North America

The Art of Listening: A Beginner’s Guide for the Conscious Music Lover

How to Go Beyond the Surface and Discover the True Depth of Music.

Embarking on the journey of dedicated music appreciation requires stripping away passive habits and superficial routines. The first step is breaking free from the pattern of the casual listener who consumes music out of habit or social imitation.

Becoming a true music lover demands transforming accidental listening into an act of conscious, critical, and passionate exploration.

DJ Augusto Felibertt: Embarking on a journey into music appreciation requires shedding inertia and superficial habits.

Context and Era: The Historical Framework of the Work

To fully grasp an album or a single track, it is essential to ground yourself in the historical and social environment in which it was conceived.

Always ask yourself: When was this recorded? What political, social, or cultural events shaped it? Which aesthetic movements defined that moment? Music never emerges in a vacuum; it is the living reflection of a specific time and place.

DJ Augusto Felibertt: The first step is to break the pattern of the passive listener who simply consumes out of inertia or imitation.

The Credits: The Architecture Behind the Artist

A common rookie mistake is focusing entirely on the lead vocalist, bandleader, or prominent name on the album cover.

A record production is a collective effort. Take the time to examine the liner notes in detail: identify the session musicians, producers, arrangers, sound engineers, graphic designers, record labels, and countries of release. Learning to read the credits will reveal the invisible network of talent behind that distinct sound.

Language, Jargon, and Cultural Roots

Study the genre-specific jargon and regional idioms of each era. In genres like Caribbean music or jazz, for example, diving into street slang and local vernacular is vital.

Understanding this linguistic landscape allows you to decipher the narrative context, the cultural mindset behind the compositions, and the true impact of the lyrics with greater fidelity.

How to go beyond the surface and discover the true depth of music

The Creative Trinity: Lyrics, Composition, and Arrangement

Look deeper into the intellectual ownership of every piece. Research who wrote the lyrics, who composed the melody, and who crafted the arrangements. A single song can undergo a radical transformation depending on the arranger’s vision or the original composer’s sensibility. Avoid defining a track strictly by its frontperson; explore everything orbiting around it.

Key Tip: Don’t just listen. Research, contextualize, and listen again. True musical appreciation is born within this continuous exercise.

By interconnecting musicians, recordings, eras, record labels, and geographies, you will begin weaving a mental map of complex musical relationships. With practice, you will sharpen your ear and cultivate your own rigorous, passionate aesthetic judgment.

Essential Decalogue for the Initiated Music Lover

Listen before judging: Take the time to process a work fully before forming quick opinions.
Move beyond genre labels: Categories are often commercial tools; genuine creativity knows no boundaries.
Explore the liner notes: Acknowledge the sonic architects working behind the scenes.
Question what you read: Fact-check information and cross-reference official biographies, reviews, and historical accounts.
Appreciate complete albums: Respect the record as the complete, conceptual journey the artist intended.
Trace the roots: Investigate the primary origins and influences that shaped your favorite styles.
Quality over quantity: Amassing thousands of audio files is not the same as cultivating musical culture or critical judgment.
Compare versions: Analyze different interpretations, arrangements, or covers of the same composition.
Expand your timeline: Seamlessly transition between historical recordings and contemporary releases.
Enjoy the journey: Being a music lover is an intimate passion of constant discovery, not a competition.
The tribute that DJ Augusto Felibertt pays to Eddie Palmieri

Also Read: Louie Ramírez: “The Quincy Jones of Salsa” and His Progressive Talent A Hidden Genius of the Fania All Stars

By: Dj. Augusto Felibertt

Buena Vista Social Club The Musical is making it on Broadway

Buena Vista Social Club The Musical is a new Broadway musical entirely inspired by real facts that form part of the history of the iconic musical group Buena Vista Social Club, which took the world by storm in the 1990s.

It was inevitable that the ambition of this important chapter of Latin music would result in a tribute that introduces new generations to what this cultural phenomenon represented to so many around the world at the time. This is how was born the idea to create Buena Vista Social Club The Musical, a show that arrives on the stages to represent the events that led to the creation of one of the most iconic orchestras in Cuba and the rest of the continent.

