International Salsa Magazine

January

The rise of Latin rhythms in Madrid

Latin music has been gaining popularity for the last decade so you can notice many Latin rhythms in Madrid, and it seems that it will never stop. The reason behind this success is simple: the dance steps seem to be very easy, although they aren’t but everyone can stand up to dance. Throughout the city you can see people dancing salsa, bachata and rumba on street corners, in restaurants or at various events that take place throughout the city.

Some of the most popular styles of Latin American music include salsa, bachata, cumbia, and cha-cha-cha. But there are many more that are enjoyed by the inhabitants of the city. There are two great aspects that have achieved this love that the people of Madrid have for Latin rhythms, the great Latin parties in the best nightclubs, and learning to dance in the best academies in the city. Learn a little about both in this article.

Best Latin parties in clubs

For all the inhabitants of Madrid, there are several venues dedicated exclusively to Latin music, so it cannot be denied that the best Latin parties in Spain exist in the capital nights. Check the following list:

New One Madrid

This place located in Pueblo Nuevo offers all kinds of Latin parties full of good rhythms. Bachata, salsa or rumba One Madrid manages to please everyone in the audience, and not only with the music, the setting and even the drinks with food have their Latin touch.

Parche Disco Bar

Despite the fact that its space is not that big, it is one of the best places in the city to enjoy a Latin party, have an intimate place for friends and meet new people, as well as taste liquors brought directly from Latin America, at reasonable prices.

Azúcar Salsa Disco

Azúcar is one of the most danceable clubs in Madrid, located right in the center of the city. His forte is dancing but you can also enjoy excellent drinks to the rhythm of live music. It is more than certain that you will return to this club.

Faces Latina

With an excellent location near the Castellana and the Santiago Bernabéu, Faces Latina offers the best Latin rhythms so that Madrid continues to discover these danceable rhythms. With a pleasant atmosphere and quality service, Faces is what you need.

Latin Dance Schools in Madrid

Latin parties are very cool, but the rise of Latin rhythms in Madrid has been so great that people no longer just want to spend a night full of music, but this passion now translates to learning the dances professionally. It is not about wanting to be a professional dancer but about learning the best moves to be the king of the dance floor. Get to know in this list the best Latin Dance schools.

Salsabachata

The most unique dance school in Madrid, since its method is extremely interesting. First of all, it must be said that they play a lot of Latin rhythms and in different groups: for soon-to-be-married couples, for girls or boys, as a couple, zumba and even pole dance. But its catch is that you only pay for each class taken, plus the schedule is set by the student. It is very flexible in that aspect, and even the first class each student seeks is free.

They also offer bonus-style plans, with a number of specific classes where Salsabachata is in charge of reminding you of the classes you have pending. Another of its great characteristics is that you can go completely alone, and there they look for a partner for you, added to the fact that the group does not stop you, you level up without waiting for the others with whom you take the classes. Find more information on their website.

Studio11

For its part, Studio11 is the opposite, with classes for couples of any Latin rhythm where they are proud to say that they have the best dance professionals, for all classes. This school offers an exclusive environment with well-planned schedules.

They do not believe in “bonuses” but to achieve quality it is necessary to do our part and comply with what has been agreed. There is individualized monitoring but the classes are in pairs. They assure that in 8 weeks you can learn from 0 any Latin rhythm. At the same time, they specify that their classes last an hour and a half in order to offer the best attention. Find more about their classes on their website.

The rise of Latin rhythms in Madrid is becoming more and more established, but there is still much more to offer in this incredible city in Spain. Do not miss the other notes of International Salsa Magazine so that you know the best events in Europe.

Bella Martínez presents “Las memorias de Jimmie Morales: un conguero para la historia”

North America /  Puerto Rico

Bella Martínez “Salsa has always been important to the writer”

Bella Martínez is an author born in Puerto Rico, who defines herself as a funny but complicated person, like life itself. But she has always carried in her veins her passion for salsa, and music that makes her dance and express herself, which is not surprising as she is from this caribbean island. What was not expected of her was that she would present us with a book about the memories of a great percussionist like Jimmie Morales, who is one of her great friends.

Apparently the idea of ​​making this book belonged to Bella herself, who once told Jimmie to tell her what he considered important in his life, for her to write his memoirs. Despite Bella’s great love for salsa, it is rare to see instrumentalists being the star in productions or projects, but here the Puerto Rican author dared to tell the life and professional career of whom is considered one of the best percussionists of the genre, that has belonged to great bands and has accompanied great names.

Bella Martínez wrote a book about Jimmie Morales
Un conguero para la historia, by Bella Martínez

Just as it’s stated in the book’s sinopsis:

“When all the congueros imitated the king of heavy hands, Ray Barreto, Jimmie managed -without intending to- be the one chosen by maestro Willie Rosario to accompany the afinque that Rosario had already established with the conga … Jimmie paid the luck that accompanied him at that crucial moment with an immense dose of vocation. And that stroke of luck in the leather failed to erase the humility of his being.”

