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Live music and other news in the SF Bay Area

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.

Mario Mayito Salomón — Mario *Mayito* Salomón

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

What Ángel Meléndez has to say about his brilliant musical career

Who Ángel Meléndez is

Ángel Meléndez is a source of pride for Puerto Rico who lives in Chicago, United States, and has a bright musical career that has not gone unnoticed by great well-known people and record labels linked to Latin music. The producer, arranger, composer, music teacher and trombonist studied at VanderCook College of Music, where he gained most of the knowledge that would serve him to become the figure he is today.

His hard work has allowed him to be nominated for the Best Tropical Music category at the Grammy Awards and the winner of the 2005 Annual Independent Music Awards thanks to the talent he displayed on his album Ángel Meléndez & the 911 Mambo Orchestra.

Meléndez was great lick to collaborate with some of the greats of music such as Cheo Feliciano, Adalberto Santiago, Tito Puente, Tito Allen, Frankie Ruiz, Ismael Miranda, among many others.

Trombonist Ángel Melendez — Producer, arranger, composer, music teacher and trombonist Ángel Meléndez

His most recent projects include the one he made with Gia Fu and Ralph Riley. Riley was in charge of the making of Big Band Maquina (album name) and was in charge of organizing the work of all the artists who lent their talent to carry out this ambitious project together with Meléndez and other producers. The album includes 11 tracks and a bonus track, as a result of the serious issue of fathering so many music professionals in a single project in the middle of the pandemic and from so many recording studios.

We had the opportunity to talk to him to learn a little more about his career and what he is doing now. We hope everyone reading this pleasant talk will enjoy it.

Interview

Today we are pleased to welcome composer, arranger, instructor and trombonist Ángel Meléndez. Good afternoon, Mr. Meléndez, how are you today?

I am doing very well, thank goodness. Although I am very cold here in Chicago, but it is not your fault (laugh).

You once commented that you always liked the Big Band sound. How important is the number of musicians in an orchestra?

When I was a kid, my family always organized parties and played the music of Machito, Tito Puente, Tito Rodríguez and many others. So when I went to college, the jazz band director made me his manager. When I had it in front of me, I knew that was what I wanted to. I love it. That is why I say the more the better, but there are also groups like Joe Cuba Sextet that sound great with only six or seven members.

You have been a music teacher for several decades. Do you think training other artists has influenced your style? Do you think that you have learned from your students?

I have had many students who have become professional musicians and also learned a lot from them. In college I learned to play many instruments on a very basic level. One of the things I have learned from my students is that you can learn to play two, three or four instruments properly. I love the piano, I bought a Spanish guitar and am learning to play flamenco late in life.

Ángel playing his instrument — Ángel Meléndez performing and playing the trombone

So you never stop learning and are always looking for new instruments and rhythms to add to your work

Yes! Right now I am working on a project with Hong Kong producer Gia Fu and she is going to kill me because she does not want anyone to know yet (laugh). It’s called the Borinchino Project and includes Chinese songs in Latin rhythms. The first song is a bolero cha cha chá.

What was the experience of working together with Gia Fu, Ralph Raley and the rest of the team of musicians with whom you made this album? Are you happy with the result?

Of course we are! We were all pleased with the record. What happened was that I made a jingle called Lisa La Boricua for a dance academy called Lisa La Boricua in swing dancing about 20 or 25 years ago. In Germany, it was a hit for about 14 weeks. Gia is also a salsa DJ, she was doing some work in Switzerland when she heard that track which was like a jam session. She liked it so much that she thought about collaborating with me. After many months of looking for me, he found me. So my former timbalero is now music director of Victor Manuelle and knows the best musicians in Puerto Rico. When they called me and offered me to collaborate with them, they only wanted to make two songs. I told them if I said yes, we were going to get it right and go to Puerto Rico. Since we are in times of Covid-19, the best musicians are available. We went to Puerto Rico, made two songs and loved the result, so they said to make four more songs. The second time, Gia came from Hong Kong. She is like a painter who knows exactly what she wants. She already bears in mind the idea of how this will all turn out. She can be a bit stubborn, but, at the end of the day, everything always goes as she hopes. If she imagines a song with Tito Allen singing, she got it.