Buena Vista Social Club The Musical's performances — One of the Buena Vista Social Club The Musical’s performances

How Buena Vista Social Club The Musical Begins

This whole story began in 1996 with a recording made at EGREM studios in Havana, Cuba. Such material would end up becoming a global hit, which also resulted in an Oscar-nominated documentary and the rebirth of prominent names in Cuban music who, because of the lapse of time, had been forgotten.

Now, decades later, all those memories evoked by Buena Vista Social Club have finally found a way to return to life through the Cuban-American writer and playwright Marco Ramírez, who based his work on a dual-timeline structure that connects youth, adulthood and old age in the characters.

This project is the product of a desire to translate the spirit of the album created in 1997 to New York’s theatrical language. After hard work by the entire team involved, the play had its world premiere at the Atlantic Theater Company in 2023. At the time, the sale of tickets was extremely successful, and specialized critics praised the blend of live music, storytelling, and Afro-Cuban dance.

After having achieved numerous nominations and theater awards, the production started to make its way to Broadway, consolidating itself as one of the most ambitious Latin shows in New York.

Mel Semé as Ibrahim Ferrer and Natalie Venetia Belcon as Omara Portuondo — Mel Semé as Ibrahim Ferrer (adult version) and Natalie Venetia Belcon as Omara Portuondo (Adult version)

Narrative Structure of the Musical

‘‘Buena Vista Social Club The Musical’’ is set in Havana in the 1950s and Havana in 1996. In the 1950s, the Cuban capital was enjoying its golden era of orchestras, nightclubs, and radio stations prior to Castro’s rise to power. In this period of time, the show includes topics such as youth, love, racism, and cabaret music.

1996 comes next with several veteran musicians who gather in a recording studio in Havana. There, the musical explores themes of forgiveness, reunion, nostalgia, redemption, and the immortality of art.

The story is largely based on the experiences of key figures such as Omara Portuondo, Compay Segundo, Ibrahim Ferrer, Eliades Ochoa, and Rubén González. These experiences were deeply tied to the political and cultural in Cuba underwent through the 1990s.

Repertoire Used in the Musical

One of the most important elements of the musical is its exquisite soundtrack, which accompanies the characters’ most significant moments. Among them is “Chan Chan,” performed by Compay Segundo. This son cubano song serves as the common thread for most of the story, evoking both the land and a journey simultaneously.

Ashley De La Rosa as Omara Portuondo (youth version)

In the case of “Dos Gardenias” by Isolina Carrillo, it was originally a song to tenderness and hope inspired by a student of the pianist who gave her two gardenias as a thank you. In the show, it serves as background music to portray the melancholy of Ibrahim Ferrer’s brilliant performance.

“Veinte Años” by Omara Portuondo reflects the sadness of heartbreak, the nostalgia of fading affection, and the non-existent possibility to revive a past that is left behind forever. Lyrics more than fitting to reflect on the elapsed time and missed opportunities.

For those who want to dance and enjoy, songs such as “Candela” and “El Carretero” let the energy, dance, and percussion take the spotlight on stage.

Recent Changes

Last month, it was reported that American actress with Cuban roots Gina Torres will give life to Omara Portuondo from October 13 to November 29, 2026. The character’s original actress and Tony Award winner, Natalie Venetia Belcon, will be absent during this period due to her participation in the revival of ‘‘In The Heights’’.

For The artist, who is also widely known for her roles in Firefly and Suits, this project has a lot of meaning due to her parents’ origin. Torres noted that the character of Omara Portuondo and the repertoire she will perform represent a direct connection to her roots, her childhood, and the conception of home he learned as a girl.

It is important to mention that the actress not only gives a tremendous display of talent in television drama, but also possesses classical vocal training. She graduated from the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts and made her debut in the early 1990s.

With this incorporation, the team involved in Buena Vista Social Club The Musical aims to bring interpretive strength, elegance, stage presence, and dramatic depth to her role as Omara Portuondo.

