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Search Results for: Latin Music

2021: Find out which are the active nightclubs in Chile

It began in the month of November 2021 and we learned that in Chile there are already several places that began to open their doors to the public offering events, classes and a place to enjoy and get out of the daily routine and more with the Covid-19 pandemic, for We did a small tour around the country seeing which places or nightclubs are open or which are about to open their doors, and at the moment we have the following clubs:

The Orixas Disco and Nightclub is back:

Club Orixas, a nightclub that before the covid-119 pandemic had an outstanding billboard of live music events, dance shows, animations, contests and much more activities from 7:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. ; and we receive the information that will soon be opening its doors to the public and through its social networks we already have many advances of how it will start and here we have a brief summary of the following activities to carry out:

The musical atmosphere will be provided for the moment by the Resident DJ @djpamanar, on Wednesdays there will be bachateros, on Thursdays by Sabor Cubano, on Fridays by Mambo and on Saturdays there will be 3 Cubans – 3 mambos 3 bachatas + pachanga.

If what you want to dance and learn, these are the days (at the moment) that the following classes will be held (we still do not have their schedule so we have to be aware of their schedule of activities) and who will do them:

  • Wednesday: on Wednesdays the Sensuality of Bachata with @camilobsoul.
  • Thursday: for casino lovers, every Thursday we will have classes together @lalosuke
  • Friday: Online Salsa classes will be given with the style and elegance of teacher @gonzaloriquelme, all you need is to participate without any experience
  • Saturday: dance classes will be given, where everyone will be playing the styles in a Latin animation by @ pedro_pozo821

We must be aware of the event of Maykel Blanco and his Salsa Mayor who will be in Chile at Orixas Club which is located at Tarapacá 755, Santiago 8320000 Santiago de Chile, which will take place on December 4 from 9:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. 00:30 hrs on December 5.

For more information or news about the Salsoteca Orixas Club:

  • Facebook: @Orixasclub
  • Phone: +56 2 2638 0561
  • E-mail: [email protected]

Salsoteca club 4-40, Chile:

This Chilean salsoteca has a Colombian style that only enters located in Chile, in santa filomena 81 8420000 Santiago de Chile they are open every day and they are often mentioned as (the heart of bellavista the bohemian neighborhood of Santiago), this club is known For being very traditional and completely original to the rumba and the show begins from 4:00 p.m. or 5:00 p.m. until 4:00 a.m., where they will be playing several DJs giving it a pleasant atmosphere to be able to dance different musical rhythms.

club 4-40
Salsoteca club nocturno 4-40

For more of the club 4-40 salsoteca, you can consult it or ask through its page of:

Facebook: @club440i

International Area – November 2021

Lawrence and his Vanguard Orchestra I always went ahead of what I wanted and broke “The barriers”

Lawrence Daniel Ibarra Perdigón

The Vanguardia Orchestra was born on May 28, 2001, the name of Vanguardia comes because I always ahead of what I wanted and break the barriers, beginnings date back to 1974 in Block 6 of January 23 in Caracas, musicians rehearsing: Cheo Navarro, Miguel Pacheco, el Gordo Zambrano, Miguel Diaz, Edgar Dolor Quijada and my older brother who supports me and gives me a drum set.

My first professional presentation was with a group called Clave and Son de Caricuao, the director was David Zurita, I made my debut as a chorus singer, imagine if we only alternated with the Caribbean Classical Sonero, that was on May 1st 1983, then in 1985 I began my career as a bongosero in the Fundarte Workshops in the Aquiles Nazoa Library with Professor Orlando Poleo until 1987, the Orchestra Conductorship came later.

The Orquesta Vanguardia is made up of 12 musicians, all of whom have great experience and professionalism. The orchestra is made up of Vicente Frigeiro 1st trumpet, Douglas Villarreal 2nd trumpet arranger, and Miguel Sánchez 1st trombone. 2nd trombone Wilfredo Calderón, Percussion, Oliver Meneses timbal, Richard Avila tumbadoras, Jackson Monterola bongo and bell, piano Douglas Madera arranger and director, bass Elio Torres, singers and choirs José Cedeño, Pedro Rivera and Lawrence Ibarra.

Lawrence and his Vanguard Orchestra I always went ahead of what I wanted and broke "the Barriers".
Lawrence and his Vanguard Orchestra I always went ahead of what I wanted and broke “the Barriers”.

