Search Results for: Son de Bolero

Renowned timbalero, composer, bandleader and vocalist Mario Solomon is the leader of one of the hottest groups performing modern Cuban Dance music in the US: Mario Y Su Timbeko.  Although Mario moved from Oakland to Austin, Texas during the pandemic, he hasn’t stopped his original music from coming out.  His latest single “Sola Te Quedaste” follows three singles that he has released during the pandemic: “Llego Lo Que Te Esperabas”, “Lo Mas Grande” and “Nadie Sabe Nada”.  These songs are to be released as an EP in the first quarter of this year.  Mario Y Su Timbeko consisting of bassist Ayla Davila, guitarist David Lechuga, vocalist and keyboardist Jordan Wilson, pianist and recording producer Jason Moen and conguero Carlitos Medrano will be performing a special concert “Timbeko By The Bay at La Peña Cultural Center, 3105 Shattuck Avenue in Berkeley on Saturday, February 12 starting at 8 pm.

Mario explained that the show is like taking a trip with the history of Cuban Music featuring traditional rhythms of Danzon, Cha Cha Cha, Boleros and Changui which will be the focus of the first set.  The second set will feature original music with selections from the new EP.  Many Bay Area-Northern California dancers and listeners alike are big fans of Timbeko’s infectious timba sound which contains elements of RnB, Gospel and Funk.  Mario hopes to have copies of the EP ready to sell at the dance/concert.  There will also be a dance after party with DJ Antonio included in the admission to the show.  For more information on the concert, visit lapena.org.  For more information on Mario Y Su Timbeko, check out their page on Facebook and Instagram.

Montuno Productions will be presenting a Valentine’s Day Concert as part of their Bay Area Latin Jazz Series at Oakland’s fine art deco California Ballroom located on 1736 Franklin Street.  This triple billed show will feature the debut of Cuban jazz vocalist Jessy Diaz accompanied by 4 time Grammy award winner Oscar Hernandez of Spanish Harlem Orchestra, Edgardo Cambon and Candela and ending the show with be the MP All Star Salsa Project directed by pianist Israel “Izzy” Tannenbaum (formerly of Grupo Niche).  I will be your Master of Ceremonies and DJ for the entire evening.  Cuban food will be available for hungry patrons at the concert/dance.  For more ticket information on this dance/concert, you can visit montunoproductions.com

Major cancellations and postponements continue due to the latest Omicron variant of the Coronavirus pandemic.  The Victor Manuelle concert/dance scheduled for the Hyatt Regency in Burlingame has been postponed until Saturday, April 9th per show producers JC Coral and Bosco Vega.  Cuban born Brother-virtuosos violinist Ilmar and pianist Aldo Lopez-Gavilàn protagonists of the film documentary Los Hermanos/The Brothers cancelled their scheduled January 23rd concert at U.C. Berkeley’s Zellerbach Auditorium.  There is no rescheduled date for that show.

On the local club front, Oakland’s own Fresquecito Timba DJ monthly at La Furia Chalaca near Jack London Square produced by DJ Walt Digz was cancelled as well at the beginning of January but the event will be back in February.  The Ramp in San Francisco has temporarily suspended their live and DJ music shows per order of the San Francisco Port.  The Ramp is hoping to resume their live music dates in March.  Other venues such as Space 550 just didn’t reopen in January but will reopen on February 11th with Julio Bravo y Salsabor headlining their Valentine’s Day weekend party.  You may want to double check that the venue is still open and that live music is still going to be presented on the night that you are planning to go out.

A scene of many a popular, crowded club night, Lukas on West Grand and Broadway in Oakland the home of Thursday Cuban nights will close at the end of January.  Ahi Na Ma, the production company in charge of the popular Cuban dance night featuring DJ’s Leydis and Antonio have announced that their weekly event will move to a new location soon to be announced.

Ex El Gran Combo vocalist Charlie Aponte will be visiting the SF Bay Area on Friday, April 1 at Roccapulco, 3140 Mission St. in San Francisco.  Jaffe Events will be presenting the show.  Look for Aponte to feature original material from his recordings as well as the many hit songs he recorded with El Gran Combo during his tenure with this great musical institution.  It promises to be a smokin’ show!!