Something that got our attention at International Salsa Magazine is the way you did this project. We know that you were conceiving everything from different countries and studios thanks to new technologies. How was the process of recording from several places as far apart? How do you feel about what you achieved?

Most of the recordings were made at Rolo Studios in Puerto Rico. The vocals for the two tracks recorded by Herman Olivera were created at Nino Cegarra’s studio, but vocals by Tito Allen were done in New York because he did not want to travel to Puerto Rico. That is why Ralph, Gia and I went to New York to record them there, but the base, percussion, brass and backing vocals were done at Rolo Studios.

Album Big Band Máquina — Album cover Big Band Máquina

In addition, the pandemic made everything difficult, especially travel, how much do you think the pandemic has affected your work? Do you feel that things are coming back to normal? Is your work back to normal?

It has made it impossible to go back to work. I had about three or four bookings, but everything got cancelled when the Covid pandemic was getting worse. As I told you, In part it was a blessing because no one was working. Luis Marín (Gilberto Santa Rosa’s piano player), bassist Pedro Pérez (he has worked in more than 500 recording productions), conguero Sammy García (musical director of Charlie Aponte), Pocorelli (musical director of Víctor Manuelle as I had said), Sammy Vélez (musical director of El Canario), Richie Bastar (El Gran Combo’s congocero) were available to work with us and that it was a blessing.

Exactly. This whole situation has given you the opportunity to do other activities such as writing music, making new arrangements and many other things.

That’s it. I put my students on an assignment and most of them paid no attention anyway. I gave them 10 or 15 minutes to practice while I sat at the piano and waited for them to tell me something. During that time, I used to write. As they say, everything happens for a reason.

What plans do you have for 2022?

There’s Borinchino, which is the project I am working on with Gia and Ralph wants to repeat what we already did in mambo. Right now I am writing two new musical productions with new songs. In the case of Borinchino, the album will include several Chinese songs with Latin genres such as salsa, bolero, merengue, cha cha chá, among others. In the case of the project with Ralph, it will be almost the same as we did with the previous album.

This is Gia Fu — Hong Kong producer Gia Fu

This all means this partnership with Ralph and Gia will continue for an indefinite time?

Of course it will! They are thrilled with me and I am thrilled with them. They are my family in Hong Kong. The two people I love most in Hong Kong. The only people I know there, but I still love them very much.

What recommendations do you make to young people who want to do the same thing in the future?

I would advise them to learn about their culture. Our music is incredible and has a very high level. We grew up with children’s songs like Cheki Morena, so a complicated rhythm is very easy for us. In contrast, Americans grow up listening to the A, B, C song. When kids from our Latin countries begin to learn music, it is much simpler for them to play things with complicated rhythms. What I would like to tell those who read this interview is that they have to learn about their culture and music.

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.

Stage at Birdland — Stage of the jazz club Birdland

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.

Tommy Potter, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and John Coltrane at Birdland — Tommy Potter, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and John Coltrane performing at Birdland in 1951

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.

Announcement about Tito Puente's concert — Announcement of Tito Puente’s show at Birdland in 1999

Music programming in January at Cascal Restaurant

What Cascal Restaurant has to offer

Cascal is a colorful and lively restaurant that has become one of the best culinary options that people of the State of California can choose when it comes to enjoying an exquisite meal in good company. When we check the official website of the establishment, we can clearly see the wide variety of cuisine that its friendly staff strives to offer its diners, one of the reasons why they are so popular in these times of pandemic.

One of the reasons why this restaurant stands out from the rest is that it strives to mix the delicious Spanish flavors with the exotic Latin American culture, something that has been very well received by those who have had the opportunity to attend its facilities and see for themselves how good this place they have heard about is.

In addition to offering spectacular dishes, they always have very special guests who ensure that visitors spent a pleasant time and pair their meal with good music and entertainment for the whole family. Next up, we will talk a little bit about what Cascal Restaurant has to offer to its visitors musically speaking.