We have alternated, with figures like Hildemaro, Bailatino, Erick Francheski, Grupo madera. Manuel Guerra, Watussi, Naty y Su Orquesta, Noche Caliente, Son Madera Son, Mandinga Star Band, Orquesta Sabor y Swing, Orquesta La Oportunidad, Orquesta Saraguey, Sabor a Pueblo, Orquesta Sinsaye de Venezuela, Agrupación los Tan Tan, Pibo Marquez and his Criollo download, El Combo de Venezuela, Javier Plaza, music lovers meeting in Cali Colombia sharing on Channel 14 with Samir Bazzi and Eddie Saa Colombian singer, Radio Z te Prende with the Pepezon Cali Colombia.

As a bongosero I started in 1985 going through several groups such as: Clave y Son, Son Bacara, Son 27, until 2001 when I founded my own orchestra today Vanguardia, but it was for a short time in the Bongo with Vanguardia.

Beginning as a singer, thanks to the great teacher Oswaldo Morales, well known for his hits like Cinco Centavitos and Ella, I studied with him for about three years. In 2005 I recorded my first production entitled Marcando la Diferencia with 11 songs like SABROSITO by Jose Reina, Cheo Navarro’s Fashion Orchestra, Quiero llorar , Ni llanto ni Flores , Déjalo Volar by Composer Angel Flores, Escaleras de tu Mente by Fran Quintero and Ciriaco by Pedro Rivera With this first production we traveled to Cali and made ourselves known to the public.

I have 8 songs of which 6 are Originals and 2 versions of songs like; Eres tu this is the promotional song that has its video clip that can be viewed on YouTube, as Lawrence and his orchestra Vanguardia.

The Vanguardia Orchestra was born on May 28, 2001, the name Vanguardia comes because I always went ahead to what I wanted and break the barriers, beginnings date back to 1974 in Block 6 of 23 de Enero in Caracas, rehearsing musicians: Cheo Navarro, Miguel Pacheco, el Gordo Zambrano, Miguel Diaz, Edgar Dolor Quijada and my older brother who gives me the support and gives me a drum set as a gift.
Lawrence and his Vanguard Orchestra

I want to cry by Elias Escalona, Eduardo Serrano’s Barlovento, Viejo Chévere by Maestro Luis María Frómita (Billo), Guayabera no dé, Dame otra Tarde by Maestro Alfredy Bogado, Ven y Vacila by myself as well as Eres tu debuting as a composer and Vanguardia Son by Douglas Villarreal Arranger of this second production, Jose Guachafa Guzmán , Jose Tuky Torres, Douglas Madera and Douglas Villarreal.

Tours presentations clear promotional tour to Cali Colombia, Peru, Mexico presentations contrasts in VTV, covers in Venevision, Cota 800 Alba, Gaveguero and Bellaglio.

Promotional tour of Colombia in 2019, cities like Bogota and Cali, participating in radio and television, Fairs of Cali, currently I have my third production which consists of 9 unreleased songs and two video clips, Esa Mujer and Block 6 and placed on YouTube by the hand of Alfredo Montilla, musicians who participated Pianos: Douglas Madera and Sammy Infante, Bass: José Guachafa Guzmán, Julito Antillano and Eliot torres, Percussion: José Cheo Navarro, Carlos Guzmán, Enrique Sojo and Oliver Meneses, Trumpets: Vicente Frigueiro, Luis Ruiz and Douglas Villarreal, Trombones: Miguel Sánchez, Singers and Chorus, Edgar Dolor Quijada, Pedro Rivera, José Cedeño and Lawrence Ibarra, Recorded at Requena Studios, Recording Technician Francisco Requena.

Emisora Oye Ven por 106.9 FM
“En Vanguardia con Ritmo Salsa y Sabor”

Currently I have been 3 year in my new facet as a broadcaster, by the Emisora Oye Ven on 106.9 FM with the program that comes out every Saturday from 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm which is entitled “En Vanguardia con Ritmo Salsa y Sabor” which I support the Venezuelan with talent, ephemeral music reviews and where everyone sounds.

 Musical Production, Douglas Madera and Douglas Villarreal, Executive Production, Lawrence Ibarra

Photography by Alfredo Montilla

Contacts: Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @vanguardiaven

Mobile: 0412-998-14-06

Facebook: Lawrence Daniel Ibarra Perdigon

Article of Interest: José Madera Niño “Salsa became part of my growth”

Nelly Ramos, A Woman of Wood “Honorary Teacher”

Growing up with music, living from music, producing music, performing music, studying music, is not a cacophony, they are different states that a music lover can go through.