The Seahorse in Sausalito continues to buck the trend and continues to present live music on their outdoors patio stage on Saturday and Sunday evenings starting around 5 pm.  They are featuring Orquesta Taino Feb 6, Karabali with Karl Perazo of Santana and Michael Spiro Feb 12, Louie Romero & Mazacote Feb 13, Salsa Caliente w/Gary Flores Feb 19, Edgardo Cambon & Candela Feb 20 and Braulio Barrera’s Somos El Son on Feb 27th.  KPOO/KPFA DJ Jose Ruiz is the house DJ behind the decks.

Another venue that has stayed open for business in spite of this tough COVID time is the Cigar Bar, 850 Montgomery St. in San Francisco.  You can still enjoy good drinks, fine food and a selection of cigars for your enjoyment.  They have a full schedule on Fridays and Saturdays for February which includes Somos El Son Feb. 4, N’Rumba Feb. 5, Manteca,  Feb. 11, Josh Jones Latin Jazz Ensemble, Feb. 12, La Clave Del Blanco, Feb. 18, Edgardo Cambon y Candela Feb. 19, The Latin Rhythm Boys Feb. 25 and Pacho Y Orquesta Evolution on Feb. 26.  Schedule subject to change due to COVID so check their calendar to confirm acts.  Visit their website at www.cigarbarandgrill.com

BY LUIS MEDINA, PRODUCER AND HOST OF CON SABOR ON KPFA 94.1 FM AND SABIDURIA CON TUMBAO ON WORLD SALSA RADIO.COM

Noticias Con Sabor in the month of January

We leave this year with the loss of giants in the Latin Music who have joined the ancestors that include the recent loss of the legendary Mexican star Vicente Fernandez, Panamanian powerhouse sonero Meñique and Paquito Guzman who was known for both his boleros and Salsa tunes.  This year we have also lost legends and great musicians such as Johnny Pacheco, Roberto Roena, Chick Corea, Larry Harlow, Adalberto Alvarez, Johnny Ventura, Ralph Irrizary, Tommy Villariny and at the end of 2020, Tito Rojas.  We are lucky that these artists have left us with their legacies of music that will continue to entertain people for years to come.  Rest in Power!

Spanish Harlem Orchestra conquered Monterey with two explosive sets at a special show this past Saturday, Dec. 11th at the Monterey Conference Center. SHO played a few new tunes from their upcoming 2022 release, their repertoire of hits and Christmas salsa music much to the crowd’s delight. I had the pleasure of emceeing the show as well as playing music as the event’s DJ. SHO who were on fire all night and the dance floor was packed all night long. The crowd roared their approval with a standing ovation at the end of the night.  SHO responded with an infectious danceable Christmas song with a crowd sing-a-long which ended the festive evening. Thanks to producer Luis Mendoza and Montuno Productions for inviting me to be a part of this event. Thanks to the great crowd in Monterey who are salseros all the way!

During the COVID19 pandemic, it seemed that all live music stopped being played in public.  However, there were a few places, mostly outdoor cafes, farmer’s markets and restaurants with outdoor dining that offered live Latin Jazz during these dark times.  One of the unsung heroes who continued to play when the pandemic was at its height is veteran pianist-bandleader Gary Flores who formed Salsa Caliente in SF in 1976.  The group has had a lot of prominent musicians including vocalists Paquito Acosta and Angelo Pagan who continued to see their careers thrive in Puerto Rico and Los Angeles.  He disbanded Salsa Caliente in the late 90’s to concentrate on a smaller Latin Jazz group.  Flores along with ex Franco Brothers bassist/vocalist Carlitos Franco and a revolving lineup of all-star percussionists including Santana timbalero Karl Perazo and former Avance bongocero Oscar Soltero kept the live music going during the pandemic at different venues.  Flores was able to continue to play Latin Jazz and Salsa in stripped down format as a trio due to rearranging Salsa tunes as all the members sang coros and vocalized horn lines behind Franco,   Now that live music has made a comeback of sorts and some venues are now booking bigger bands, Flores is revitalizing a bigger version of Salsa Caliente featuring Franco and Perazo.  Flores has been writing new music and plans to record new music with the group.  His last recording “Descarga Caliente: A New Beginning” came out in 2005.  Gary Flores is a veteran and a survivor of the San Francisco Salsa Scene who deserves a big shout out for keeping Latin music alive in the age of COVID!  Pa’lante Gary!!

