher thing hasn’t gotten to me, seeing everyone below me, that seems pathetic to me…” Aquiles expressed this to a Venezuelan media.

“Throughout his career, Aquiles has received various awards and recognitions. These include Pepsi music awards and the William Leavitt award given by the Berklee College of Music; In addition, he has stood out with more than a dozen awards as a composer of music for film, theater, and dance. Extracted from his biography.

In 1996, at the age of 32, Aquiles decided to move to the United States to study at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. After two semesters he dropped out, considering that he was “learning the same thing but in another language.” And that was not only his thinking, but also what he demonstrated during his stay as a student at the academic campus, so shortly after he entered the Berklee College of Music again, but this time as a professor.

On this academic campus, he gave “clinics, workshops, and seminars at different universities and musical institutions such as Indiana University, Temple University, Queen College, Krems Summer camp, Curitiba Music Office, The Jazz School in San Francisco, among others, in Europe and the United States”, according to his biography.

Shortly after, he participated as a guest musician on the albums of Panamanian artist Danilo Pérez: Central Avenue (1998) and Motherland (2000), both albums nominated for Grammys.

Aquiles Báez was a founder and member of the board of directors of Guataca productions. In this space, they continue to support emerging Venezuelan artists. Báez’s methodology for finding new talent was to research, listen to them live and contact them. “Why not support those guys who come after you? Why not make life more pleasant for them? Or a lighter path than one had. This road is not easy at all, it has been very hard, and it continues to be hard. And one continues and believes that he has acquired a certain reputation…” Báez expressed this in an interview conducted by a Venezuelan media outlet.

Chapter III: Anecdotes of a famous life

Countless artists expressed their affection and grief for Aquiles’ departure, expressing testimonies of a life full of joy, love, and passion for musical colors.

“One of the artists who has inspired me the most and a great human being. He made it possible for us to make our first album, the tour of the United States and opened the doors of his home for us. We made a lot of beautiful friends with Aquiles. D.E.P, Maestro,  compaíto Aquiles Báez”. Jorge Glem (Cuatrista and member of the group C4 Trio).

“The wonderful Aquiles Báez was a musician capable of playing all Venezuelan music of all genres“. Alfredo Naranjo (Vibraphonist)

“Dismayed by the sudden death of my dear friend Aquiles Báez, one of the great musicians of our country, guitar teacher, and eternal officiant of humor and simplicity”. Leonardo Padron (Writer)

“Today we are less. I have just been informed that our admired and beloved musician and my dear friend, Aquiles Baez, has passed away. This news is heartbreaking and unfair. Aquiles is one of the most creative and generous people I have ever met”. Héctor Manrique (Director and theater actor)

“Thank you for being an inspiration in music and a big brother in life. Without your unconditional support, I would not have even reached the corner”. Álvaro Paiva Bimbo (Guitarist and 2022 Oscar nominee for the soundtrack of the Disney movie “Encanto”)

“How can we forget this great friend and fellow adventurer”. Claudio Nazoa (Comedian)

“I was left with the desire to carry out the project we had to record an album together. What profound sadness!” Miguel Delgado Estévez (Musician, arranger, and producer)

Finally, the Venezuelan percussionist Omar Ledezma Jr. expressed his sorrow for the death of Báez.

LENTEJAS. That’s what the gordo called me. 7 years of my life I played and toured the world with Aquiles Báez. We met at one of his concerts at the Bellas Artes thanks to my dear Carlos Reyes, another great guitarist from our country, at the time I worked at the MACCSI. Years later, arriving in Boston, he called me to be in his group and I couldn’t believe it. The gordo was my musical hero thanks to his Platabanda and the number of times I saw him accompanying great singers. He was the one who told me to grab El Cajón and start putting in the merengue and the gaitas. I knew his bad jokes by heart: “Vamos a tocar la canción de DC: Di si encontraste…”, with him, I learned to be a person first, then a musician, I learned not to make ugly faces if I made a mistake, with him, I had to press on reading, to be punctual, to put my batteries.

Anyway… with the gordo I learned to be a professional musician, because with his virtues and defects, for me, he was the best.

I love you my gordo, wherever you are. Thanks. #aquilesbaez”.

You can continue reading the article about Omar Ledezma Jr. From The Venezuelan Melody To The Caribbean Rhythm.

Here is a small excerpt from this interview of 2021:

Years later, and with experience acquired in presentations, and groups, Omar Jr. met his first mentor, Aquiles Baez, a famous Venezuelan artist, guitar virtuoso. Together with Aquiles, he made his first international tour of the United States. “With Aquiles, I had the pleasure of playing Venezuelan music. We play with many artists in the United States… Thanks to him I developed percussion (Non-autochthonous element) in Venezuelan music”. Ledezma Jr. commented.

The Most Acclaimed Latin Saxophonist On The International Jazz Scene

Melissa Aldana is a Chilean saxophonist and composer nominated for the Grammy Awards (2020) for her skills with this wind instrument, she has six studio albums, and her fame has spread to all Jazz circuits around the world.

Aldana with his quartet will headline the Wellington Jazz Festival 2022 to present to the fans the debut album with the company Blue Note Records titled 12 Stars, and you cannot miss the opportunity to experience this exceptional live performance with flowing harmonic notes seasoned with feeling in the Wellington Opera House (111 – 113 Manners Street, Wellington, New Zealand) on Sunday, October 23^rd from 7PM to 8:30PM, and the ticket price is $69.

