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Two Latin Events Will Blow Europe Away In August

A Salsero Festival and Tour will be the stars of the summer in the main cities of Europe

Europe welcomes Latin music events in the last month of summer this year with two impressive Salseras parties. During these events, the safety of the attendees will be guaranteed, will be an unbeatable festive atmosphere and lots of fun. So, don’t miss the opportunity to attend the Salsa Latina Istriana Festival in Croatia and the Cuban artist Maykel Blanco y Su Salsa Mayor’s European Tour, and enjoy the heat of August with your favorite Latin music.

Salsa Latina Istriana Festival 2022

DJ Sergio, DJ Marc “El Mágico” and DJ Julián Duke will be in charge of mixing the greatest Salsa hits during the Festival

Salsa Latina Istrian Festival began in 2004 as a free dance workshop with 100 dancers who love and dance enthusiasts to promote Salsa and other Caribbean dances.

This year the eighteenth edition of this festival with tradition and support for the community of European dancers arrives from August 26th to August 29th with four Bootcamps, workshops (Salsa, Bachata, Kizomba, Semba, and Urban Kiz), international instructors, Masterclasses, night parties, boat and beach parties (the farewell party on Monday will be free), 12 famous DJs, two free social dances on four floors, and much more.

Salsa Latina Istriana Festival 2022 http://www.salsalatinaistriana.com will be held under the precautionary measures agreed for events and dance academies.

The workshops, as well as the night parties, will take place over three days at Dom Hrvatskih Branitelja, Leharova 9, in the center of the coastal city of Pula, Croatia, and the cost of the gold pass is €150.

Maykel Blanco y su Salsa Mayor

The singles Qué Hace Que Te Mueve and Ya Tú No Coronas belong to the “Qué Hace Que Te Mueve” album released in 2019

Cuban artist Maykel Blanco and his orchestra will continue their tour of Europe (Part 2) on Saturday, August 27th, at London’s iconic auditorium Electric Brixton with a special six-hour Cuban Salsa show. Javier La Rosa and Dr. Jim will be the evening’s Cuban DJs, while Osbanis and Anneta (Cuban Salsa Dancers and UK and World Champions) will lead a Cuban Salsa class for all levels.

On Sunday, August 28th, they will visit Glasgow (United Kingdom) at The Garage (nightclub) and will end their tour on September 9th at the Transformatorhuis event venue located in Amsterdam (Netherlands).

Maykel Blanco y Su Salsa Mayor made their way into the Havanera capital’s music scene more than a decade ago. This popular band in Cuba combines catchy lyrics with irresistible arrangements that get dancers, fans, and onlookers moving on the dance floor.

They currently have two great hits playing on the popularity charts of the most important radio stations on the Afro-Caribbean Island, Ya Tú No Coronas (2019) and Qué Hace Que Te Mueve (2019).

“Maykel was born in San Leopoldo, a neighborhood of the Centro Habana municipality in the Cuban capital, on January 21st, 1981, the year that began a decade of splendor for Cuban popular music. With academic training at the Guillermo Tomás Music Schools and the Amadeo Roldán Conservatory, at the age of 17, he joined the orchestra “Abel y la Seducción” and a year later created, “Suprema Ley”, thus starting his outstanding career professional.

At this stage, he arouses the interest of the Spanish record label Envidia Record with which he signed his first international contract. With this record company, he managed to produce more than ten phonograms for his group and various other artists, including Tirso Duarte. He also participated in the recording of 40 albums as a percussionist in various productions and created music for various “Latin Jazz” groups, such as “Havana Express”.

Maykel decides on October 10th, 2004 to make his big debut with his new orchestra “Maykel Blanco y Su Salsa Mayor”, made up of talented musicians, who graduated from various art schools in the nation.

Since then and up to the present, he has devoted his energy, creation, and musical talent to this interesting project. Thus, allowing his professional career to continue on the rise, as a pianist, percussionist, composer, music producer, arranger, and cultural promoter reaching a high level of popularity and prestige, in Cuba and the world”. Fragments extracted from Maykel Blanco biography. http://www.maykelblanco.com/

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Businessman, producer and broadcaster Jimmy Castro promotes his Ritmo Caribe Promotions Radio

Jimmy Castro and his radio station Ritmo Caribe Promotions Radio

We had the pleasure of interviewing businessman, producer and broadcaster Jimmy Castro, who started his radio show “El Toque Latino” on radio station WTCY 1400 AM from 1998 to 2002 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He then worked as a producer on “The Latin Jazz & Salsa Show” in Richmond, Virginia on station WCLM 1340 AM between the years 2008-2014. He eventually launched his own online Radio station Ritmo Caribe Promotions Radio in 2018 through the link www.ritmocaribepromotionsradio.com. Here, listeners can find salsa, Latin jazz and Afro-Cuban music.

