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Search Results for: Van Van

Enriching conversation with Afrocuban music group Okan

Here is the interview

We are here with the Cuban Group Okan whose members, Elizabeth Rodriguez and Magbelis Savigne, are based in Canada. How are you, girls?

All right, thank you very much!

It’s a real pleasure for me to have you here. How’s it going?

We’re doing great and trying to start over after this big break. We are ready to be on tour very soon and do more things.

Elizabeth Rodriguez and Magdelys Savigne, members of the group Okan

Where is the name Okan coming from?

We wanted a name that had something to do with our Afro-Cuban roots, so we were doing some research on the closest thing to what we wanted. So, Okan comes from the Afro-Cuban dialect meaning heart. Elizabeth’s saint’s name is Okantomi which means Heart of Oshún, so we thought that sounded perfect for the kind of music we make that comes from our heart. We wanted to pay homage with that and have a name that Canadians could easily use. There have always been problems with the band’s name because they didn’t know how to say it, so Okan seemed to us the most appropriate.

In your music, the essence of Cuba stands out over everything else, but I imagine that your songs are also a mix of what you have learned since you left your country.

Yes, definitely. We have understood and learned that Cuban music is very good, but there are also many other things in the world. Living in Toronto has helped us to see how diverse music is and how similar it is to Brazilian or Turkish music, so you can say that we are influenced by different cultures and try to make music from the heart, from what we learned and from what surrounds us. In that sense, Toronto has many things to take advantage of

Which foreign rhythms have you been including in your work?

In addition to Cuban rhythms, we have also included Brazilian rhythms. We love Brazilian music and have a great love for Brazil – we include classical music genres as well because the two studied classical music in Cuba, so we are also influenced by that. Our next album is going to have a bit of Afrobeat, so it will be a bit more commercial than what we’ve done at the moment.

Living in Toronto helped Elizabeth and Magdelys to see how diverse music is

What did Jane Bunnet mean to you and other artists of your kind?

For us, she represented the opportunity to be able to go to festivals and learn more about the business. Of course, we learned by ourselves, since she taught us nothing. However, those tours gave us a lot of experience. The most important thing about playing with Jane Bunnet was to have gained experience and participated in important events we would’t have attended on our own. I think the most important thing was being able to achieve so much on our own and to play Afro-Cuban music representing the Afro-Cuban race and culture

Future genres

Are there any rhythms or genres that you don’t like or haven’t tried?

One of the songs on our next album is influenced by the rock of the 60’s because we like it a lot. Right now, there is some kind of Cuban reggaeton that has become very popular, but we haven’t done anything with that urban genre. We don’t really listen to the latest kind of reggaeton, so we prefer Afrobeat. We don’t say we’ll never do it, but we have to find some exponent of the genre who knows more about it to inform us. We have done some collaborations with Lido Pimiento and Bomba Estéreo.

We want to recover old Cuban genres that many people don’t know, which is why we have sung mozambique, pilón, changüI, among others. Cuban music is very broad and we got a long way to go in that regard.

I have noticed that the coloring is very important for you and this can be seen in your album covers and outfits, which are very colorful. What do you want to reflect with that?

What happens here is that clothes are super boring (chuckles) because many people dress in black or gray. In contrast, in Cuba and Latin America in general, people have always worn much more colorful clothes and we took that. Also, we met a Nigerian designer, who is the one who makes our clothes and outfits; besides, our Afro-Cuban roots also come from Nigeria, so we wear those clothes in honor of our ancestors. At first, we were doing this because it looked nice, but then people started asking why we did it, so it’s part of us now.

The coloring is very important for Okan

What reaction does the Canadian public to your outfits and music?

For the most part, the reaction is very positive. Many people say they came back to life when they hear us sing. We met a Cuban woman who had many years without going to Cuba and was very excited to hear us and that made us very happy because that’s the reason why we make music. Even though Canadians don’t understand the language, they like it because they see the chemistry between us and the musicians. People can see that and connect to us, even if they don’t understand the lyrics.

What have been the biggest obstacles you have had to face as immigrant artists?

The first problem is that people in this part of the world don’t respect the music done by professional musicians as much as they should although everyone consumes this product. In fact, payments do not correspond to the work done because people think that having a concert is very simple, but that implies a lot of prior preparation, songs written, sound tests, rehearsals, among other things. After all that, they want to pay 100 pesos for a concert. Music is not appreciated as a career and we consider that to be one of the main challenges we have had to face.

