William Anthony Colón Colón Román, better known as Willie Colón, was born in New York City, United States on April 28, 1950, his passion and dedication were highlighted in the salsa genre, being a salsa musician, singer, American composer of Puerto Rican origin which gives him a special touch, since salsa is characterized by the abundant use of percussion (clave, maracas, conga, bongo, tambora, cowbell, among others). This is inherited from the African musical influence mixed with jazz, which permeated the Latin American Caribbean since the colonial times and gained high popularity in 1960 for being the novelty of the moment in the lowest and highest society, starting in New York with Dominican singer Johnny Pacheco.
In the case of Willie Colón as a musician, he has been characterized by the fusion of rhythms such as son, mambo, guaracha, cha cha cha, guajira, Colombian cumbia, rumba, Venezuelan joropo, among others; He was also known as the master trombonist, blended various Caribbean African, and urban rhythms, formed one of the most important teams of Latin music of the seventies with vocalist Hector Lavoe and is considered one of the pioneers in the development of the genuine salsa movement in the late sixties and the early seventies.
His music, which has been a great influence on modern Latin Jazz, because it reflects a traditional lyrical rhythm and generates the goodbye and the hope as he was forced to leave his country to settle in the United States, and during his musical career, he got 11 Grammy nominations and received 15 gold and 5 platinum records.
It is worth mentioning that Willie Colón is one of the few artists who have worked with several well-known artists on the international scene in his entire career, some of them are: Hector Lavoe, Ray Barretto, Bobby Valentin, Reynaldo Jorge, Celia Cruz, Tito Puente, and David Byrne.
With the arrival of the new coronavirus (COVID-19) in late 2019, the world changed drastically everyone, including artists of which many have remained quarantined and others have been promoted on social networks or online events to avoid catching this dangerous virus. Now in 2021, the quarantine has relaxed and we have managed to keep a highly effective biosecurity system to be able to do certain witnessing activities such as events and/or musical concerts.

So if you want to do something different during this quarantine, buy your ticket for the Willie Colon concert to be held on June 18, 2021, which promises to be a unique spectacle at the National Auditorium in Mexico City to commemorate the 50th anniversary of his career in the world of music.
The National Auditorium is known for being an entertainment center located on Paseo de la Reforma Avenue in Colonia Chapultepec (a neighborhood in Mexico City) where a variety of musical events are held to promote musical talent in general and to be an appealing tourist point for culture.
the organizers that boast the salsa event confirmed to us that “With his retirement still far from his list of priorities, Willie Colón is ready to go to Mexico again.” And if you want any news, we inform you that the artist is also currently engaged in writing his memoirs and producing emerging salsa groups, so we will be able to delight in the knowledge acquired by the salsa master Willie Colon soon.
Buy your ticket through the various websites:
More than a year after the security measures implemented by the national government against the Covid 19 pandemic, the Salsa’s Academies and Clubs in Italy continue closed to help safeguard the health of the population.
Since February 24, 2020, the Salsa Academies, Discotheques, Clubs, and Outdoor Salsa floor have ceased their recreational, fun, and educational activities of this tropical genre in the country for seven months with a reopening of 15 days during October 2020, unfortunately, there was a new wave of the SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus that caused the total closure of the establishments once again.
Currently, the country of the Colosseum in Rome began the de-escalation and the nightclubs are expected to reopen their doors to the public this March 2021 respecting the social distancing between clients, the dance academies on June 8 with an operation of small groups of people. While festivals, congresses, and similar events still have no start date for activities.
From SalsaGoogle are optimistic and we hope that the beginning of spring will coincide with the reunion of salseros in this peninsula that has been the venue for more than a decade of the main and most innovative international festivals and world congresses, as well as it has been recognized for his high levels of teaching in Salsa dance academies.
These are some basic recommendations for the assistants to the Salsa lessons in academies to enjoy the maximum of their dance experience with greater security:
– Wear a mask (Cover mouth) during the entire dance lessons.
– Hand disinfection before, during, and after class.
– Adaptation of small groups of people to the size of the room in the courses.
– Distance between couples.
– Independent entrances and exits to avoid meeting areas.
– Regular ventilation between courses and course units.
– Periodic disinfection of the establishment.
– Cleaning maintenance in sanitary rooms.