Producer, promoter, and broadcaster Jimmy Castro

Here is our conversation:

You founded Ritmo Caribe Promotions in 1998. What made you found this company and why focus on setting up festivals and concerts?

I started the company as a DJ Record Pool called Caribbean Rhythms Record Pool in 1996 in Harrisburg Pennsylvania. I began meeting many of the artists that I was receiving music from, who began asking me if I would bring them to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania to perform. That’s when I changed the company name to Ritmo Caribe Promotions, and produced many concerts and festivals there featuring artists to include Larry Harlow, Tito Puente, Cano Estremera, Hector Tricoche, Van Lester, Miosotis, Edgar Joel, Yomo Toro, Eddie Palmieri, and more.

Why focus specifically on salsa, Latin jazz and Afro-Cuban music?

I used to promote more genres when I began such as Merengue, Bachata, Reggaeton, and Mexican but as the years went on it began getting more difficult because I was receiving so much music but I had a limited staff to and wouldn’t be able to focus on so many artists. I decided to limit it to the genres I had the most experience in.

Jimmy Castro while leading his old show “El Toque Latino”

I knew that Ritmo Caribe Promotions has co-produced songs by several well-known artists. Let’s talk a bit about your role as producer and record label.

Throughout the years, I have always dreamed of producing a Salsa song with my company. In 2020, I had the opportunity to co-produce my first Salsa song with JA Creations entitled “Mariana” by Colombian Salsa vocalist Jaime Andres featuring Frankie Vazquez “El Sonero del Barrio!” Since then I have co-produced 3 more Salsa tunes, “Nuestro Camino” by Leonardo Garcia featuring country vocalist Cat Beach, Max Rosado, and special guest Nestor Torres, “Mi Motivo” by Leonardo Garcia featuring Grammy nominated Miss YaYa, and “Lo Afortunado Que Soy” by William Mendoza’s Latin Heartbeat Orchestra featuring Cuban vocalist Amauri Menocal. Finally, on August 15, 2022 I will be releasing my first Salsa tune as Executive Producer entitled “Historia de Un Amor” featuring a vocalist from The Netherlands, Julie Huard.

What leads you to launch your own online radio station in 2018?

I started in radio broadcasting in 1997 with my own radio show called “El Toque Latino” on a commercial radio station, WTCY 1400 AM in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. I was on the air for 5 years. I then moved to Richmond, Virginia where I worked as a producer on The Latin Jazz & Salsa Show on WCLM 1450 AM / WHAP 1340 AM for 8 years. I was also the entertainment producer for 10 years for the annual Latin Jazz & Salsa Festival, with The 15th Annual Latin Jazz & Salsa Festival scheduled this year on August 27th, in which I will be bringing headline artist Herman Olivera.

Finally, in 2018, I no longer was interested in working on everybody else’s radio station, and decided to launch my own 24/7 internet radio station, Ritmo Caribe Promotions Radio, where I am able to program exactly the way I want to. www.ritmocaribepromotionsradio.com.

Jimmy Castro with the “King of Timbales” Tito Puente

You have also produced theatrical plays and film productions. Give us more details about that.

The play I am most proud of was produced by my company Ritmo Caribe Promotions and Yamile Music (Los Angeles) entitled “Melena: A Cultural & Musical Journey into my Afro-Cuban Roots” which was the true story of Afro-Cuban latina percussionist Melena, and her journey from Cuba and becoming one of the best female percussionist in the world. You could check out the play in 3 parts on YouTube by searching for “Melena: A Cultural & Musical Journey into my Afro-Cuban Roots (Part 1, 2, and 3).”

You also receive music in mp3 format from the audience to place on the station. What basis do you have for choosing between the tracks you receive?

I accept music from artists from around the world, again Salsa, Latin Jazz, and Afro-Cuban music, and I listen to all the music I receive and focus on the quality of the production, ensuring I receive mp3/wave along with the album cover image, and last but not least the music has to be GOOD! I also send it to many Salsa dancers who I am connected with to get their opinion on the tune.

What you can say about your show “El Toque Latino”? How has this show changed with the passage of time?

I mentioned “El Toque Latino” in a question above, however, this show is no longer on the air. Now, it is only “Ritmo Caribe Promotions Radio” 24/7 at www.ritmocaribepromotionsradio.com.