The other issue is that we come from a system in which we are not taught how the music business works. Behind it, there is a huge industry and a huge business, so you have to suffer so much to learn it.

Language is another barrier that closes many doors. Our advice to those who hear us is to know that it is possible make a living from music, but you have to speak the language of the country where you are living. You also have to find a good manager who believes in you and in your music; if it is someone born in the country, so much the better.

These girls have to face some obstacles as immigrant artists, but it was all worth it

How do you see the role of the internet in music?

We believe that excess is bad. It’s not fair what Spotify and other digital platforms pay, but you also have to understand that your music gains access to a larger audience. We’ve heard of people listening to us from Russia, Poland, Brazil, Colombia, Puerto Rico, Australia and many more countries. You have to see the positive part and understand that you can reach audiences from anywhere in the world. We can’t view the internet as an enemy, but as a tool and an advantage; it has its negative aspects, but many positive things.

What will be the name of your new album?

The name of our new album will be Okantomi, Elizabeth’s saint’s name and each track will be very different from the other one in terms of rhythms. We will have many guest artists and a super special song dedicated to Cuba in relation to the current situation, but seen from the point of view of Cubans in exiles. It will be called No volví. 

Occupations when you are away from the stage

We give music, violin, singing and piano lessons.

Cuban singer Daymé Arocena and her pride of being Afrocuban

This is our conversation

Here we are with Cuban artist Daymé Arocena who lives now in Canada. How are you, Daymé? Nice to meet you and great to have you here today.

Hello, nice to meet you. Thank you very much for the invitation. It is my pleasure to be here talking to you.

I understand that your musical career started at the age of eight. What made you start walking this path? What was the experience that made you make that decision?

I never made the decision to become a musician. I think it was part of the package. I never said that this is what I wanted to do because I’ve always done it. From the age of eight, my parents began taking me to music lessons and preparing me to came to the art and music school and the conservatory of music. I started singing with the choir in the community of 10 de octubre, where I came from. That’s how I started performing and getting up on stage as a soloist of a choir.

Daymé Arocena was born in Havana, Cuba

Considering that you come from a musical family and that music was always present at home, I imagine that also influenced your interest in making a career of it.

My family is profoundly musical, but they are not professional musicians. My dad is a music lover, but he is not a musician. My mother is a health care worker, qualified as a child cardiovascular surgeon. Actually, these are people who have a very nice sensibility for music, but they are not professionally dedicated to it.

I grew up in an intense environment. My house had many people; when I was born, there were already 22 people living at home, but some of them found more comfortable spaces to move and we became a family of 14. I was born in the 90’s, which was when the big crisis occurred and big power cuts were more frequent. There were electricitiy for very few moments during the day, so we couldn’t listen to the radio or TV. Then, my uncles and cousins kept singing, so I grew up watching the family sing and dance. In fact, several of my cousins today are folk musicians who went on to play in various traditional musical groups. It was a deeply spontaneous issue. I saw people enjoying and trying to alleviate the sufferings and shortages they were experiencing.

I imagine that musical and artistical growth in this context was very difficult. What challenges did you face in Cuba in becoming the artist you are today?

The mere fact of being born in Cuba is a challenge, but I had to face things beyond the fact that I was born on an island ruled by a dictatorial regime and all that that means. There was a lot of deep racism and a way to slyly to deal with social classes. For all these years, I have tried to purge my energy of resentment and pain caused by the situation and turn all these feelings into light and creativity. In my case, A lot of things happened like feeling uncomfortable in my own skin and not knowing how to deal with my skin color, my hair and my race. Today, I am deeply proud of my blackness and defend it to the death, but I went through a very hard and aggressive process before that.

The young and not so young prople have to know that you can make art and music through your own essence without having to please the eyes of a few.

So you would say that those things that were an obstacle are now part of your cover letter.

Totally. And proudly, too.

Daymé is deeply proud of her blackness

After leaving Cuba

When you left Cuba, what kind of support did you receive? What was the hardest moment?

Although I’ve spent years touring and working for years, I made the decision to leave Cuba a couple of years ago. I received a lot of international support that made my music visible, but it started playing long before I left my country. In Cuba, there is a control mechanism for artists consisting on a permit issued by the minister of culture to be able to practice that profession.

