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3 Reasons To Stay In Paris This Season

We show you the different places to visit with authentic Salsera fun

Paris (France) has always been a popular tourist destination with musical tradition, and the rhythm of Salsa is no exception. There are plenty of places to dance if you like this Afro-Caribbean tune, but what makes it especially appealing this season? We show you three reasons why you will want to spend more time in the capital of this beautiful Western European country during December 2022.

Latin New Year’s At Cabaret Sauvage

Cuarteto Cubano has toured France’s stages for four years

The biggest Latin New Year’s Eve in Paris will be at Cabaret Sauvage with the live presentation of Cuarteto Cubano playing the great classics of Cuban and French music that will make you travel through old Havana and give French hits an air of partying and joy. The Cuban Quartet www.cuartetocubano.com has toured the stages of France since 2018, always with the same goal of “making people dance and smile”.

Then, the wild mixes by DJ El Dany, DJ Hot Rod, and DJ El Cuco will begin with the best of Salsa, Merengue, Bachata, Guaracha, Reggaeton, Dembow, Funk, and Cumbia together with the magical voice of Cuban singer Denis Mora.

All of this is accompanied by the show of the Latin Cabaret and intelligent Pitshow that will take you into the idyllic atmospheres of the Latin American carnivals with the performances of the divine Cuban dancers Roima and Diane Alcalá who form the duo “Las Mulatas del Sabor” that will transport you to a paradise of the burning party of Havana, Cuba.

Cabaret Sauvage will open its magical doors on Saturday, December 31^st, 2022, from 10 PM to 5:30 AM on Sunday, January 1^st, 2023. Tickets are already available for reservation, but if you want to purchase them at the box office, they will have a value of €50 all night. Cabaret Sauvage is located at 59, bd MacDonald – Parc de La Villette – Paris 19 M° Porte de La Villette.

¡Vamos Pa’ La Rumba!

Cabaret Sauvage starts Christmas on December 3rd

If you like to dance Salsa, then you can go to Cabaret Sauvage https://www.cabaretsauvage.com/agenda throughout this season. Yes, we continue with the Latin party in this magnificent place.

The ingredients are assembled on the table to make La Rumba an unmissable event for all lovers of Latin music and Latin American culture in a unique party experience in Paris.

The Salsa Concerts will present the best current and classic pieces from the orchestras that make life in the capital of this country, renowned for its wines and haute couture brands.

On the stage of Cabaret Sauvage on Saturday, December 3^rd, you will satisfy your Salsa cravings with Salsa Caleña classes with Calisabor instructors, a performance by the Jim López & La Nueva Edición orchestra, and tonight will be enlivened by the Show Super Heroes of Salsa and the mixes of DJ El Dany, DJ Dominicano, and DJ El Cuco de la Salsa.

On the second Saturday of the month (December 10^th), the Rumba continues with the second edition of El Perreo de Navidad: Mega Reggaeton Party with the opening of its doors at midnight. Here, you will find until 6 AM the best selection of this urban rhythm that has guaranteed its permanence at the top of popularity among the youngest in France and the world. The DJs present will be DJ El Dany, DJ Ortega Dogo, DJ Lina, and DJ Driver MC. The ticket price at the box office is €20.

France’s Clubs

This season you can have fun in Paris with its landscapes, winter climate, cultural offer, sophisticated gastronomy, and above all in the various clubs that offer a palette of Afro-Caribbean colors and Salsa enjoyment, among which the Le Balajo nightclub stands out https://www.balajo.fr/ open since 1936. Every Tuesday there are Salsa and Bachata classes for beginners and intermediate level dancers followed by a Latin party hosted by DJ Karim until 2 AM.

The Parisian Restaurant/ Bar/ Nightclub Pachamama https://www.pachamama-paris.com/index.php/en/home-alt-2/ is located at 46-48 rue du Faubourg Saint Antoine, 75012, in a historic building from the 19th century designed by Gustave Eiffel in the neo-vintage colonial style. It has three levels and is open from Thursday to Saturday from 8 PM to 5 AM with resident DJs lighting up the dance floor (Ground Floor) with harmonious mixes between Latin Music, Soul, Pop, and Deep House.