Jimmy Castro with Puerto Rican salsa singer Cano Estremera

 

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The Salsera Fiesta Returns To Rome

The wait is over and Fiesta opens its doors with a new season of Latin concerts during the summer

Festival Fiesta has been the point of reference in Italy for Latin American concerts and events for 27 years.

Since 1995 the Fiesta club has been the point of reference for Latin American culture in Italy during summer nights in Rome.

Fiesta is located in the Rosati Tourist Park (Parco Rosati -Eur) and has an area of ​​5,000 square meters with a capacity of 3,500 people. Its distribution consists of an outdoor music room equipped with a stage with a led wall for live music and two dance rooms for different musical styles (Salsa, Mambo, Cha Cha Cha, Bachata, Rumba, Merengue, Timba, reggae, and reggaeton).

“The objective of this festival is to build a permanent cultural bridge between Italy and Latin American citizens living in Rome, promoting the value of integration between peoples and respecting different identities.” Fragment extracted from the website. https://fiestafestival.it/

In this regard, the artistic director Mansur Naziri expressed the following: “Over the years I have witnessed several changes in the audience of Fiesta. Now, we have reached the new generations, those the children of immigrants who were born in Italy feel Italian but still keep their traditions alive, even through music. Next to them are the Italians who dancing and listening to Latin songs have also learned a little Spanish, giving life to a beautiful cultural fusion…”

The most representative Salsa artists who have come to this evocative stage of the Eternal City have been Celia Cruz, Los Van Van, Rubén Blades, Gilberto Santarosa, Tito Puente, Oscar D’ León, and Marc Anthony, among many others.

This year the club with its Fiesta festival will continue to offer the best of the Latin music scene from the traditional to the most current. Here are the Salsa artists who will be performing in the cool of Rome’s nights from June to August.

PUPY Y LOS QUE SON SON

Pupy was the pianist in the Revé Orchestra

The Cuban traditional music orchestra created and directed by the pianist, composer, and director César Pedroso Fernández better known as “Pupy” will be performing on Wednesday, June 1st, and tickets don’t exceed €17.

Pupy is recognized for being one of the most important figures in Timba and traditional Cuban music. He participated in two emblematic orchestras during his career: Orquesta Revé and Los Van Van. In this last-mentioned band, he was one of the founders along with his partner and friend Juan Formell.

After 32 years of artistic career, on October 4th, 2001, he formed his band Pupy y Los Que Son Son. Its name derives from the recognition of “Son” as a musical genre where his roots come from, and the style of the band is the fusion of the different instrumental formats with the “Tumbao”.

HAVANA D’PRIMERA

Alexander Abreu spent his childhood in Cienfuegos city (Cuba), where he began playing the trumpet at ten years old.

The band of more than ten musicians created in 2008 and founded by the Cuban trumpeter, singer, and composer Alexander Abreu will take the Fiesta stage on Friday, June 3rd, and you can get the ticket for €30.

Alexander Abreu has become one of the most versatile and acclaimed Cuban musicians in 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… It is how we started: 14 or 15 of us and a lot of positive energy, now we are stronger than ever.” Abreu commented.

Havana D’Primera’s first album is Haciendo Historia released in 2009, followed by Cantor del Pueblo (2018), A Romper el Coco (2019), and Será que se acabó (2021).

LOS VAN VAN

Los Van Van was the first Cuban group to replace a solo singer with a vocal quartet.

The musical orchestra founded by Juan Formell in Havana (Cuba) in December 1969 will arrive on Saturday, August 6th. They will present their fusion of Cuban Son, Jazz, and Rock with the incorporation of percussion, trombones, keyboards, electronic violins, flutes, bass, and drums for a rhythmic and harmonic sound that complements the quartet of voices, and you can get tickets for a value of €30.

La Muñeca de La Salsa is here with us again

La Muñeca de La Salsa or La Chica del Bling

For the second time, we have here Puerto Rican artist Almodovar. She is a salsa singer and other genres, composer and dancer. Pleasure to meet you, Melina, how are you doing? Glad to have you here.

Thank you, Karina. Thank you for the time and I’m super pumped to be here with you for international salsa magazine (laughs).

Melina Almodóvar is a salsa singer, composer, and dancer

Why do they call you La Muñeca de la Salsa or La Chica del Bling?