13th WORLD SALSA MEETING 2021 has been postponed to next year. This three-day event will take place in an elegant and modern area of the Hotel Da Vinci in Milan. It has a stage for all styles and levels, national and international artists, and a large free parking space.
13th WORLD SALSA MEETING 2022 will bring you the new and best artists from around the world in the styles of Cuban Salsa, On1, On2, and Bachata. All the artists are exceptional teachers, amazing artists, and nice people. The details of the program will be available very soon on its website and Tickets for the theme nights of the event can now be reserved.
Date: Friday, January 21st – Sunday, January 23rd
Venue: Hotel Da Vinci, Via Senigallia 6, Milan, Lombardia, Italy
Price: €5 – €30
Orlando Poleo with a long trajectory in Venezuela, he has been standing out for his talent with a music that develops between jazz, Cuban son and Afro-Venezuelan rhythms.
He learned to master the Afro-Venezuelan percussion of Barlovento with one of his best disciples, the great percussionist Miguel Urbina.
In 1987, he moved to Cuba, where he deepened his knowledge of Afro-Cuban rhythms, with emphasis on bata drumming.

Orlando Poleo learns to play Afro-Puerto Rican percussion, bomba and plena with Cachete Maldonado, Giovanni Hidalgo and Anthony Carrillo.
Descarga y Alegría with Poleo in 1991, Orlando arrives in Paris where he is requested by well known orchestras of the local Latin scene: Alfredo Rodriguez, Azuquita, Ernesto “Tito” Puentes, and at the same time he is invited by international artists touring Europe: Eddie Palmieri, Arturo Sandoval, Mongo Santamaria, Kip Hanrahan, Archie Chepp, Chico Freeman.
He meets the French singer Danny Brillant who proposes him to accompany him on his tour in France and French-speaking countries.
With his group “Chaworo“, created in Paris and joined in 1997 by the Venezuelan vocalist Carlos Esposito, Orlando Poléo plays in many festivals, including the famous “Jazz in Marciac”.
The famous French singer Bernard Lavilliers invites him to the “Francofolies de Spa”, Belgium, and to the Arenas de Nîmes. On December 10, 1998, he participates with Tracy Chapman, Youssou N’Dour, Peter Gabriel, Bruce Springsteen, Kassav’, among others, in the great celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of Amnesty International in Paris-Bercy.

He also has a long experience in pedagogy since he taught for ten years in Conac from 1981 to 1991 and in Fundarte from 1992 to 1991 in Caracas until his departure to Paris France in the same year, in France and internationally he has given master classes of Latin percussion in conservatories, schools of different styles of music, he has also been a jury of final exams in different institutions.
Since 2001 he has been part of the teaching staff of the prestigious Music School (CMDL) of the great French violinist Didier Lockwood, recently deceased.
Orlando Poleo, is considered one of the best percussionists of the Latin jazz movement worldwide and has recorded three albums distributed by Sony France: “El buen camino“, “Sangre Negra” and “Lo bueno de la vida” and the fourth album “Curate” distributed by the Cacao Musica label.

Orlando, continues to teach Afro-Caribbean percussion in France and also in the whole world he is requested to give master classes, workshops, etc.
In 2004 Orlando creates Afrovenezuelajazz to continue evolving in the fusion of various styles of traditional Venezuelan music such as La Fulía and Quitipla de Barlovento, Joropo, La gaita de furro de Maracaibo and other Latin American styles with Jazz and other musical horizons using traditional Venezuelan percussion instruments and other Caribbean countries, most of the repertoire of the group is completely original and that is another interesting feature of this project.
It is important to highlight that in 2012, the Amphitheater “ORLANDO POLEO” was inaugurated in the Endogenous Nucleus “Tiuna El Fuerte” located in the parish of El Valle de Caracas.
In that same year he was invited by the Tokun Orchestra to accompany figures of the stature of Larry Harlow, José Alberto “El Canario”, Tito Allen, Luigi Texidor and Alfredo De La Fe for two memorable concerts.
Orlando Poleo receives on May 16, 2016 another great recognition from the French Senate (Senate medal) for his eminent contribution to the relations between Venezuela and France and is invited along with the other awardees from the other Latin American countries to a reception at the Palais de L’Élysée (presidential palace) by the former President of France Francois Hollande.
Since 2015 he is part of the famed group of the great Cuban flutist Orlando “maraca” Valle and his Latin Jazz All Stars and have toured the United States, France, Lithuania, and Havana Cuba.
He is currently recording his fifth album and is scheduled for release in summer 2019.
Orlando was invited to give a musical conservatory on March 2, 2018 at Unearte.
A teacher from Sarria direct to France
Mercadonegro Created at the end of 2000 with influences of Salsa Dura thanks to their experiences working with artists such as Celia Cruz, Alfredo de la Fe, Cheo Feliciano, Tito Nieves, many more.
Mercadonegro has managed to create a new style in the salsa music genre. Its musicians come from different parts of Latin America and each bring their own tendencies, Peru, Colombia, Cuba, Venezuela, Italy and Brazil are musically mixed and give rise to the unique style and sonority of the Mercadonegro Orchestra.