Reopening will be later

Some scenes are not reopening for 2022 until February or later.  One of those venues affected is Space 550 at 550 Barneveld St. in San Francisco who will reopen in February due to concerns regarding the current surge in COVID cases and the situation with the new variant of the disease.  I also spoke with Adrian Goddard of Jaffe Events who told me that he will continue to book events but later in the first quarter of 2022,  For some event producers, January isn’t a good month to book Latin Music.

However that’s not stopping Grammy Award winners Pacific Mambo Orchestra who will play their annual January dates at Yoshi’s, Jack London Square on Friday, January 7 and Saturday, January 8th.  Get ready to enjoy and dance to swinging Mambo, Salsa and Latin Jazz from this awesome all-star 20 piece band led by pianist Christian Tumalan and trumpeter Steffen Kuehn. This SF based band is scheduled to play at Europe’s prestigious Tempo Latino Festival in late July. Tickets are now available for these upcoming January dates at Yoshi’s. For more information,  visit www.yoshis.com.

The Cigar Bar, 850 Montgomery St. in SF is starting 2022 with a calendar of great acts coming to this fine venue where you can dine, dance and smoke a fine cigar if you choose to do so. The schedule includes Orquesta La Original w/Alexis Jan 7, Josh Jones Latin Jazz Ensemble Jan 8, The Latin Rhythm Boys Jan 14, Edgardo y Candela Jan 15, N’Rumba Jan 21, La Clave Del Blanco Jan 22, Julio Bravo Y Salsabor Jan 28 and Manteca Jan 29

The Seahorse in Sausalito continues to feature explosive music from the following acts in January on Saturday and Sunday including La Clave Del Blanco Jan 2, Gary Flores and Salsa Caliente featuring Karl Perazo of Santana Jan 8, Edgardo Cambon y Candela Jan 9, Carlos Xavier Salsa Band Jan. 15, Louie Romero and Mazacote Jan 16, Braulio Barrera and Somos El Son, Jan 22,  Orquesta Bembe featuring Christian Pepin on Jan. 23 and Rumbache on Jan. 29.  DJ Jose Ruiz from KPOO/KPFA Radio will also be behind the decks for your dancing pleasure. Check out their fine Italian cuisine and selection of beer and wine.

The Ramp, 855 Terry Francois in SF continues to offer Salsa under their all-weather tent during the month of January.  Their line up includes N’Rumba Jan 8, Louie Romero & Mazacote Jan. 15, Manny Martinez y La Rebeldia, Jan 22 and Orquesta Borinquen on January 29th. DJ Mendy is providing the music in-between sets and from 9 to 11 pm.  The music starts at 5 pm on Saturdays.

Cascal, 400 Castro in Mountain View will be featuring the explosive sounds of Edgardo Cambon and LaTiDo on Fridays, January 7th and 21st starting at 7:30 pm. There is no cover. Cascal continues to offer their tasty menu of Spanish cuisine, Tapas and fine drinks.

The following recordings kept me going during the second year of COVID19: Ruben Blades “Salswing”, El Gran Combo “En Cuarentena” and their Xmas cd “De Trulla Con El Combo”, Gilberto Santa Rosa’s all-star studded “Colegas”, Sonora Ponceña “Hegemonia Musical”, Mel Martinez “Asi Escribe Un Sonero”, Los Generales De La Salsa featuring Van Lester, a 1996 all-star session finally seeing the light of day, Tromboranga “Salsa Terapia”, Los Van Van “Mi Songo”, Various Artists “El Son De Caballero-Homenaje A Adalberto Alvarez and “Son Para Un Sonero”, Sounds Of Cuba “Los Titanes De La Timba”, Alexander Abreu/Havana d’Primera, Various Artists “En Barranquilla Me Quedo-Homenaje a Joe Arroyo, Dorance Lorza’s Sexteto Cafe “20 Aniversario”,  Luis Perico Ortiz “Sigo Entre Amigos”, Charlie Donato’s Son Ideal “De Vuelta Al Barrio, Eduardo Zayas Y Su EZ La Banda “Huerto De Soneros” and his latest “Sabor Y Sandunga”, Alain Perez, Issac Delgado & Orquesta Aragon “Cha Cha Cha: Homenaje A Lo Tradicional”  and Orquesta Failde “Joyas Ineditas”.  There are a flood of singles that did the job as well from Julito Alvarado’s maxi single “Lo Que No Se Escucha (Descarga De Soneros), Don Pergiñon Y La Puertorriqueña, Marc Anthony, Wilito Otero, Josean Rivera, Monsi Y Su Salsa , Mariana Y Su Makynaria, Julito Albino y Secreto De Voces and VibraSON.  These recordings are some of my picks for the Best of 2021.