La Chica del Bling comes from maestro Bobby Cruz, who did a song with me in 2016. We made a recording that was called Salsa Factory Bunch. He wrote that song specifically for me, which was called El Bling. That’s how he starts calling me La Chica del Bling and, as there are so many people who know the trajectory of Mr. Bobby Cruz, those who know that he wrote the song for me identify me as La Chica del Bling. That is something very special for me, since he is one of my salsa icons from day one.

In the case of La Muñeca de La Salsa, when I moved here to Miami, I was looking for a nickname similar to El Caballero de La Salsa or El Niño Bonito de La Salsa. Seeing how my name is like that of another renowned singer in Puerto Rico Melina Leon, I wanted to find another name that would identify me and noticed that many Latino men called me muñeca (doll in English). That’s how I came up with the name La Muñeca de La Salsa.

Your family has always been closely related to arts. Your father was a singer, your mother was a dancer and your grandmother was an artisan. What did you get from each of them?

That’s an excellent question. I’m often asked that, but not that way. My dad was a bolero singer and like ballads and old music like Camilo Sesto, and it was thanks to one of his songs that I was named Melina. He also liked Marco Antonio Muñiz and all the singers from that era. He would go to bars to sing until five in the morning and he used to take me to these gatherings in Puerto Rico. He always had his guitar in his car and was invited to parties to sing because he did it for free.

My mom was a flamenco dancer, she studied dance all her life and wanted me to dance too. So, she put me in jazz ballet classes since I was little. I studied with a lady whose name was Sophy Sanfiorenzo, who was also Chayanne, Ricky Martin, and Los Menudo’s teacher of that time. She was very well known in the city of Bayamón, Puerto Rico. Dancing was something secondary for me, but my mom wanted me to take it more seriously. At the end, we made a deal and agreed that I would study salsa and Caribbean dancing.

My grandmother always wanted me to be an artist and pushed me to be what I am today. She does a lot of crafts such as sculptures and paintings. I didn’t inherit those skills (laughs). My aunt is an architect and also paints very well, while another aunt is also very good with crafts. My family is very artistic and I followed that road.

Melina Almodóvar is very proud to be boricua

Her referents

I understand that your grandmother gave you some cassettes with songs by Celia Cruz and Rubén Blades, did these artists influence you or were there others?

My grandmother gave me a Rubén Blades CD and my aunt was the one who introduced me to salsa music thanks to her taste for this genre. Most of the family liked bohemian songs made by Pedro Flores, Rafael Hernández, Bobby Capó, Sylvia Rexach, among others. My grandmother and the rest of my relatives liked bolero a lot. In my case, I like bolero very much and I have done concerts dedicated to this genre, but what moves and motivates me is salsa.

You always listened to tropical music as a kid in Puerto Rico, but I understood that I was cut out to sing salsa when started studying it and understand it deeply. In high school, I came to sing pop, jazz, country, merengue, bachata and many other genres. However, salsa is what I like the most.

You described your move from Puerto Rico to Memphis as a culture shock. What was the most shocking thing about that time?

It’s one thing to move from Puerto Rico to Los Angeles or New York or Florida where there are a lot of Latinos. When I moved, I was very young and went to live in the southern United States, where they listen to country and blues. For me, the most shocking thing was the culture. In Puerto Rico, everyone talks on the front doors and there was a lot of closeness. When we moved to Tennessee, we didn’t know anyone, so we had to start creating a new life and finding our way in this new city.

Melina Almodóvar performing at North Beach Bandshell

You were part of Orquesta Caliente. According to many, that was the first successful Latin salsa orchestra in Memphis. What do you think was the formula for success of this orchestra?

It was a combination of many things because I have been part of many groups and tried to organize orchestras in different places. After that experience, I tried to start an orchestra in Nashville, Tennessee, for a while and tried to start another one in Atlanta, Georgia.

When I was 17 years old, I was called and asked if I knew how to sing salsa, to which I replied yes. That’s when i was given a cassette tape with several songs made by Tito Puente, Ruben Blades, Celia Cruz, among others. I went home and started writing the songs down letter by letter to learn them by heart and audition for the orchestra. That day, I realized that all the musicians were American and extremely talented. I was 17 years old at the time and had no idea who I was playing with, which led me to look up their histories and they were really well trained and talented. Almost all of them were professors at the University of Memphis at the time, but they wanted to form a salsa orchestra.

So, we started playing in different places. Given that there was no internet and no social media, we had to create our own flyers by hand, make copies, go to the houses and put up them there. The first day we played, not a lot of people showed up, but it was a good start for us. After three months, not one more body fitted there.