Either involved with one or several roles on the subject simultaneously. It is true that their development is transversed by music as a field that requires developing cognitive, motor, intellectual, and social skills, and even those required by the industry, such as those related to negotiation and marketing.

 Nelly Ramos, A Woman of Wood “Honorary Teacher”
Nelly Ramos, A Woman of Wood

This means that music involves memory for the need to learn, remember and evoke; it involves dance as a pleasant form of non-verbal communication; it involves musical performance for the execution in various disciplines; it involves ingenuity and creation, to make arrangements and compositions; it involves social interaction, for the role of music in dances, concerts, programs, parties, festivals, competitions, orchestras and groups and finally it involves a field that very few are concerned with, such as research.

But even though for the music lover music occupies a transversal axis, his daily life demands him to fulfill the necessary requirements to live in society, in them, the need to work, study, and take care of the family without neglecting to cultivate himself as a person simultaneously with enriching his spiritual demands.

Linked to all this panorama is a basic principle based on birth as a source of explanation of what men and women will be and will do. We came into the world unprotected, it was our parents who at that stage facilitated our adaptation to life, and as we grew up they unconsciously drew up a script for us about what we would be in the future, often being disappointed by not seeing any of their projections fulfilled.

Growing up with music, living from music, producing music, performing music, studying music, is not a cacophony, they are different states that a music lover can go through.
Awarded as “Honorary Teacher” of the National University of the Arts.

During the first years of life, the school and the family took the reins of our formation, socialization and the transmission of values, but in this process, the influence of the environment played a preponderant role by carrying behind it a hidden curriculum whose function was to transmit information to us, different from what the school or the family could have covered. In my personal growth,

the influences received by the environment that offered me living in a neighborhood such as the Marín neighborhood in the parish of San Agustín del Sur in Caracas were decisive.

It was living my adolescence in the ’70s, wrapped in the confluence of uses, customs, traditions and a whole diversity of socio-cultural practices inherent to the daily life of the neighborhood all culminating in shaping my tastes, my preferences, my interests, my way of being, of saying and acting.  How to escape, for example, from the practice of a neighbor located at the top of the neighborhood who habitually listened to salsa amplifying it for the whole community; to coexist with the Saturday rehearsals of Frank y su Tribu and Mon Carrillo and his sextet or the almost daily practices of Alfredo Padilla studying his timbal on the balcony of his house, or Pedro García “Guapachá teaching the youngsters his tumbadora techniques; or waiting every year end for the street descargas; dancing in the parties and temples enjoying the song “Rómpelo de los Dementes, “Guasancó” by Sexteto Juventud or “Pao Pao” by Federico y su Combo Latino; listening to the salsa hour with Phidias Danilo Escalona was a must at lunchtime, and at night “Quiebre de Quinto” with Cesar Miguel Rondón.

 Nelly Ramos, A Woman of Wood “Honorary Teacher”

Nelly Ramos, A Woman of Wood “Honorary Teacher”

Obviously, what I have said in this account is nothing more than a brief synopsis of how much influence I may have received, but when added together they give as a result of the support of my expansion through a cultural world that was seasoned by pop music and the expressions of the hippie movement during the 70s.

I continued my formal education studying Psychology at the Central University of Venezuela, simultaneously I studied Theory and Solfeggio with Professor Eduardo Serrano and then at the José Lorenzo LLamozas School, another part of my time was dedicated to studying Traditional Dances at the National Institute of Folklore.

In 1977, a group of musicians and young people from the Marín neighborhood promoted the creation of the Madera Group, through which we were able to channel all those concerns experienced in everyday life.

Maintaining the activity with the group, I got involved with Choral Singing at the Vinicio Adames Foundation.  At the Bigott Foundation, I studied percussion with Professor Alexander Livinalli and popular singing with Professor Francisco Salazar.

I was a member of the group “Afroamérica” formed by Jesus Chucho Garcia, Miguel Urbina, Benigno Medina, Orlando Poleo Johnny Rudas and Faride Mijares. Since 1988 I dedicated myself to the production of Didactic Encounters of percussionist musicians teaming up with Jesús “Totoño” Blanco (R.I.P) and José Agapito Hernández.

In 1993 I was chorister of Marianella y su Orquesta. I was part of the Editorial Board and at the same time an article writer of the magazine “Así Somos”, a publication of the Ministry of Culture.