Finally we bring you the Bar/ Restaurant/ Club La Pachanga https://www.lapachanga.fr/, a place of reference for lovers of Salsa, it is located near the Eiffel Tower at 8, rue vandamme 75014.

At La Pachanga you can attend two-hour Cuban Salsa and Puerto Rican Salsa dance classes from Tuesday to Thursday from 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM, continuing with social dancing and a DJ set until 2 AM. On Saturdays La Pachanga closes its doors at 5 AM.

You Can Also Read: Where To Go Dancing Salsa In Paris?

Know The Best Latin Music Events In Spain During December

This month of vacation, you will have the opportunity to experience incredible concerts and festivals

In December, great festivals are celebrated in Spain that last from the beginning of Advent until New Year’s Day. Moderate, non-intrusive décor is ever-present in public spaces and homes during this exciting time of year. A wide range of music that goes from the traditional Spanish melody to Latin music (Salsa, Bachata, and Reggaeton) popular among the youngest will disperse throughout the Iberian country, and here I have summarized everything for you.

Salsa singer Yiyo Sarante will offer a concert in Girona for the first time at the Euphoria nightclub

In Girona (a province located in the northeast of the autonomous community of Catalonia), the Dominican singer Yiyo Sarante will make his first appearance on December 2^nd in the spaces of the Latin disco Euphoria https://www.facebook.com/EUPHORIALATINAGIRONA/?ref=page_internal (Sala Univers, Girona, Carrer del camp de les lloses, 8) at midnight to present his most recent singles Quiero Perderme Contigo, Llorarás, Eres Pasado, Demonio y Prohíbeme Verte as well as his greats classics Pirata, Maldita Primavera, Tierra Mala, Nos engañó a Los Dos y Tres Semanas. Tickets are already available and range from €30 (online) to €40 (box office). The minimum age to access this event is 18 years.

This same day (Friday, December 2^nd) the Sevillian exponent of Bachata Dani J will give a concert in Madrid as part of his Abraxas Dancing Tour to celebrate the season. This concert will take place at the Cervantes Complex (Highway M206 Torrejón at Km 2.6, M-206, Km 2, 600, 28890 Loeches, Madrid) at 1 AM, and its doors will open at 10:30 PM with a workshop, followed by an hour of social dance to then continue with the concert, and close with the second social dance until dawn. Tickets can be purchased from €15 by clicking here. https://complejocervantes.com/

The workshops, parties, and socials will be held at the 8 Tiempos Dance School

The third event that I bring you will take place in Zaragoza, the largest city in the autonomous community of Aragon in the northeast of Spain. The Zaragoza Dance Festival is a three-day celebration of tropical dance immersion with more than 30 Salsa, Bachata, and Kizomba workshops with great artists from Europe and Latin America in two simultaneous rooms, two nights of partying from 11 PM to 6 AM with DJ Tevez (Spain), DJ Sergio (Spain), DJ Shark (Cuba), DJ Antony Tarraxa (Italy), and DJ Enzo (Spain), as well as the concert of the world star of the song DANI J on Saturday night. The festival will take place from December 16^th to December 18^th at the facilities of the 8 Tiempos dance school located at C. de Tomás A. Edison, 9, Zaragoza. The full pass for the I Zaragoza Dance Festival which will welcome thousands of fans from different corners of the planet can be purchased through its official website. https://lasalsadelbaile.com/zaragozadancefestival

Following the same trend in festivals this season, the Winter Bachata Festival stands out. It is an annual event that is organized in Gandia city, province of Valencia. This seventh edition features local dance professionals who will help hone the skills of amateur dancers. All this by the hand of DJ Miguelón, DJ Salva, and DJ Yago who will animate with their mixes the daytime and nighttime workshops as well as the parties and social dances that will start at 11:30 PM until 3 AM. In this field dominated by Latin dance professionals, you will have the opportunity to attend and meet new friends. Winter Bachata Festival https://lasalsadelbaile.com/winterbachata will take place from December 8th to December 11th at the Hotel Gandia Palace (Carrer de la Rioja, 41), and the ticket costs €45.

