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News “En Clave”
Latest News of the Salsa Movement in Spain
This 2022 we come with more strength, new ideas, and recharged. In this first edition, we released a new section titled News “En Clave”. A space dedicated to the collection and promotion of the best shows, concerts, books, and the latest news from the Salsero environment & Latin rhythms in Europe and Asia.
Spain is one of the old-world countries that begin January 2022 with the best Salseros and Bachateros events. Here we will tell you each one En Clave so that you don’t miss out on going to one.
News “En Clave” In Spain
We open the section to the northeast of Spain with La casa de Cuba in Barcelona, El Sabor Cubano BCN. This Nightclub offers live music, Cuban Salsa, International Salsa, Bachata, and urban rhythms with DJs, it also has Salsa and Bachata instructors who give free lessons for beginners at 9:30 PM every Thursday and Sunday. The virtuous pianist Luis Alberto Díaz “El Negri” together with singer “Changui” will be playing the best songs of traditional Cuban music this Thursday, January 6th, and Sunday, January 9th, for two and a half hours. This will be one of the first live Salsa evenings that you can enjoy starting the New Year. El Sabor Cubano BCN opens its doors from 7:00 PM to 12:30 AM at Francisco Giner 32 Street, 08012, Barcelona. Have a memorable moment in this nightclub with a good atmosphere, friendly and impeccable service, and an authentic Cuban mojito. You find more details on their official social network.
We are still in Barcelona, and this time we walk through the Diobar Restaurant / Nightclub. This Greek restaurant has enabled a musical space every Thursday for Salsa and Rueda Casino classes. The duration of Salsa Thursdays is almost five continuous hours organized as follows: one hour of Cuban Salsa class and the next one in Rueda Casino, followed by the AfroCuban Jam Sessions live (open to all musicians). Starting at 9:15 PM there is a class for dancers of Intermediate / Advanced level with which they will acquire new skills for mastering individual steps, the couple turns, and Rueda figures. The cost does not exceed € 5, and the closest date is Thursday, January 6, 2022. A novel proposal to enjoy Salsa in the musical space of the Dionisos Born restaurant located at Marqués de la Argentera, 27 (ground floor) 08003 Barcelona, Spain.
We now jump to the east coast towards Valencia, and we run into the Matisse Club. We tell you that in this place of exhibition of events and culture they offer every Sunday the Cuban Party event, live Cuban music with AR-Latin (directly from the Caribbean island) playing Salsa, Latin Jazz, Son, and Bachata. This one-hour live show begins at 8:30 PM. Then you will enjoy six hours of Latin Quarter Session with DJ Sergio Falomir. Admission is € 10 and begins on Sunday, January 12th at the Sala Matisse. Enjoy a Latin music atmosphere with the Cuban Party event every Sunday of the month at Matisse Club located at Campoamor Street, 60, 46022, Valencia.
And the last News “En Clave” that I bring you is the Latin Dance classes in Salason in the northwest of the country at Lirio Street, 30 Cangas Do Morrazo, 36940, Galicia. This culture platform is designed for the reception of musical performances with exceptional acoustics and cutting-edge technology. Salason is a building structured in three independent but complementary environments at the same time. Salsa and Bachata classes will begin on Tuesday, January 25th, from 7:30 PM to 11:00 PM.
The Objectives of these Cuban-style Salsa and Rueda Casino classes, as well as the traditional Bachata lessons, are fun and disconnection to the routine with the rhythm of Latin music. Also, it improves coordination and body expression coupled with the new relationships that are established between people with similar pleasures.
On Tuesdays, there are two groups for intermediate students: The Salsa class starts at 8 PM while the Bachata group starts at 8:30 PM.
Thursdays are classes for beginners and have two times of choice: 8 PM and 9:30 PM. For more information, venture to visit its official website
We continue with Bachata…
We start with one of the main congresses to be held the second weekend of this month (Friday 7th – Monday 10th) in Girona, a city located in the region of Catalonia, mainly known for its exuberant architecture of medieval origin and the historic Barri Vell neighborhood.
The Bachata Sensual World Congress (BSWC) brings great quality Bachata Sensual workshops with more than 16 qualified instructors of this Dominican rhythm and leading Salsa professionals worldwide. There will be live shows with more than 16 couples on stage and famous night parties during the three days of the event.