Pending not to neglect my academic interests, I dedicated myself to pursuing a Doctorate in Education at the Universidad Católica Andrés Bello.

Moving on to another facet, I had participated as an actress in the film “Pelo malo” by Mariana Rondón (grandmother Carmen) obtaining the award for a best supporting actress at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York (2014), in the Venezuelan Film Festival-Cinelco (2014) and the Municipal Film Award (2015), then I participated in the video clip of “De tú a tú” of Lasso’s promotional album in 2014.

Nelly Ramos y Dj. Augusto Felibertt
Nelly Ramos y Dj. Augusto Felibertt

Awarded as “Honorary Teacher” of the National University of the Arts (Unearte), in recognition of the cultural work developed.

Facebook: Nelly Josefina Ramos Tovar

Article of Interest: Professor MSc. Carlos Colmenárez and his “WRITTEN SALSA”

Immigration attorney Bill Martínez talks about his great work

Who is Bill Martínez?

This is Bill Martínez
Attorney William Martínez in a photo taken by photographer Miriam Berkley

For many reasons, the music business is closely linked to the world of law, because there are many details that artists and their respective teams must take into consideration when carrying out their activities, especially when they travel outside their countries of origin or residence. That is when they should contact attorney William Martinez, who would be happy to help them to complete all required paperwork for this purpose. 

William Martinez, better known in the music scene as Bill Martinez, is an immigration attorney who is also known for organizing musical events in the San Francisco Bay Area since the 1970s, which reveals that the relationship between the legal professional and the arts has been very close for several decades now. He is a degree from the University of San Francisco, the same city where he was born, has exercised his profession, and has made his living since then. 

This man has played a very important role in obtaining visas for a fairly large number of artists and their orchestras for a few years, including Juanes, Christian Castro, Mercedes Sosa, Pablo Milanes, Isaac Delgado, Chucho Valdes, and many more. The list of groups that have managed to perform in the United States thanks to Martínez includes Los Van Van, Los Muñequitos de Matanzas, The Buena Vista Social Club, Cubanismo, and so on.   

All this without mentioning that the attorney has done a commendable job in helping artists interested in traveling from the United States to Cuba, which is really difficult because of the political, legal, and migratory friction that this implies. Bill demonstrated that it is possible thanks to his efficient efforts with the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the Department of the Treasury. There are many groups that have managed to travel to the island thanks to licenses obtained by the lawyer, as was the case of AudiosLave, a famous Californian alternative rock band whose emergence goes back to the year 2001. In 2005, the group gave a historic concert in which it performed in front of a crowd of more than 70,000 spectators, becoming the first rock band to play live in the Caribbean country. All thanks to the excellent work done by this great professional man of law.   

Another facet of this great American is his role as a producer and manager. As his official website states, he is one of the co-founders of Latino Entertainment Partners together with cultural activist Arturo Riera, with whom he sought to create an organization capable of producing around 50 concerts whose main talents will be Cuban music legends such as N.G. La Banda, Los Van Van, Orquesta Aragón, Los Muñequitos de Aragón, among others. 

This group created by Martinez has also been responsible for producing other musical events that have had the presence of The Spanish Harlem Orchestra, Eddie Palmieri, Giovanni Hidalgo, and many others. 

William and Septeto Nacional
William Martínez and Septeto Nacional

Enlightening talk

Nowadays, he has an extremely busy schedule due to the ravages caused by COVID-19 in terms of immigration with the closing of embassies, flight ban, among other things. Today, he will tell us more in detail about his work and how much it has been complicated by the pandemic. 

Do you only work in the issue of immigration specializing in artists?  

Yes, I only work with artists. Although from time to time I talk to clients about other issues, but I mostly work only with artist visas.  

What is the first thing you check in one of your cases? 

Well, I work with visas as you can imagine. All this depends on two things: luck and credibility. By luck I mean officials, events, and factors for the application. Credibility is also key to all this. We are talking about two visa categories: an O1 visa for a distinguished artist in the field of music or the arts and the P1 visa or P3 visa which can be issued for a maximum of one year, while the O1 visa can last up to three years. The P3 visa is for groups that have performances that serve as a reflection of their own country. Many artists may qualify for this. For example, if we are talking about an artist who has a bachata, vallenato or hip hop repertoire. As long as they are reflections of their own country, they can apply for the P3 visa. The P1 visa and O1 visa require evidence and documentation that proves that the singer is of a high standard and recognized worldwide such as foundations, press articles, among other things. That is what we have to see. You have to prove that the itinerary is credible and this can be done with contracts or invitation letters. If an applicant, cultural center, promoter or agent wants to invite an artist without any shows or contracts, it will not matter if he is well known, because he will not have credibility. On the list of things I need, the first thing I look for is the invitation letter with an itinerary, the story of the artist, documentation, his repertoire, among other things. 