That is why this book has become of vital importance for all those followers of salsa or merengue, genres that despite their importance for Latin music no longer have so many representatives in the new generations, and are being eclipsed by the new trends in the urban genre. It is the big names who continue to leave their mark and write the history of tropical music.

Celebrating the book
Bella Martínez and Jimmie Morales

Bella Martínez: Who is Jimmie Morales?

Jimmie Morales is considered one of the most influential percussionists and conga players of the genre in the last 30 years. Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut from Puerto Rican parents, Jimmie grew up with the influence of American music but in 1967 his parents returned to the island which led Morales to encounter the popular music of the Caribbean: salsa.

It was his father who gave him the first conga drum, which fascinated him from the first moment he had it and this fascination was his impulse to pursue his studies of it. This also allowed him to learn more about Cuban, Puerto Rican and New York salsa, along with the great congueros, including what would be his favorite: Ray Barreto. At the time he began to participate in bands on the island and accompanied Tito Allen.

Jimmie Morales performing
Decades of successes that you need to know

But it was not until 1978 when his great moment arrived, when he was part of the band of the renowned Willie Rosario, in which he was for 8 years and that formed him in the professional part of music, not only with conga but in the production and recording of the different projects. This band led him to build a solid career as a studio musician, participating in the productions of artists such as: Oscar D’León, Lalo Rodríguez, Eddie Santiago and Frankie Ruiz.

In 1986 he decided to follow the young Gilberto Santa Rosa, whom he met in Willie’s band, and who would become one of the most prolific salsa soloists of the last 25 years. This stage was the launch of a successful career that would lead him to perform on different continents and share the stage with artists such as: Willie Colón, Ismael Miranda, Tito Nieves, Juan Luis Guerra, Grupo Niche and Jerry Rivera. If you want to know more about Jimmie, just open the book “Las memorias de Jimmie Morales: un conguero para la historia” and look at his anecdotes.

 

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“Vuelve conmigo” the new song by Enyel CO

Enyel Co

Salsa is a genre that never goes out of style, especially in Latin America, where new songs salsa songs are coming out constantly and they hit the radios of a lot of countries, and although there are many established artists in the salsa genre, there are others, that despite not having immense popularity in comparison to others, they surely emerge in a promising way, showing that their valuable potential is worth paying attention to; this is the case of Enyel Co.

Enyel Co is a Dominican singer whose musical career is starting, although, it is worth mentioning that in the year 2000 he was part of a Puerto Rican salsa group called “selección perfecta” (Perfect Selection), this while he was in the state of Massachusetts in the United States. It is pretty clear that his taste for the salsa genre gradually led him to start thinking about creating his own music. Although he has a lot of experience in multiple musical genres, Enyel Co has currently decided to lean towards salsa, the genre with which he is surely most familiar.

‘Vuelve conmigo’ (come back with me)

Despite the fact that the base on which the salsa songs are created is similar, the trends tend to constantly vary over time, this is what makes new artists with different rhythms emerge, always trying to adapt to the times, so that they can please the audience. This is the case of the new song by Enyel Co: Come back with me, a song where he shows the talent that he owns.

The song is under the label of “tumbao media productions”. The influence that the great salsa masters had on Enyel is evident, listening to the sound of vuelve conmigo is enough to realize it. On the other hand, as the title suggests, the song lyrics are about missing a person and wanting her to come back after being away from him. It could be considered a romantic song.

Vuelve conmigo
Vuelve conmigo by Enyel Co.

Although the artist has performed the song years ago, it is in January 2021 that the single has been officially released. Enyel himself has published the news about it on his Facebook profile, inviting all his followers to read an article about the song releasing; this article not only talks about the song and Enyel as a musician but also ensures that the Dominican is currently working on a second single that is said to be out soon.

Enyel Co has previously played the song at some events, thus gaining valuable stage experience; plus, he has also shared the stage with other internationally recognized artists, such as the Latin Grammy nominees Chiquito Team Band, a group that for many years has gained much relevance in the salsa scene.

A lot of artists are emerging with new ideas that contribute something different to the salsa genre, so it is worth keeping an eye on these, after all, they can become important exponents of salsa in the future.

Vuelve conmigo is now available to the public, so if you want to enjoy the song you just have to do a quick YouTube research.

More information:

Facebook: @EnyelCo

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ISM wants you to know a little about the Orchestra Oeste 11

Meet the Venezuelan Orchestra Oeste 11

Did you know that tropical music arises from the region surrounding the Caribbean Sea and the Antillean region of the American continent (Antigua and Barbuda Bahamas Barbados Cuba Dominica Grenada Haiti Jamaica Dominican Republic Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Saint Lucia Trinidad and Tobago) where, there is a mixture of rhythms from the African continent, fused with the folklore and rhythms of the different American countries such as merengue, bachata, salsa, reggaeton, samba, rumba, ranchera, bolero, bossa nova, cumbia, tango, tambourine, fado, milonga, latin rock.