Seats will be assigned in order of entry of reservations. If necessary, tables will be shared

Finally, in this list of the best Latin music events in Spain that will make you live an unforgettable experience during this beautiful time of year, I bring you the Terra show with an international cast made up of almost 50 artists who will be in charge of guiding a trip around the world very particular that will surprise and show the spectator all the artistic richness with the main performances by the New Bambú Orchestra, the Christmas carols by candlelight with the tribute to Il Divo, and the singer Ami Tapper, who will accompany the spectators during this journey with musical themes that have become universal classics. In addition, award-winning magician David Climent, comedian Titto Lester, aerial contortionist Sharyn Monni, Kimberly Lester with the number of “sand art” and circus artists Sandy, Samantha & Jastin Monteiro Vassallo will perform.

On Sunday, December 25^th (New Bambú show and tribute to Il Divo + gala dinner: €70), Saturday, December 31^st (show + gala dinner: €185) and Thursday, January 5^th (show + gala dinner: €64) are the dates to enjoy this amazing show by Terra at the Benidorm Palace concert hall www.benidormpalace.es located at Avenue Severo Ochoa 13 in the city of Benidorm, one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe and the Second city in the world with the highest number of skyscrapers per square meter.

This is the story of Percussionist Joe González

Young Joseph

Joseph Gonzalez has been one of the greatest Latin percussion icons of our time and it is worth talking about his past and current accomplishments. He was born on March 12, 1953 in the San Juan Hill section of Manhattan and grew up in a mixture of cultures with Puerto Rican and Italian roots, which ensured that the young Joseph and the rest of his siblings were raised with the best of each.

Percussionist Joe González posing for the camera

According to the musician himself, his passion for music started in the 1950s when he listened to all kinds of genres and rhythms at home, which trained the young man almost without him realizing it. At home, his family used to enjoy the talent of Frank Santana, Machito, Jerry Vale, Tito Puente, Mario Lanza, among many other artists of the time. Upon hearing these names, one can already get an idea of what Gonzalez’s vocational training would be like in the future.

From a young age, he would liven up family parties by playing the conga. At the age of 15, the boy first became interested in music as something more than just a hobby to kill some time. The teenager gave signs that music would be a very important part of his life.

Already in the 1960s, Gonzalez had made his first long-playing record with Frankie Nieves, vocalist and neighbor of the artist who had set himself the goal of taking over the boogaloo world and become one of its greatest exponents. The album was called ”The Terrible Frankie Nieves”, was under the direction of producer Stan Lewis and contained all kinds of popular genres for those years such as R&B, guaracha, mambo and much more.

Self-taugh musician

Something very striking about this music is that he never attended an institute or school of arts, but learned everything by himself through the experience he gained in San Juan Hill, where the best Latin music orchestras were always heard and whose musicians lived and some even resided in Amsterdam Houses.

In 1971, he became a member of the Ruben Betancourt’s orchestra, with whom he would play the group’s first LP entitled ”Orquesta Tentación” and published by the record label Mañana Records. A few years later, he married and soon he and his wife had their first daughter, to whom they gave the name Audrey Valentina. Around the same time, he separated from Rubénm stayed with ”Felix Morales & Orchestra Caprí” for two years and was part of ”Son De La Loma”, whose members were veteran musicians who taught Joe everything they knew.

Cover of the album ‘’62nd and 10th’’

During the 1980s, there was a dramatic decline in the Latin music scene, which caused Gonzalez to look for a regular job that could support his family and provide them with the the finaltial security they need. In those years, he partnered with jazzman Mario Bauzá and his orchestra, a group with which the percussionist finally achieved the level he was destined to get to.

He started making very important appearances in a lot of concerts with the Bauzá’s orchestra and recordings that would lead him to have access to many other opportunities on TV shows, film soundtracks, tours, awards, among many other things. This led him to be worthy of the Latin Grammy on several occasions and perform with stars such as Celia Cruz, Papo Vázquez, Arturo O’Farrill, Daniel Poce and many more.

His most recent album is entitled ”62nd to 10th”, which is absolutely dominated by Latin jazz and whose compositions are written by Gonzalez himself, except for one track. In this album, Joe Gonzalez once again demonstrates that he has not forgotten everything he has learned and is still as strong as ever.

By Johnny Cruz, ISM Correspondents, New York, New York City

Latin America – November 2022

Producer, composer, and singer D’ William tells his story

Who is D’ William?