Gina Torres will play Omara Portuondo in October — Gina Torres will play Omara Portuondo (adult version) in October

Horacio Hinojosa and Bulbo Houston are here in International Salsa Magazine

Mexican guitarist and vocalist Horacio Hinojosa joins this 190th edition to talk about the most important details of his career and the group he currently leads, Bulbo Houston.

The artista originating from Tampico, Tamaulipas, gave us nearly half an hour of his time to talk about his musical beginnings as a teenager up to this day. It is a very interesting overview of his personal and professional life, which we are thankful to know here exclusively for International Salsa Magazine.

Horacio from Bulbo posing — Vocalist and guitarist Horacio Hinojosa posing for the camera. Photo taken by Monica Navarro

How Horacio got into music

At the age of 14 or 15 Horacio began to have a curiosity about music, and his greatest inspiration was his own father, who worked as a professional musician. Therefore, he always saw musicians at home rehearsing and playing, which constantly caught his attention. Instead of going to hardware stores like many other fathers, his went to guitar and piano shops and, of course, took him with him.

Additionally, school festivals, where volunteers were always needed to play instruments, provided an opportune time to start exploring his passion. The first instrument to interest him was the guitar, which he loved right from the start, leading him to ask his dad to teach him the basics.

Years later, he began to sing, but he could not become a vocalist until he turned 20. That was when he finally got the opportunity to be the lead singer in a band.

Academic training

He studied at the Music School of the Universidad Autónoma de Tamaulipas, and while he did not complete his degree, the formal training he received was immensely helpful later on.

Besides music, he has no other profession, as he has dedicated his entire life to it and remains so to this day.

Horacio Hinojosa and Bulbo — Horacio Hinojosa and the rest of Bulbo

Professional Beginnings

It was precisely there, in his hometown that he began his professional career, performing at weddings, restaurants, bars, and other venues since he was a minor. He played with many orchestras in Tampico, being the most important the group D´TNT, later called Bulbo. In this orchestra, he performed on major stages throughout Mexico, met people and visited places he had never imagined.

Move to the United States

In 2003 or 2004, Horacio was invited to serve as an acoustic consultant by a group of entrepreneurs who launched live music and entertainment businesses in the United States.

He had conquered many scanarios in his home country and was doing pretty well in work volume, but there came a point when the situation of violence generated by organized crime groups in his native Tampico and Monterrey severely complicated his job, since most of his concerts were at night.

With so many limitations to work and two young children, Horacio made the painful decision to accept the offer to move permanently to the United States, and never came back. Fortunately, the career he built with Bulbo in Mexico and all the original music he created with the group was very useful to get his work permit at the time.

Bulbo in Houston

From the original trio, only Horacio is left. Upon arrival, the artist had no choice but to play covers in local bars. Eventually, many of these establishments were closed due to the bad economy between 2010 and 2012. However, good comes out of all bad, and Horacio proved was an example of that.

Several guests that patronized the venues where he played began to hire him for their own weddings and family events under the Brand name of Bulbo. This forced him to leave his comfort zone and learn what audiences of all nationalities wanted, as he was well accustomed to the Mexican audience.

By having a diverse audience, he felt compelled to learn to play and sing different styles of music. Thus, today he covers the city’s most popular hits, but also has recorded original music to be released at the right time.

Vida Salsera The Salsa’s Website

North America / USA /  California

Salsa dancing & live music events calendar for the Southern California area

Vida Salsera - salsa — Vida Salsera – salsa

In this edition we recommend the website VIDA SALSERA, created in November 2005 for popular dissemination. Here you will find all the information you require about the Salsera Life in Los Angeles including: special events, concert and live music performances. It’s very simple and easy to read site, and we teach fundamental you how to get the most out of all this information.

Vida Salsera is divided into several sections and categories:

Section: Live Salsa Dancing Events Calendar

If you want to go to a concert or Touch of an artist, this is your section search. It is in the home and tells you about the most important events of Salsa of the current month and next months in the Los Angeles area. Information tells you the exact date, description of the event, place, and last but not least, you can also get the ticket by clicking on the event image, where you will get buy your ticket directly.