You can graduate from art school with full honors in the world, but that’s irrelevant because you graduate to be a music teacher, not a musician as such. In order to go on stage and get paid for your work, you need a permit issued by the Minister of Culture himself. To get it, you have to go through a lot of bureaucratic barriers such as commissions, auditions, among others. I didn’t have that permit to sing and profit from my singing when I met the record label that launched me as an artist. One day, I was singing in a deeply underground space without anyone’s permission. When I started to sneak into those spaces, my mom always told me to sing with energy because I never knew who was going to listen to me.

One day of those, a person named François Renié was watching me from the audience. This man was the creative director of the Havana Cultura platform. At that moment, they asked me to make a record with international DJs and singers. They invited me to do a casting, I showed up there, was selected and recorded the album despite not having permission to sing. When I was invited to the realease of the record in England, I showed them the music I Wrote and they offered me to sign with them officially.

You have been compared to Celia Cruz, Nina Simone and other artists of this stature because of your style, what do you have to say?

I had no idea who Celia Cruz was and it’s something I’m ashamed of. When I was compared with Celia Cruz, I wondered who she was. I think I really knew her following those comparisons.

Daymé thinks new generations have to know who Celia Cruz was

I think it has to do with that idea of homogenizing Cuban music into one thing. It was when I was compared with Celia that I started to find out about her and knew that she was the most universal of Cuban artists. She had a phenomenal way of petforming, transmitting, impacting and being as authentic. Musicians who do have access to Celia must do their utmost to let the new generations know who she was. If they can’t listen to her on the radio or TV, they can go online to listen to her and find out who La Guarachera de Cuba was.

How do you think Canadians perceive your music? 

I have done very few concerts in Canada as a soloist. In fact, I’m not even there at the moment, but in Puerto Rico. I can’t provide an overview of how Canadians perceive me, but I do think that they are super friendly, docile and open to all kinds of music. They appreciate, dance and enjoy whatever you play. I must thank my ancestors for the expansion of my music beyond the Canadian framework, so I don’t rely on that market for a living.

Do you plan to stay in Puerto Rico permanently?

I came to Puerto Rico to record my next album. I’m super happy and honored to be able to do it on this island so similar to mine because it has so much culture and colorful art. Here, I found the industrialization and visibility that Cuba doesn’t have. I still don’t know if I’m going to stay here for the rest of my life, since Canada enters into my plans in some way, but this is the stage I must live now.

Daymé Arocena is now living in Puerto Rico and recording her new album

To speak of Leonardo Ortiz Chacón is to speak of a musical institution of Mexico

Performer of the tres, composer, arranger, music and radio producer, director and founder of Combo Ninguno since 1983.

He studied at the Faculty of Music of the UV, in JAZZUV, in Musinetwork in Boston MA and with teachers Luis Martinez, Carlos Tercero and Edgar Dorantes, he is a teacher of Musical Education in the Ministry of Education of Veracruz and since January 2019 participates in the direction of the Papakilistli Orchestra of the same Secretariat.

He has collaborated in television as musical director of the program “Cómo suena la clave” in TV Más. He is currently producer and host of the program “Cadencia Caribe”.

Since 1983 in Xalapa, the members of Combo perform dance music from the Antilles, integrating a repertoire with their own creations and original arrangements to themes of other authors in different musical genres such as son, guaracha, mambo, merengue, danzón, bolero, etc, achieving in their thematic diversity, a unique sound full of references to their native state of Veracruz.

He has taught workshops of appreciation and execution of Caribbean music and has participated as a lecturer and speaker on this subject in countless events, have been presented in Spain, Cuba, United States and Canada.

Accessing different forums from the small and improvised street space to large venues with capacity for tens of thousands of spectators such as the Azteca stadium or the Salsa Fest in Boca del Rio.

He has performed at prestigious cultural festivals such as the Cervantino, the Quimera, the Afro-Caribbean of Veracruz, the Vancouver Folk Festival and the International of Houston, at Fairs such as the San Marcos and the Expo Sevilla, Carnivals such as the one of Veracruz, Havana and the Mardi Gras in New Orleans and Galveston Texas.

Maestro Leo, how can you define yourself in the music scene?

Leonardo Ortiz Chacón is to speak of a musical institution in Mexico.
Leonardo Ortiz Chacón Tres player, composer, arranger, music and radio producer

I see myself as someone captivated by this music since I heard it for the first time, thanks to it I have been able to enjoy unforgettable moments and for many years I have not had a day in my life without doing something related to music. Be it as a performer, manager, broadcaster, props man, audio manager, producer, etc.

I understand that you have had many presentations abroad?

For me there have been many and I would like to have more. I think I have been fortunate to take advantage of the opportunities that have presented themselves with Combo Ninguno. I must say that personally I would never have been able to be in the places where music has taken me.