Girona becomes the international city of the Dominican melody with Bachata Sensual World Congress 2022
BSWC will take place at the Evenia Olympic Palace Hotel, Avinguda Del Rieral, 55 17310 Lloret De Mar, Girona. Tickets (Full Pass) range from € 140 and the event begins the first day at two in the afternoon ending on Monday, January 10th at five in the morning.
We continue, and it is the turn of the Winter Bachata Festival 2022. The particularity of this festival is that it will have night workshops with social dances, the instructors are mostly local, more than one continuous hour of shows, and a closing party. The musicalization throughout the weekend will be in charge of DJ Miguelón, DJ Salva, and DJ Yago in a shared room with the rhythms of Bachata and Salsa. Obtaining Full Pass tickets (€ 40) can be obtained through teachers or promoters and different payment methods by clicking here. Remember that Winter Bachata Festival begins on Friday, January 21st, and ends on Sunday, 23rd, also returns for the fifth time to the Spanish municipality of Cullera at the Hotel Cullera Holiday, at Av. el Racó, 27 Cullera, Valencia.
Now we finish our trip in the center of the country, specifically in Madrid. During the first weekend of the month, the Magic Bachata Weekend event will take place with all the established biosafety measures: temperature measurement, Hydro-alcoholic Gel, and Mask (during the three days). Magic Bachata Weekend will begin on Friday, January 7th, and will end on Sunday, 9th. This weekend full of Bachata will feature 18 pairs of instructors of the genre conducting workshops, shows, and late-night Latin parties. You can get tickets online at La Salsa del Baile and the price at the door ranges from € 60. The venue will be the Hotel Eurostars Madrid Foro, Ronda de Europa, 1, 28760 Tres Cantos.
Noticias Con Sabor with Luis Medina
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
How Birdland began operating and its role in Latin music
What is Birdland?
Birdland has been the place in which many of the most important New York’s stars of the show were born and has represented the beginning of many artistic careers that have achieved worldwide fame, so this spectacular venue deserves all the recognition and fame that it has accumulated over the years.
This is a jazz club that began operations in December 1949 in Manhattan and was closed for a few years until its reopening in 1986. What happened was that a second location of the same name was opened in Manhattan and was not too far from the land on which the original club operated. Today, Birdland operates at the same facility as the headquarters of the famous local newspaper The New York Observer in the past.
Story about how the idea to create Birdland was born
During the 1920s, there were a lot of musicians who had to move to New York City because it was there that the biggest jazz movement of the moment was being produced. It could be said that the birthplace of the most famous jazz styles of the last decades was the Big Apple and its surroundings.
It was there where and when the musical career of Charlie Parker, affectionately known as Bird by most of his fans, emerged. Some time later, it would be this brilliant artist and talented saxophonist who would get one of the most popular jazz clubs in the city and the country in general named after him. This would be one of the many tributes received by Parker before and after his death in 1955.
Once Birdland was opened in the late 1940s, the saxophonist began performing there on a regular basis along with many other music legends of the moment such as Dizzy Gillespie, Lester Young, Lennie Tristano, Maxie Kaminsky and many more. Although Birdland was named to honour Charlie, that did not keep the artist from having some friction with Oscar Goodstein, one of the founders of the venue, who said that Parker was constantly asking for too much money. As the story goes, this was the reason why the musician did not perform as many times as expected.
On the facade of the club, a neon sign could read Birdland, Jazz Corner of the World, making it clear what its customers would find once they entered the facility. Once inside, there was space for approximately 500 visitors and a full orchestra to lighten the mood that night. Birdland included a very long bar, spacious tables, stands with a wide variety of products, folding chairs, among other things. At that time, customers only had to pay a $1.50 fee to enjoy everything that the nightclub had to offer.
It went on to have so much prestige that it had among its visitors Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, Gary Cooper, among other personalities from the entertainment world. It has taken so much popularity in those years that composer George Shearing dedicated one of his greatest creations entitled Lullaby of Birdland to it, which was also inspired by Charlie Parker as well as the name of the place.
The role of Birdland in Latin music
Just as Birdland contributed to the emergence of important careers in the jazz music scene, it also did the same with a good number of Latin music singers who saw this corner of New York as an opportunity to make their art known to other audiences. One of them was world-famous bandleader, composer and musician Tito Puente, who performed at the venue on several occasions and improvised many sets with Dizzy Gillespie and Lionel Hampton.