For me, it was a beautiful experience because we started playing everywhere and were at plenty of festivals in South Florida. We were so into what we were doing and all the members wanted the music to work out spectacularly, so we were united in a common objective. I think that was the key to our success.

Tell me about the Hollywood Salsa Fest

We have been doing this festival for about seven years now and it was a dream come true because I never thought there would be more than 10,000 people there for throughout the day. It is a culmination of all the work we have done since I came to Miami. It was a great achievement.

This Hollywood Salsa Fest of this year included Maestro Charlie Aponte, Timba Live, Salsa Ballet de Cali, Maestro Bobby Cruz, Tito Puente Junior and many others.

Melina Almodóvar next to Oscar D’ León

In Concert: Hacenoba Salsa & Jimmy Bosch In Saint-Étienne

They will be together in an exceptional concert at Le Fil this May 14th

Adiel Castillo (Musical Direction – Piano), Aymel Gómez (Voice), Wilbert Valera (Voice), Nadir Slimani (Bass), Miguel Río Puntilla (Bongo), Philippe Fougerouse (Timbales), Hamid Benabella (Art Direction – Congas), Guillaume Monier (Saxophone), Laurent Sedent (Trumpet), Romain Bourlhonne (Trombone)

The Hacenoba Salsa group and the world-renowned Trombonist Jimmy Bosch will present a unique salsa show in which lovers of this Latin rhythm will sing and dance from the first notes. This concert will be preceded by a Salsa lesson by the couple (Aurélie and Rémi) belonging to the Barrio Latino humanitarian association under the best salsa mixes of the DJ from the city of Callao (Peru), Oscar D Lyon.

This show will take place on the second Saturday of May at Le Fil, an artistic platform for contemporary independent music and cultural life developed in the city located in southeast France, Saint-Étienne. Its address is 20 bd Thiers 42000 Saint-Étienne, France, and the cost of pre-sale tickets is €20 and the Box Office €22.

The Cuban Salsa orchestra, Hacenoba, brings to this concert the essential rediscovery of the island’s music (Mambo, Salsa, Cha-Cha, and Timba) accompanied by brushstrokes inspired by internationally famous composers and artists of the genre such as Oscar D’ León, Héctor Lavoe, and others.

This ten-member band with its explosive music combines percussion with piano, saxophone, and bass for a frenetic and bewitching rhythm that has led them to participate in different festivals, cultural events, parties dedicated to Cuban music (or Latin music ), and private parties in the region.

Jimmy Bosch has collaborated with Rubén Blades, Ray Barretto, and Celia Cruz, among many others.

Likewise, the master Jimmy Bosch is acclaimed in more than 70 countries as an exceptional Latin music Trombonist, has 11 Grammy Awards, and more than 100 recordings in the Salsa and Latin Jazz genres. He also has a great career as an orchestra leader and is coveted by his audience due to his extraordinary performances on stage.

The creator of hits like Otra Oportunidad (1998), La Cacharra (1999) Qué Bonito es Soñar (2004), La Noticia (2004), El Avión de la Salsa (2004) y Ay Mamacita-Boogaloo (2018) among many others, also will be dictating a Masterclass for professional musicians where he will explain and demonstrate the variations in Salsa. The lessons will be oriented towards practice and active participation with the instrument during the clinic. This masterclass will be held on May 24th -25th at Kafésynk located at Øvingshotellet, Trondheimsveien 2, Bygg H, 0560 Oslo, Norway from 5 PM to 8 PM, and tickets cost NOK 1,600 approximately $174.26.

The trombone master has worked with FANIA All-stars, Eddie Palmieri, Ruben Blades, Ray Barretto, Machito, Cachao, and many more. He has participated in Salsa conventions, Latin and Jazz music festivals around the world, as well as performed in clubs in Asia, Europe, America, and Oceania.

Jimmy Bosch’s record productions include Soneando Trombón (1998), Salsa Dura (1999), El Avión de la Salsa (2004) ,and A Millón (2009).

Oscar D Lyon was born in Callao, known as the capital of Salsa in Peru.

The perfect DJ for this magnificent evening at Le Fil will be Oscar D Lyon, who has more than 30 years of career in the music scene. He started in Lyon in the ‘90s, continued at Latino 1, and pursues his rise at Casa Latina for ten years. His likes and musical inclination from South America have made him stand out in the Latin environment of the region. Currently, Oscar D Lyon mixes the rhythms of Salsa and Bachata in various clubs in Saint-Étienne, such as Cabana Café, the Fox, and recently, Barrio Club.