In this edition we can say that many of music and dance lovers tend to choose Salsa and / or Tropical Music, since they are musical genres that people enjoy as a couple or in a group, whether at an event, party or festival, giving it essence, life and sharing among all the members, for that reason there are many singers and members of orchestras who specialize in these genres, today we have as a special guest the Orchestra Oeste 11 of Caracas, Venezuela.

It was made up of young musicians belonging to the Venezuelan Orchestral Movement, among them the Venezuelan percussionist Alejandro Alfonzo, who baptized it in 2007 with the name of ” Orchestra Oeste 11 ” for all the musical experiences they shared since childhood, because most of their members were formed together in said parish.

It is currently composed of 13 musicians, who specialize in the musical genre “Salsa”, giving life to 2 discographies, the first entitled “AL NATURAL” that came out in 2015, consists of 8 unreleased songs and a cover.

“With its themes I lie, Al natural, I forgot about you, Forget you, Medicine, You made fun of Me, I have decided to forget you, My sweet friend and Dancing”

Orchestra Oeste 11 on stage

Orchestra Oeste 11 (Venezuelan) on stage

And for month of May  2019 their second discography “Amor y gusto” will be available, which will be composed of 11 unreleased songs, and to give a preview of the new album they already presented us this March 31 their first single (theme), entitled ” I want you to feel Mine ”, which is accompanied by a music video that you can enjoy on its YouTube page https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpleKvxCg9Y.

And over the years they had the opportunity to share on the stage with various well-known artists and / or groups, such as the Latin Dimension, Rafael el Pollo Brito, Proyecto A, Los Saélites, Magia Caribeña, Grupo Mango, and other national artists. of different musical genres.

Among their achievements, they mention that in the National Festival of Salsa Orchestras Say no to the Payola of PDVSA La Estancia were the winners in 2014, they were also selected to honor Sonora Ponceña for their 60 years of artistic career and they were in the Festival Sounds Caracas.

If you want to listen to their discographies “Al Natural” and “I want you to feel mine”, they are available worldwide on the platforms Amazon, Itunes, Spotify, Tidal, Google Music, among others.

For more information the Orchestra Oeste 11 :

 

Paquito Guzmán and Daniel Peña working together

North America / United Stated

Paquito Guzmán and Daniel Peña and The new version of “Quizás, quizás, quizás”

This 2021 promises to be a good year, after a very complicated 2020, the good news in the first month of this new year is being present, and the announcement of a new version of ” Quizás, quizás, quizás” is proof of it.

The new version of the memorable song is presented by Daniel Peña, on this occasion, the talented Dominican producer and musician has collaborated with none other than Paquito Guzmán, who has lent his voice to interpret the song.

A new version of a well-known song

Quizás, quizás, quizás has been performed by many artists over the years since the Cuban composer Osvaldo Farrés created the song in 1947, therefore, there are many versions or remastering of the song, however, the theme’s transcendence is so huge that even today the fact that new and recognized artists create a new version of it continues to attract attention, this article is proof of that.

The fact that there are so many and so varied versions of the song also makes it difficult to create something that feels fresh, that is where Daniel Peña ‘s talent and Paquito Guzmán ‘s great voice come together to make it possible.

Paquito Guzmán and Daniel Peña in a studio
Paquito Guzmán and Daniel Peña recording together.

Paquito Guzmán

Frank Guzmán Géigel, better known as Paquito Guzmán does not need an introduction, he is one of the greatest exponents of romantic salsa worldwide, all the genre’s lovers recognize his unmistakable voice, after all, if there is something sure about his extensive career, that’s the fact that it is full of success. The Puerto Rican is a veteran, he has collaborated with different renowned producers and artists, and after more than twenty albums recorded, the number of followers he has added over the years is immense, so it is not surprising that Daniel Peña thought about him to sing this new song.

“I thank Daniel for thinking of me for this song, which has been the most recent recording that I could do before going through this whole process that I have been fighting with,” said Paquito Guzmán, who has been battling cancer for some time.

Daniel Peña

Daniel Peña is not only a great Dominican percussionist but also a phenomenal producer, proof of his talent is that he has won a Grammy, something many people can only dream of. Some refer to him as a “musical genius”, and there is no wonder, after all, he has collaborated with great artists such as Ismael Miranda or Bobby Cruz, plus, the reviews of his productions are usually positive, so the quality of the works in which he participates is secured.

“For me, it is more than a privilege and honor to be able to count on this recording with the voice, love, and friendship of this talented artist and great human being now in this version that we are launching this new year,” said Daniel Peña, referring to Paquito Guzmán, of course.

This new version of Quizás, quizás, quizás is already available and has been well received by salsa fans, just do a quick search on YouTube to enjoy the results of Daniel Peña and Paquito Guzmán ‘s work.