As part of your presentations you toured the U.S. How pleasant was the experience?

At one time we participated in a project to promote tourism in the State of Veracruz and we continually visited the State of Texas and then extended to Louisiana and Colorado, thanks to this an American promoter invited us to tour from coast to coast presenting a show of music and dance that began in New Hampshire and continued in New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois and other states to conclude in California after performing in New Mexico and Arizona. The program of the presentations was with original repertoire and Mexican authors.

What did it mean to you to perform for the first time in such a musical country where many great exponents of the island of Cuba came from?tional in 1989 at the Na Theater of Cuba

For me this was one of the memorable moments that I thank to music, the fact of participating with Combo Ninguno in a Gala dedicated to Mexico, in such an important place in Cuba, the country where this music was born.

I tell you that my emotion was so great that at the beginning of our performance, I could not complete the first verse of the song with which we opened, it was El jarocho by Lino Carrillo, I had to sing: Jarocho yo soy señores and I only said Jarocho, the rest was a sort of incomprehensible sounds that I could emit with a lump in my throat.

Have you had an endless number of participations in Cultural Festivals, which is the one that leaves a mark on you in your own country?

I can’t say one in particular, I remember presentations at anti-nuclear rallies where there were children, young people, adults and elderly people that were not festivals strictly speaking, a Cervantino festival where in the middle of a downpour people danced in the Alhóndiga de Granaditas under an impressive downpour, the Festival de la Nueva Canción Mexicana where we performed for the first time in 1983. And I could go on mentioning many more.

How did the Como Suena La Clave Festival come about?

 Combo Ninguno
Combo Ninguno

This festival arises with the intention of being a showcase where to make visible and position the Mexican orchestras with original proposal. Trying to promote, preserve and spread salsa music made in Mexico.

At first the orchestras were invited to play original arrangements of songs by other composers, then they were asked to play music by national composers and nowadays they are asked to play original music complemented of course with songs by national composers.

You don’t stop, you continue harvesting and now the project Coloquio Musical Afroantillano is born, why make this new proposal?

I think that in Mexico little is reflected and little is written about this genre. It seems that when we take the music out of the dance floor, we lose the rhythm and also the step.

For some time now, most of the debates on this subject have taken place backstage and in the places where musicians and some dancers gather to refresh themselves after the events. Recently, social networks have continued with this exercise, I must point out that for decades the main topic to be discussed has been: Does salsa exist or not? Should it be called salsa or son? And I believe that among other issues, we have left aside fundamental matters such as the creative part, the economic aspect and the diffusion.

Based on this consideration and thanks to the support of Rafael Figueroa, the Festival Como suena la clave, the Centro de Estudios de la Cultura y la Comunicación of the Universidad Veracruzana and the Red de estudios de la Música Afroantillana en México convened the Colloquium La música afroantillana en México: confluencias y divergencias where the participants in a framework of cordiality and respect have made valuable contributions that will be included in a report that will be released as a digital multimedia document for free distribution.

Do you think that the music called salsa is evolving worldwide?

I don’t have the slightest doubt about it, just as I don’t hesitate to mention that due to diffusion factors we only know a small part of the new salsa music that is being made in many places and that perhaps most of the music that is more accessible to us on digital platforms is not the best.

Have you experienced the best times in music today, and what do you think is missing?

Among other things, today and always it will be necessary to contribute new music that increases the cultural heritage of this genre. We need to talk about our present without forgetting the past, about our environment and our daily life in a globalized world. We need to speak our own language and disseminate these productions in the best possible way, trying to overcome the reluctance of many towards what is new and what does not come from the places where this music has traditionally been produced.

Already with seventeen record productions, now that you have worked on them, which is the production that has marked the history of Combo Ninguno? What has been the one that has left the greatest mark on you?

Undoubtedly the most significant record production is the first one, in it, as in each of the subsequent ones, our desires and also our possibilities and limitations are recorded musically. The most present record you have now is the one you are making or that you intend to make. Each record becomes a part of your musical history and your own life.

Have I heard salsa with the jalapeño touch mentioned because of that phrase?

In our case it is an advertising phrase that alludes to the hot sauce.  Salsa with jalapeño flavor. Initially it was used for our presentations in the United States where the chili peppers are called jalapeños. Today we use it by writing jalapeños with an x.

Combo None other cultural heritage that we have while we are still alive that you feel after 39 years in the music industry?