Thanks to their meeting with violinist Alfredo de la Fe, they participated in prestigious concerts, such as Ronnie Scott in London, New Morning in Paris, Istanbul Jazz Festival, Pavarotti and Friends (Modena, Italy), Montreux Jazz Festival (Switzerland), Fiesta (Rome, Italy), Bal de la Rose (Monte Carlo), Monaco, Athens (Greece), sharing the stage with Carlos Santana, Metálica, Buenavista Social Club, etc.
They had the opportunity to work for three consecutive years with the queen of salsa Celia Cruz, and have accompanied artists such as Cheo Feliciano, La India, José Alberto ”el canario”, Albita Rodríguez, Willie Chirino, Ray Sepúlveda, Willie González, Andy Montañez, Adalberto Santiago, Richie Ray, and others.

They participated in the recording of the album “Latitudes” by Alfredo de la Fé and then they made their own productions. The group stands out for the energy they exude in their compositions and performances, and it is also worth mentioning their good taste and adoration for their idol: Eddie Palmieri.
Conducting this dozen of professional musicians requires the character that César Correa fortunately has, as well as a rigidity well applied to the service of the music.
Surely, we are before a group of talents that already contributes significantly with its quality, to the internationalization of Latin music.
Mercadonegro is undoubtedly one of the best salsa groups that can be found in Europe.

The four friends, strongly feeling the emotions, the problems of the emigrants, the legacy of their Latin culture, have kept their musical heart in Latin America.
They therefore decided to spread throughout the world the sounds of these countries, together with new beats and vibes, expressive of their own style and of the new musical and life experiences they were making abroad. On this basis they created Mercadonegro.
The group was named Mercadonegro not to forget the roots and the legacy of Afro-American music, and also to describe the difficult pattern, for a group of young and almost unknown musicians, to become popular and appreciated worldwide, starting from an unexpected location for Latin-American music, and with a young and independent label, Bibomusic.
The musical founders of Mercadonegro are: José Armando Miranda, born in La Habana, Cuba, the lead singer and the author of many of the songs of Mercadonegro. Cesar Correa, the son of two well-known Peruvian musicians, was born in Trujillo, Peru.
Cesar play piano and keyboards as only few masters in the world can do.
Rodrigo Rodríguez was born in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia’s most Caribbean town. Rodrigo, who sings, plays timbales and much other percussion, writes, like Armando, some of the most successful songs of the group, and is a very versatile artist and showman.

On this basis they created MERCADONEGRO, a band who therein has become the orchestra of choice for the main Salsa Festivals and Congresses worldwide, a band who was called in 2009 to make the opening concert of the most important Latin Festival of the world, the Latinoamericando Expo in Milano.
The group was named MERCADONEGRO not to forget the roots and the legacy of Afro-American music, and also to describe the difficult pattern, for a group of young and almost unknown musicians, to become popular and appreciated worldwide, starting from Switzerland, an unexpected location for Latin-American music.
MERCADONEGRO, thanks to its great live performances, has rapidly become the most interesting new act in high quality Latin music, starring at the most important jazz, Latin and world music festivals, like “Umbria Jazz” in Perugia, “Fiesta” in Rome, “Latinoamericando Expo” in Milano, Afro-Pfingsten Winterthur, Montreux Jazz, “Lugano Estival Jazz” in Switzerland, “Vic Fenzensac”, “Paris Jazz Festival”, “Marseilles Féte de la Ville” in France, “Red Sea Jazz Festival” in Israel, “Rotskild” in Denmark, Rotterdam Carnival in Holland, North Sea Jazz Festival etc. often with TV live coverage.

Members
Aismar Simón – Piano
Armando Miranda – lead vocal
Rodrigo Rodríguez – timbales & voc
Eduardo ” Dudu” Penz- Bajo
lisbel acosta – trombón
Humberto Amesquita – trombón – director
Giancarlo Ciminelli – trompeta
Oscar Cordero – trompeta
Amik Guerra – trompeta
Edwin Sanz – congas
Walter Rebatta – bongo & campana
Josbel Rodriguez – voc
José Mendoza – Ingeniero de sonido
Eddie Villanueva – Tour Manager
BOOKING:
[email protected]
www.mercadonegro.ch
Tel : +41 78 883 31 96
Tel : +41 78 973 21 83