The process also depends a lot on the officer who analyzes the case, am I right? 

The case can be approved at first, and then, when it goes to the consulate, you have to get lucky with the official who does the interview. You have to be lucky with the USIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) and with the second step which is the interview at the consulate. You also have to get lucky with people who do the interview, as it can be someone flexible who understands the situation very well or, in the opposite case, someone who had a bad day and will always say no.   

Is it sufficient for one of those steps to fail for the visa not to be approved? 

That is right, I have the same experience as any applicant and we use all our tools for this situation. It is like a puzzle where we have to see what works. Sometimes, we have even to ask for help from congressmen for this. This has happened to me both as a lawyer and as a producer.  

Bill Martínez again
Immigration attorney Bill Martínez

What was the most complex case in your career? 

It was my first case in 1993 with the Cuban group Mezcla. We did a festival in San Francisco called El Encuentro del Canto Popular in which we had a representation from each country in Latin America and the Caribbean. Then, we took the risk of inviting a group from Cuba, which was the group Mezcla, a rock band that used elements of Santeria. Like I said, there are two steps to obtain a visa: the application with USIS and the interview with the consulate after approval. In the case of Grupo Mezcla, the application was approved in the Immigration Service and then the members did their interviews in Havana. Subsequently, the case began to collapse until the head of the State Department for Cuban Affairs called me and told me that he had the file in his hands and that the group could not enter the country. When I asked him why, he said they were Cubans and that is all I needed to know. We made a claim in federal court, but we lost the case. Two years later, the state department’s attorney basically said they could do whatever they wanted without justifying anything. However, some time later, the Bill Clinton administration accepted that there is value in having exchanges with Cuba and, little by little, they opened the doors to allow entry to other Cubans like Changuito El Timbalero, Irakere with Chucho Valdes and Los Van Van. COVID-19 complicated everything and has had a great impact in each case, but things calmed down a bit and now artists are allowed to enter if they provide proof of their vaccination or PCR test.  

Which are the nationalities The United States denies visas most often? 

It is definitely Cuba because every Cuban has to ask for his or her interview in a third country and sometimes we are in contact with the consulates in advance to request permission to doing the interview there. Mexico is usually plan B, but sometimes we ask the consulate to allow a Cuban citizen to do an interview in their facilities. It may happen that they say that they do not accept applications from a third country. It also happens that two weeks later another consulate accept the interview without any problem. Each consulate has its own answer as to the availability and access to their system. Now we are asking for visas for Cubans in Mexico DF. I can say that Middle Eastern countries, Korea and Cuba are the most complicated places to apply for visas. 

You have also taken U.S. artists to Cuba and other complicated countries, could you tell me a little bit about that? 

Well, I participated in several exchanges with Cuba. The best known was Puentes Musicales in 1999 in which we presented 45 well-known rock artists. In 2005, we presented the rock group AudiosLave. I also worked as a lawyer in the production of the group Broadway and that was historic. It was a very important album in the history of rock and it was all done in Havana. I had a documentary on HBO about this event in Havana. We have plans to do other recordings with Broadway in Havana in the future. It is almost impossible to do exchanges of this magnitude these days owing to restrictions related to COVID-19. 

How much has COVID-19 complicated things? 

It is easier now. COVID-19 had a big impact at all levels. An application at USIS (the first step in the process) was impossible because their officials were not in offices as in the past. They were at home, so we could not do anything like as the past when we could go to an office. It was much easier to resolve situations, issues with identity and documentation. When officers are not in offices, they cannot go to the other buildings. They have to call from home to ask about applications and communication is not as effective. It is easier to resolve situations like that by being in the same building and coming face to face. COVID also has an impact on the number of people who are working in the consulates. The less people who work, the less it is possible to change dates when needed. However, the situation improved in contrast to the last year, so there is hope that some things will get back to normal.

Link to its official website: https://www.billmartinez.com/

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International Salsa Magazine (ISM) is a monthly publication about Salsa activities around the world, that has been publishing since 2007. It is a world network of volunteers coordinated by ISM Magazine. We are working to strengthen all the events by working together.