I’m looking forward to at least as many more. Looking back I realize that Combo Ninguno became a life project that has filled my days with music, so there will always be little I can do for music.

What do you expect from Leonardo Ortiz Combo Ninguno?

I have two record productions pending with Combo Ninguno, one of them is already quite advanced and I hope to finish both this year. I hope to give continuity to the Festival Como suena la clave and continue participating and enjoying everything that has to do with salsa made in Mexico.

Maestro, what would you like to say goodbye with and what message would you like to leave to the new generations?

I would invite them, besides the musical study, to try to make their contribution and leave their name in the salsa made in Mexico, to document their creativity in our reality and then communicate it in their creations, I would also ask them to debate and collaborate with their colleagues.

DISCOGRAPHY

 In their discographic work we can see a style that can be projected without problems towards the universal, but that does not cease to feed on their own Veracruz identity by offering us a combination of traditional and original pieces that exude Veracruz and Afro-Hispanic Caribbean flavor.

 To date they have made seventeen recordings, seven exclusively of combo none:

– Tumba Verde (1987)

– Traigo este son (1990)

– Son de amor (1994)

– Carnaval Veracruzano (2001)

– Con Sabor a Veracruz (2005)

– La Bruja recorded at the 17th Afro-Caribbean Festival Veracruz 2011 (2012)

– Inventario- Combo Ninguno, of which the singles Descarga de las flores, Calaveritas de Azúcar and Alambre, cuero y madera have been presented.

 And ten productions in which they intervene with other groups:

– Son 13 rolas antinucleares (1989).

– Somos indios (1995)

– Homenaje a Luis Martínez, recorded live at Barlovento de Xalapa in the 1st.

Festival Como Suena la Clave 1997 (1998)

– Tribute to Carlos Pitalúa, recorded live at Barlovento de Xalapa in the 2nd Festival Como Suena la Clave 1998 (1998).

Festival Como Suena la Clave 1998 (1999)

– From Son to Danzón (2000)

– Tribute to Emilio Domínguez, recorded live at Barlovento de Xalapa in the 3rd Festival Como Suena la Clave 1998 (2000)

3rd Festival Como Suena la Clave 2004 (2010)

– Con sabor a Veracruz-RTV music (2012)

– Tribute to Toña la Negra, a recording that records the V Festival Como Suena la Clave

Clave Festival held in Veracruz, Veracruz, Ver (2013)

– Salsa a la veracruzana, recording of the VI Festival Como Suena la Clave held in Veracruz, Veracruz, Veracruz, Veracruz (2015).

Veracruz, Ver (2015)

– Al Son del Covid, record of the VII Festival Como Suena la Clave held in Veracruz, Veracruz, Veracruz (2015).

virtual way in December 2020.

Erika Muñoz (La Mulata Rumbera)

Article of Interest: Maestro Jorge Anselmo Barrientos Silva, conductor, arranger and composer

Europe – March 2022

Banner with blue background. At one end there is an electric guitar and at the other end the Germany flag and the image of Havana Nights musical

Banner with blue background. At one end there is a palm tree and two flamingos and at the other end the French flag and the image of Alfredo Buendía y Los Picaflores

     

Get Through March With Latin Atmosphere And Sound

France is ready to enjoy Latin events during the third month of the year

Covid-19 and its multiple variants have already ceased in France and that is why this European country is ready to start enjoying Latin events during this third month of the year. So don’t miss the details of each of the Latin parties that we bring this month dedicated especially to you.

Mulatason & Alfredo Buendía Y Los Picaflores

(Salsa / Mambo)

The 5 Mulatason singers dressed in white
This event will comply with current health measures.

Join and enjoy the end of this winter in the country with the Latin concert of the female group Mulatason and the band with the singular joy of Mambo Alfredo Buendía y Los Picaflores, this Saturday, March 5th at 9 PM at 3 Rue Ferdinand Buisson, 82000 Montauban, France Association Le Rio. Try to pre-sale tickets for € 20 because the price at the door will be € 24 per person.

And for those who still don’t know Mulatason, here I make a summary of their history. This orchestra formed in September 2013 by its director Yarelis Martínez Chávez is made up of five women with harmonious voices, and their music is a mixture of dance rhythms that range from Salsa through Timba and ending with the traditional melodies of the island of Cuba. Their popular and peculiar choreography called “Rikiti” has been their hallmark that they have managed to spread across large national and international stages.

The orchestra is made up of nine talented artists residing in Havana (Cuba) who graduated from higher art schools. Each member of the band is no older than 25 years old and they have a repertoire of original compositions.