The Wellington Jazz Festival is an entry point into the Jazz music calendar for fans and the curious. This event will offer more than 100 magical concerts in bars, restaurants, and live music venues in the capital. This year the splendid festival will take place in mid-spring in Aotearoa (New Zealand’s Maori name), featuring some of the best international Grammy Award-winning and nominated artists, as well as renowned talent from this Oceanian country and the world.

On the other hand, Melissa Aldana was the first South American woman and instrumentalist to win the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Contest (Washington -USA) in 2013. This artist born in Santiago de Chile in 1988 is a graduate of the prestigious Berklee College of Music with a full music scholarship in 2009, moreover, she also comes from a musical family where her father and paternal grandfather played this instrument.

The discography of this tenor saxophonist goes back 12 years when, at only 22 years old, she came out on the music market with her debut album Free Fall (2010). It is followed by Second Cycle in 2012, Melissa Aldana & Crash Trio (2014), and Back Home in 2016. Her fifth studio album was Visions (2019), an album that earned her first Grammy nomination for Best Solo by Improvised Jazz in recognition of her impressive tenor solo on her composition Elsewhere.

Most recently her record production is 12 Stars, an anecdotal album that she wrote during the Covid-19 pandemic and the product of the struggles she went through due to the breakup of a long relationship. “This is a very important album for me. I felt like I had a lot to say because of all the experiences I had during 2020. After the personal process that I went through, I feel more connected to myself and my imperfections… Embrace everything I hear, everything I touch, including mistakes, is more significant than perfection”. Aldana exposed in her biography

12 Stars was recorded under the Blue Note label and released on the music market on March 4^th. “I feel super privileged, but I had a feeling that this had to happen at some point. I’ve been very consistent with my band and my projects for a long time. I am very motivated for what comes next”. Aldana expressed to an international digital medium.

Melissa will end her presentations in Europe this year with a tour during November that will take her to the capital of Spain on Friday, November 11^th (Teatro Fernán Gómez) and on Saturday 12^th, she will be in Badajoz (Teatro López De Ayala). While on Monday, November 14^th, she will perform at the Zig Zag Jazz Club (Berlin-Germany), and on Wednesday, November 16^th, she will have the same but this time at the Porgy & Bess in Vienna, Austria.

The Padova Jazz Club (Padua- Italy) will be handed over to Melissa Aldana on Friday, November 18^th, and a day later she will do so at the Teatro Lauro Rossi in Macerata, Italy.

Alexander Abreu & Havana D’ Primera will begin their concert tour in Serbia celebrating their 15-year artistic career

Alexander Abreu & Havana D’ Primera will visit Europe in September with their 2022 tour to celebrate their 15-year career with love and music, starting on Saturday, September 3rd in Belgrade (Serbia), and two days later they will step on the Bulgarian salsa stage (Monday, September 5th).

Subsequently, they will sing their repertoire in Spain (Seville, Madrid, Bilbao, and Barcelona) on September 8^th, 9^th, 23^rd, and 30^th, and will continue in France with two concerts: on Sunday 11^th, they will be on stage on the Cabaret Sauvage (Paris), while the Sunday, September 25^th, they will do so in the Patio de Camargue (Árles). In the same way, their tour of Germany (Hamburg) continues on Thursday, September 15^th, and the 16^th of this month, they will be in Finland, specifically in the capital city Helsinki.

The 2022 Tour continues in Italy (Florence and Naples) on September 17^th and 21^st. The latter will be in the Sweet Life concert hall located in the Somma Vesuviana municipality of the Neapolitan city.

On Thursday the 22^nd, they will do the same at the Cuban Latin Festival in the Netherlands (Amsterdam) and will end their 2022 Tour 400 miles from Europe in Tunisia in the Yasmine Hammamet neighborhood located in the north of the African continent on Saturday, October 1^st.

Alexander Abreu spent his childhood in the city of Cienfuegos (Cuba) where he began playing the trumpet at the age of ten and has currently become one of the most versatile and acclaimed Cuban musicians of Afro-Cuban music. “I have always seen Havana D’Primera with 15 people on stage and everyone said that it was impossible, that it would be too expensive, too difficult to move… This is how we started: 14 or 15 of us and a lot of positive energy, now we are stronger than ever.” Abreu commente.

Havana D’ Primera (HDP) is a Cuban timba band founded by Alexander Abreu in 2007 and made up of 17 of the best Cuban musicians. The orchestra is led by the main composer Abreu, who has stood out for his melodic voice and ability to fuse genres through Salsa such as Jazz, Funk, and other Afro-Cuban rhythms.

“Since its inception, the band has released five studio albums and one live album. The debut album release was Making History with EGREM in 2009 and their first release for the Páfata Productions record label. 2012’s Pasaporte received favorable reviews from the international press and was voted one of the best Latin alternative albums of that year.

Since then, they have followed the success of “Pasaporte” with four more albums, released through Páfata Productions and the last one in co-production with the Cuban Producciones Abdala.

HDP released “La Vuelta al Mundo” in 2015 and “Haciendo Historia LIVE” arrived in 2016. “Cantor del Pueblo” in early 2018, earning the band a Latin Grammy nomination for Best Salsa album. We cannot forget “A Romper el Coco” with the participation of Mayito Rivera released in 2019, and the single Quiero Verte Otra Vez (2020) which won the Special Prize at the 2020 Lucas Awards gala and was also cataloged by the French newspaper “Le Monde” as one of the favorite songs of Latin music.

Finally, in 2021 the album “Será Que Se Acabó” was released, as a tribute to Cuban popular music of the 80s and 90s. Discography extracted from the Biography of Havana D’ Primera.

You can read: Where to go dancing Salsa in Paris?