William Pagán Díaz, artistically known as D’ William, is a talented producer, composer and singer with extensive experience in various tropical genres. He was part of the Oro Negro Orchestra and the Tañón Band before starting his solo career. We were fortunate to talk to him and learn a little more about his history and career.

Producer, composer, and singer William Pagán Díaz

How his career began

The Oro Negro Orchestra represented his first musical experience and he was about 17 years old at the time. In fact, his mother had to sign a contract for him to be part of the group because he was underage. He stayed there for a year until he got asked to audition for the Tañón Band, a group that Olga Tañón was creating at the time.

After auditioning with 300 or 400 candidates, I was chosen as the last missing member for the group because it required four and there were only three. D’ William told us that he felt he had the world in his hands due to work with Olga Tañón, but unfortunately she decided to broke up the band because she had other plans. At that time, Pagan did not know what to do with his life because he thought he had already pursued the ultimate in his career, so he decided to turn his life around, enlist in the army and forget all music.

These years of his life contributed a lot to strengthen his discipline, but he also realized that he did not want to dedicate himself to military life forever. After he retired, he moved to Japan and lived there for about seven years, during that time he was introduced to Puerto Rican salsa thanks to some friends. He started singing salsa, but always saw music as sort of a hobby and not as something he wanted to do professionally.

He toured all over Japan with the Conquistando Orchestra and composed for other artists and various franchises, but nothing for himself. In 2010, he decided that he wanted to change that situation and recorded six salsa songs with the idea of moving to Puerto Rico thinking he was going to find the same country in the musical field. Then, all the songs recorded by him stayed on the hard drive of his computer and he could not do anything with them.

D' William at the Estela Awards — D’ William at the Estela Awards

Unable to get a job, he decides to use his veteran’s benefits to complete his education, which leads him to study criminal justice and law. In 2018, a job opportunity as a lawyer for the federal government in Washington DC arose, so he moves there and meets some people who reconnect him with music thanks to his career in Japan.

When the COVID-19 pandemic arrived, he finally made the decision to start his solo career and choose a stage name that referred to his real name, which led him to use D’ William. In September 2020, he recorded his first song titled “24 horas enteras” giving start to his solo career.

Why use merengue as a base for his music?

Although merengue has not had such a boom in recent years, D’ William is passionate about this genre that he never wanted to leave aside and even said that “a party without merengue is not a party”. The artist wanted to do something that included a tropical genre handled very well by him and he knows he was right about deciding on merengue, since he has observed a renaissance in the popularity of this set of rhythms with the help of artists such as Elvis Crespo, who was again seen in awards recently.

Music for millennial ears

D’ William points out that the most important elements of merengue will always be present in his work, but in his own words, ”the years and generations make the music evolve”. Since the performer did not want to stignate in the same thing, he tries to experiment with a new style of singing merengue and writes some of his lyrics with other genres in mind, such as dembow. He also incorporates kicks, snares, synthesizers and other sounds to reach millenial ears.

This combination of the above elements has made the reception to the artist’s music great.

D' William performing on stage — D’ William performing on stage

Experience in Guatemala

D’ William also told us about the Estela Awards in Guatemala, which he did not knew nothing about until he was invited to attend. Once there, he noticed the importance of these awards for Central America, as they recognize the talent of Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Mexico and many more.

He had the honor of being in its sixth edition and seeing how artists who did not have the opportunity to be in bigger events such as Billboard, Tu Música, Latin Grammy, among others, were awarded. Something very special about this year was the participation of a Puerto Rican delegation of for the first time in its history, in which D’ William was with several of his compatriots.

The reception of the public and press towards this group was great and they really enjoyed the show. They were so well received that they plan to return soon in December to continue delighting Guatemalans with their talent.

What did D’ William do during the pandemic?

D’ William told us that he did a lot of things for himself and other colleagues during the pandemic. He did a great collaboration on a track with Dominique Patrick Noel, a French percussionist with whom we had the pleasure to talk beforehand. They have done several songs together in which the Puerto Rican sings and does some arrangements with Noel.

He also sang with Eduardo Padua, who is a very famous Puerto Rican conguero in Virginia and Peruvian Andy Caseda.