Mulatason “Las Princesas de la Salsa” returns to Europe to present their new album No Vale Rendirse celebrating almost nine years in the art scene.

The 7 members of Alfredo Buendía and the Picaflores dressed in blue and black card
Seven musicians with a good dose of humor and passion for Afro-Latin music and Jazz make up the Mambo band, Alfredo Buendía y Los Picaflores

On the other hand, and for those who have not heard before about Alfredo Buendía y Los Picaflores, below I will tell you a little about them. This project of seven musicians was born on an afternoon in December 2016 in order to have fun on stage, make a type of music that injects energy into the audience, and transports joy and light madness to the spirit.

Alfredo Buendía (Lead Vocals – Trumpet 2) was returning from three years as a Jazz crooner in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), he wanted to bring something new, interesting, and different to the artistic scene in France since he had become accustomed to the type of show that it’s made in America. Also, he wanted to play rhythmic and deliberately festive music like the one he had been listening to for a long time-El Mambo by Pérez Prado-with its history from Cuba in the 1950s to Mexico.

This bewitching goal materialized with Pierre Levy (Tenor Saxophone), Jonas Chirouze (Drums), Clément Lefèvre (Trumpet), Hugo Lebeau (Congas), Guillaume Pique (Trombone), Youssef Ghazzal (Double Bass), and Alfredo Buendía managing to create El Mambo a novel concept between Afro-Latin music and jazz little explored on the French scene.

Le Balajo

(Salsa / Bachata)

Le Balajo Salsa Class Flyer in France
Le Balajo is located at 9 Rue de Lappe, 75011 Paris, France

Le Balajo nightclub open since 1936 brings Salsa and Bachata classes every Tuesday from 7:30 PM to 2 AM for beginners and intermediate level dancers. Salsa lessons for amateurs start at 7:30 PM while intermediate level classes begin at 8:30 PM followed by a Latin party hosted by DJ Karim until 2 AM.

Remember that to access the club you must present a Vaccination Certificate (Required) and an identity document.

The fees to attend this weekly event of joy and good humor are €8 and include non-alcoholic drinks and €12 if the drink is alcoholic, but if you just want to enjoy the bar and its atmosphere, the admission is €5.

La Pachanga

(Salsa)

Colorful flyer of La Pachanga club in France
On the dance floor of La Pachanga, you can dance to the rhythm of Salsa, Bachata, Merengue, and Kizomba

The Bar/Restaurant/Club La Pachanga is a place of reference for Salsa lovers, it is located in Paris at 8, rue Vandamme 75014. This club is designed with a cozy and Caribbean style. At the bar, you can enjoy different types of cocktails, Mojitos, Caipirinha, or Cuba Libre, just as they offer only Latin American dishes at the restaurant.

At Pachanga, you can attend classes for beginner and intermediate levels from Tuesday to Saturday from 7:30 PM to 8:30 PM with different instructors who will make you live an hour of Salsa Cubana and Salsa Puertorriqueña dance.

Latin Music Bonus In France

Dancing couple dressed in black
The Latin Party at Bar Le 3 is back

On Friday, March 18th, you can enjoy the Soireé Mix Latino “La Calle” event from 4 PM to 9 PM at Bar Le 3 located at the French city and commune Valence at 4 rue André Lacroix. This bar has a tropical atmosphere with living rooms with sofas and armchairs as well as a cozy and warm decoration. It also has a selection of 30 cocktails and a permanent musical atmosphere with a selected playlist of Jazz and other genres.

And the last Latin Music Bonus in France that I bring you for this edition is the Fiesta Latina Metz to be held on Friday, March 26th. This festival will offer you two workshops (Salsa and Bachata), in addition to having fun with the rhythm of Cuban Salsa, Dominican Bachata, Sensual Bachata, Kizomba, and other Caribbean melodies. There will be big parties with DJ Will, DJ Papy Culio, and DJ Kylian starting at 9 PM and ending with seven shows from 11 PM to 3 AM. Fiesta Latina Metz will have three rooms (Salsa/ Bachata/ Kizomba) and the prices to attend vary by combo: one workshop + evening: €12, while two workshops + evening: €20, and if you just want to attend to enjoy the shows the ticket has a value of €7. Fiesta Latina Metz will take place at the Quai Sablon Social and Cultural Center at 1 bis rue Castelnau 57000 Metz.

You Can Also Read: Enjoy 4 Latin Events In Prague

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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.