Purchase tickets through VidaSalsera.com

Section: Salsa Clubs

Interested go dancing and don’t know where, then this is your ideal section. According to the days of the week to present a performance of Salsa or open have the dance floor with this musical genre, you will find it here. Clubs are organized depending on the week: from Mondays to Sundays and contain the addresses, schedules and website of the respective clubs.

Category: Pictures & News

If you missed any performance or concerts of Salsa you wanted to attend, in this category you will find the reviews of these events with many details and images for the next time and know that not to be missed. Ah! And also in this category you have items of upcoming events.

Latin Salsa Festival Debuts In Downtown Los Angeles Successfully

Dena Burroughs | July 12, 2016

– Text and pictures courtesy of Ricky Ricardo -The inaugural Latin Salsa Festival took over Pershing Square in Downtown Los Angeles, Saturday, July 9, and Sunday,

Vidasalsera.com

Category : New Music

With the promotions of new singles and albums of this tropical music you stumble across in this category, although they are very few.

Eddie Palmieri to launch two new singles Via CD Baby

Dena Burroughs | September 18, 2015

Ten time Grammy winner Eddie Palmieri, one of the most renowned Latin pianists, composers, and arrangers, is launching two new singles via CD Baby this Sep. 25, 2015.

Category: Book Review

Here, this website recommends 4 books to read different literary genres. As in the CATEGORY: FILM REVIEW in which only recommend 1 film. In these 2 categories won’t find almost nothing concerning the Salsa.

Reseña de libro “La Gran Cueva” por Elvis Valle

Review of the book "La Gran Cueva" by Elvis Valle — Review of the book “La Gran Cueva” by Elvis Valle

Dena Burroughs Octuber 23, 2014

La Gran Cueva, escrito por el salvadoreño Elvis Valle, cuenta la historia de Freddy, un joven que tuvo que dejar su país (El Salvador) huyendo de la guerra.

So you know, not forget to visit the website Vida Salsera first if you plan to go to dance Salsa in Los Angeles. ISM recommends it!

www.vidasalsera.com

Néstor Bonfiglio: “My passion is the Salsa”

North America / USA /

Néstor Bonfiglio - Photo 1 — Néstor Bonfiglio – Photo 1

Argentinian of birth and Salsero of profession, Néstor Bonfiglio has been dedicated to cultivating Salsa dancing by teaching students at the school of the Tango Fundation in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

For 14 years, this professional dancer was fascinated by the tropical rhythm, “When I was a child, I always love dancing a lot, by chance I heard when giving salsa lessons at the gym Old Voice Club and there I was hooked.”

In 1998, the Brazilian instructor was his first mentor, “many things that I know today about the Salsa are for him”, said. This passionate dancer continued to rise in his musical studies. In 2000, he already practiced twice a week at Azucar Abasto.

“It was a good school, although the best was the dance floor”.

Néstor lived 6 years in Spain and never left the Salsa. He attended from Tuesday to Thursday, although it was a few times to Glamour and El Caiman, moreover of the other sites of entertaining. Dancing Salsa for him was a Hobby, so much so that the proposals had to teach rejected them not to lose his “amateur” part so he be able to dance, meet people without restrictions or commitments.

Néstor Bonfiglio - Photo 2 — Néstor Bonfiglio – Photo 2

During his stay in the mother country, he met Jonny Vasquez, a great Salsero world-renowned composer, creator of the Style Los Angeles, rhythm accepted by the Salsa community.

In 2009, after his pleasant and valuable experience in Europe, Bonfiglio returned to Buenos Aires (Argentine) and immediately decided to teach to share all knowledge acquired from distant lands. He found many changes in the dance style, dress and behavior of the dancers. “Everything is different now. Before it danced stuck, along with the woman, a few twists and short distance. Now, everything has changed”.

Néstor has two years working for Argentinian Tango Fundation, he teaches two classes a week on Tuesdays and Saturdays. His mission as an Instructor is not only to teach, because his theory is based on the part of people come to learn to dance Salsa, do it to meet new people, consolidate friendships, relax and relieve stress of everyday life.

For Néstor the Salsa is: “The passion of my life, which eliminates me stress, worries, which gives me joy to meet new people every day, and for that I continue with that.”