And…if that wasn’t enough, my program Con Sabor, Saturday nights 9 to 11 PM PST on KPFA 94.1 FM will be celebrating its 25th Anniversary year on January 1, 2022!  Time flies when you’re having fun!!  I’m also on “Sabiduria Con Tumbao” every Wednesday night 5 to 7 PM PST on WorldSalsaRadio.com.

That’s it for this time.  Ciao 4 now!!

This is the report last month: Noticias con Sabor by Luis Medina

BY LUIS MEDINA, PRODUCER AND HOST OF CON SABOR ON KPFA 94.1 FM AND SABIDURIA CON TUMBAO ON WORLD SALSA RADIO.COM

On February 28, 1992, the Queen of Latin Soul and Boogaloo “La Yiyiyi” passed away in New York.

While Curro was scaring the children in the Cartuja of Seville, Guadalupe Victoria Yolí Raymond, a Hispanic neighbor of the Bronx of New York, died at the age of 52, in misery.

A few years earlier she had enrolled in college in order to survive on scholarship money.

Maybe when her neighbors heard her talk about limousines, fame, luxury and parties, they looked at her with a knowing look on their faces and played along. There you go again.

But it was true, during the sixties Victoria, La Lupe, also known then as the queen of Latin soul, bragged about being able to spend the twenty thousand dollars she earned per concert on a fur coat.

Long before the invasion of salsa there she was, La Yiyiyi, wandering from bar to bar along 53rd Street, a meeting and exchange place for Latino immigrants in the city of skyscrapers. Busamba’, ‘Boogaloo’, gentlemen.

That’s what it sounded like when Cuba slept with Mexico or Puerto Rico on the stage of any club. Salsa? No, not yet, please. It was still La Lupe’s time.

Yolí Victoria Raymond “La Lupe”

Exiled from Cuba because her singing offended the colonel, she was disputed in her beginnings by Mongo Santamaría and Tito Puente himself, with whom she made perhaps her most interesting recordings. From her first album, ‘Con el diablo en el cuerpo’, she made it clear that she was not going to be just any singer. She captivated the public with her extravagant personality and her madness.

She shrieked, shuddered, pulled her hair, insulted the audience, laughed, tore her clothes in passionate outbursts.

But she also cried and demonstrated her incredible technique when she was asked to sing a bolero. As she sang she lived. Pouring out and enjoying the joy and the sadness.

Then something happened. A new sound began to soundtrack the daily routine of the immigrant ghettos.

A less compromised rhythm that allowed evasion, at least for the duration of the dance, to all the Hispanics living badly in the United States.

Celia Cruz, for better or worse, gave salsa to the world and buried La Lupe in life.

Celia took away her throne and made sure that no one would remember her.

Fame and success is a war and Victoria no longer had the strength to participate in that battle. Her life was an earthquake.

Around that time her second husband began to develop schizophrenia and she decided to take care of her.

After that, little else is known about her until her death.

At the end of the 80’s she converted to the evangelist religion and composed a series of songs that may come to light under the name of La Samaritana.

Although surely her praises to God still sound as warm and sensual as the boleros ‘Orgasmo’ or ‘Puro Teatro’.

La Lupe

The year of her death, her friend Tito Puente and Celia Cruz were offering a conventional Latin music concert at Expo ’92.

Perhaps, at some point, the percussionist remembered when he played ‘Boogaloo’ with the first Latin queen.

As Lupe herself says in her explosive version of ‘Guantanamera’: “Sobre tu tierra divina riega mi voz campesina versos que son como flores, con los más grandes honores de La Yiyiyi, señores”.

Facebook: La Lupe

Article of Interest: Markolino Dimond’s voice and his irreverent piano in Funk/Soul & Funk-Disco “The Alexander Review”