This is Cascal — The facade of Cascal Restaurant

Music programming throughout the month of January

The first month of the year is reputed to be boring and lean in many ways, but this is not the case with Cascal, as it has a very special schedule for all Fridays and Saturdays in January.

Edgardo Cambón y Su Conjunto LaTIDo will be one of the groups to be presented at the venue just as they did during 2021 on a recurring basis. It is a Latin music group based in Oakland, California, and was created by Edgardo Cambón, who has a long history as a bandleader, vocalist, conguero and other things. The group has been shown to have a vast repertoire that can mix the classic salsa style of the 80s and 90s with much more recent rhythms without ever falling into monotony.

Edgardo Cambón playing — Edgardo Cambón performing at Cascal

According to information provided by Brad Daley, who is part of Cascal’s staff, Edgardo and LaTIDo will be performing at the establishment on 7 and 21 January between 7:30 and 10:00 P.M.

Another artist performing is acclaimed guitarist and music teacher Daniel Yarritú, who has been performing at Cascal since some years ago. On this occasion, he will not be alone, as he will be joined by fellow guitarist Gary Carpenter and master percussionist Luis Carranza. It is expected that the trio will perform on Saturday 8, Friday 14 and Friday 28 during this month.

The third and final group that will be at Cascal will be Gypsy Tribe, which will perform on Saturdays 15, 22 and 29 of this month. The band consists of Nesser Babolmoradi (founder of the band, musician and composer), Nicolas Adams (lead guitar), Jack Marshall (bass guitar), Willie Garza (percussion), Dany Cobo (violin), Ardie Salem (percussion).

Acknowledgements

We want to give special thanks to Brad Daley, Cascal’s general manager who was the one who provided us with all information related to events and shows at the venue for the month of January.

What effects does music have on our brain?

Undeniably, music plays a very important role in the life of every human being, even if he/she is not dedicated to it in a professional manner. This is because this set of sounds has very specific effects on the brain that might surprise those who deny how influential it can be at various levels.

Since we were just kids, we are fully exposed to all kinds of musical genres, some of which can help us develop our mental and brain capacities which, as an effect, can lead to a better memory, a higher concentration and much more attention to the activities we do. At the same time, our mathematical, language and conflict resolution skills.

The ear is an extremely powerful stimulation tool for our brain, which has made it to be taken into account as one of the many ways in which certain physical and mental suffering can be treated. In the specific case of music, we must remember that not all musical genres serve to achieve the same goals, so we should evaluate each of them individually.

Music is important to our brain — Brain and music

What effect does salsa have on the brain?

Salsa

In the case of salsa, we can say that the brain will receive a very special cocktail of adrenaline and dopamine, which will bring as a consequence the activation and relaxation of certain areas of the brain at the same time. It might seem counterintuitive, but it is really not. Given that salsa is a genre that invites to body movement, the effects are numerous, such as the stress relief, the increase in cardio-vascular capacity and a tremendous improvement in the coordination and balance.

What is happening with salsa can perfectly happen with other dance rhythms such as bachata, merengue, kizomba and many others. There are many physical trainers and coaches who use these genres to relax their clients after having used other sounds of greater impact.

Jazz

One of the biggest benefits brought by jazz on the brain is total relaxation of the body and the mind in those moments when we can be full of stress or anguish. Many used to think that this genre induced sadness in those who listen to it, but it there is evidence that the opposite can happen.

In fact, it has been proven that jazz can have the same calming effect as a cigarette in a smoker. The same can happen with blues, which is very similar to jazz, so its effects on the brain are similar.

Classical Music

A lot has been said and studied about the effects that classical music can have in certain areas of the brain. There are also many myths about it, such as becoming more intelligent when we listen to it, which has already been proven to be completely false. What is true is that it can help us develop our ideas in a better way and learn in a more optimal way. In fact, it has been proven that several symphonies put the brain in a state of alert that can be highly conducive to learning in many cases.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, world-famous composer of the Classical period

More information here: Frequency 432 Hertz and what experts say on this issue