There is also the case of Tito Rodríguez, who made use of his great talent to record a spectacular live album entirely dedicated to Birdland and whose name was Live at Birdland. In addition, he featured incredible collaborations with great musicians such as Clark Terry, Al Conh, Zoot Sims, among others.
Another of the great Latin music artists who came to perform at this venue was Cuban bandleader, arranger and trumpet player Chico O’Farrill. The artist played and recorded at the club on a wekly basis about the time he already had his own orchestra called Afrocuban Jazz Orchestra. Arturo O’Farrill, worthy son of his father, also performs regularly at Birdland with his orchestra The Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble.
“Extravagante” is the ninth record production by Orquesta Mulenze
Edwin “Mulenze” Morales was born on 9 April.
Orquesta Mulenze came out in 1976 due to the motivation of Edwin Morales. At that time, he was a young rocker who decided to change his guitar for a bass and in turn become part of Orquesta Yambo, often accompanyng artists such as Hector Lavoe, Celia Cruz, Cheo Feliciano, Ismael Miranda among others arriving in Puerto Rico without an orchestra; then it was later identified and we would know as MULENZE.
The Orchestra was created in the era where salsa was booming and was fortunate to have musicians, composers and singers of great stature who are now recognized. These include Cano Estremera (R.I.P), (El albino de la Salsa) who would later join Bobby Valentín’s band as a vocalist; in the choir singer-songwriter Pedro Arroyo who has brought several of his compositions to Mulenze, in the piano Andy Guzmán and Eric Figueroa. The latter would be one of the influencers in the style which would be adopted by the orchestra, practicing a little sophisticated and revolutionary rhythm for the public that follows popular music.
Mulenze was one of the first orchestras to use synthesizers within salsa, working rhythmically out of the beat in which the clave pattern is set, giving some jazz variations to their music; it was an innovation that was not very accepted by the groups that were already established at that time, though later this would give respect and an its own identity to the orchestra with its brilliant arrangements.
The ninth record production “Extravagante”
This ninth record production “Extravagante” is impossible to get since 1990 as the company under which it was released has ceased to exist and it is one of those many lost records.
In the voices of Pedro Brull and Rafy Andino, excellent album and Edwin “Mulenze” Morales as director of the group with a first-class team of musicians and arrangers surprises us with this release.
Orquesta Mulenze – Extravagante 1990.
Record label: Hitt Makers
Quédate: Written-By – Pedro Arroyo
Ese Loco De La Vida: Written-By – Juan Bautista
Es Al Amor Que Llega: Written-By – Jose Luis Perales*
No Hay Preguntas: Written-By – Jose Luis Perales*
Contra Viento Y Marea: Written-By – Gloria Gonzalez
Zumba Con Mi Rumba: Written-By – Poldo Castro
Mi Tremendo Caso: Written-By – Tite Curet Alonso
A Dormir Afuera: Written-By Fabio Espinoza, Joaquin Galan, Lucia Galan
Arrangers:
Eric Figueroa (2) (tracks: B3),
Julio Alvarado (tracks: A2, B1),
Luis Garcia (5) (tracks: B2),
Ricky Rodriguez (3) (tracks: A1, A3, A4, B4).
Talent:
Bongos, Cowbell – Charlie Sierra
Congas – Jimmy Garcia (3)
Choir – Alex Castro (3), Cheo Andújar
Guest Musician, Congas – Giovanni Hidalgo, Johnny Rivero
Guest Musician, Keyboards – Jose Pujales
Guest Musician], Maracas – Cusy Castillo
Guest Musician, Timbales – Chago Martinez
Guest Musician, Trombone – José Berrios
Guest Musician, Trumpet – Carlos Martinez (3), Mario Ortiz Jr.
Güiro – Ricardo Salgado
Leader, Bass, Producer, Directed By – Edwin Morales
Mixed By – Papo Sánchez (2)
Piano, Keyboards – Ricky Rodriguez (3)
Producer – Antonio Rodríguez
Technician – Andrés Reyes, George Kamarinos
Technician, Mixed By – Ricky Martínez
Timbales – Roberto Whatts
Trombone – Eliut Cintron, Rafy Torres
Trumpet – Angie Machado, Roberto Santiago (2)
Vocals – Pedro Brull, Rafy Andino
Vocals, Choir – Jose L. Ramos
Extravagante 1990
#SalsaIsCulture
Article of Interest: Mulenze The Orchestra of Eternal Youth
Sources: Julio Vázquez Productions