Norah and Corinne - A Sweet Escape

I am a person that has a wide musical palate. That being said, I checked out the intriguing double bill of female singer-songwriters Norah Jones and Corinne Bailey Rae at the Greek Theater last Friday. Not only are these two ladies talented but beautiful as well. The English-born Rae is a fine singer who interprets sad, introspective folky neosoul pop. The majority of her songs are sophisticated ballads that aim to hit an emotional response to the listener. Very mellow yet she played compelling up-tempo material including her 2008 breakthrough "Put Your Records On". Norah Jones definitely showed why she was the headliner of the show. She possesses a clear commanding voice that is smokey, warm and soulful. Backed by a top-notch band, Jones came out with a cherry red electric guitar performing songs from her latest recording "The Fall". Jones looking glamourous in her patterned top, low cut blouse, tight jeans and high heels, also played acoustic, electric and toy pianos as she concentrated on newer material which reflected her country, bluesy and pop sides. She also played updated versions of a few of her early tunes which catapulted her into stardom. Her band was excellent which included the guitar wizardry of Smokey Hormel and the sweet vocals of Sasha Dobson.

Aragon - Le Champagne de Las Charangas

The great Orquesta Aragon presented a phenomenal dance concert at Zellerbach Auditiorium on Friday, August 13th. This legendary charanga led by Rafael Lay Jr, the son of the late band leader and violinist, demonstrated that they are one of the finest dance orchestras in the world. Aragon boasted 5 violins (including Lay), flute, piano, bass, timbales, bongo, congas and two dynamic singers drew from their extensive repertoire and played dance music that was sublime, swinging and irresistible. The front area of Zellerbach was turned into a dance floor once the dancers took over and was packed all night. The only draw back to the evening was the light attendance of approximately 700 people that showed up for 2 hours of dance heaven. The band was celebrating their 70th anniversary with the oldest member going back to 1955. However, age didn't slow up this band as some of the oldest grey haired members danced up a storm showing off their moves in front of an adoring crowd. Kudos to Shabi Samoohi, Patricia Morgovsky and Sue Taylor for putting together this treat for the eyes and ears.

And The Beat Goes On

I recently emceed a rock show featuring two of Cuba's forward thinking artists Equis (X) Alfonso and Osamu. Both artists had no problems mixing rock, hip hop, reggae, pop, blues, rumba, salsa and folklore into exciting new fusions of music. Equis Alfonso is a dynamo of a performer who knows how to play practically every instrument, has a terrific presence and singing voice...and knows how to get funky while rapping it down to the audience. It's no wonder that he is a huge star in Cuba! Osamu is an astonishing guitarist and vocalist who leads a powerful rock band that features tv star Yoris on vocals. Performing his fusion of salsa and rock called Rock Con Sabor, he dazzled the crowd with his guitar riffs and danceable melodies. The biggest surprise was his special guest the ageless Pedro Calvo who was THE voice of Los Van Van for many years. Calvo ,nearing 70 was in tip top physical shape and commanding voice, tearing through rock versions of his hits with Los Van Van such as "Sandunguera". Ironically enough, he looked more like a rock star in his trademark soldier style hat, tight t-shirt, leather jeans and silver buckled belt that Equis and Osamu! Both Equis and Osamu produce their own videos and the visuals presented at this Yerba Buena Center of the Arts "New Frequencies" show were outstanding, progressive and fresh!

No More Jelly's Club Havana?

Jelly's in San Francisco has been one of the epicenters of SF Latin music for the past 16 years. I have been a long time resident dj for the past 10 years. The reputation that the club enjoys is based on the Sunday "Club Havana" tardeadas that generated extraordinary salsa and cuban music from both the featured band and the dj much to the delight of both the dancer and the listener. Evidence of this phenomenon is on the Jelly's live music sampler that features Mazacote, Anthony Blea's Charanga, Fito Reinoso and others. The succession of fine talent has been handed down from the beginning when Linda Wosskow and radio dj Chata Gutierrez started the Sunday scene to when Ivette "La Coqui" Fuentes took over as dj to when I started alternating Sundays with La Coqui for many years. After La Coqui parted ways, I kept on the every other Sunday rotation with timba Dj's Walt Digz and Antonio. The club changed direction earlier this year: now Antonio and myself appear monthly and Walt Digz is there every other Sunday.

Jelly's is located at a prime real estate spot at Pier 50 near Pac Bell Park which houses the Giants. The club has been a target of the Fire Department for quite some time and it's no secret that the Port Of SF has wanted Jelly's to move out. Perhaps to make room for a hotel and/or another upscale development. Now the Port of SF has given Jelly's a 30 day eviction notice after an unfortunate shooting that occurred outside the club after a small private party on a Friday evening. The entertainment commission and the police have cleared Jelly's of any involvement and wrong doing. However, the Port has used this incident as an excuse to give the club their eviction notice. There was a protest rumba this past Friday in front of the Port's offices. However the participation and support of the community was strong but light on numbers of people. Jelly's is now playing a chess game with the Port. Clarice Lacau, the owner of the club has obtained a lawyer who is in written communication with Port officials. The eviction deadline is up this week. It is feared that the city may shut down their doors which could be a significant loss and the end of an era in the local salsa scene. Jelly's intends to stay open until the end. More to come.

Todo Tiene Su Final - Tempo Latino 2010

Enrique told me that Sunday was usually the traditional slow final night at Tempo Latino. You couldn't tell by the energetic capacity crowd that attended the Plaza De Toros show featuring trombone titan Jimmy Bosch and his All Stars and La Sucursal SA that evening. Barcelona's La Sucursal SA started the show with a crowd pleasing set that featured original material from both their cd "Lo Nuestro" and their latest ep. The talented musicians of La Sucursal led by bassist/musical director Santiago Acevedo and vocalist Marcelo Rosero played smokin' salsa dura that had the crowd dancing and cheering for more. Their inventive version of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" took everyone by surprise. For their encore, they invited el sonero Herman Olivera and flautist Mitch Frohman from Jimmy Bosch's band to join them on a rousing finale. Jimmy Bosch and his all star ensemble took the stage for a three hour set. Joining Bosch were heavyweights Olivera, trescero Nelson Gonzalez, bassist Mike Vinas, conguero Eddie Montalvo, timbalero Ralph Irrizary, pianist Arturo Ortiz, vocalist Wilito Otero, Frohman and a horn section that included members of La Excelencia and Mercadonegro. Drawing from a mixed repertoire of classic salsa and Bosch's own tunes, these excellent players and singers had plenty of room to improvise and stretch out. What a descarga from this elite group of great players! I was particularly impressed by the fluid piano work of Ortiz, the masterful tres playing of Gonzalez, the soneos of Olivera and the youthful Otero and the trombone mastery of Bosch! Went over to La Conga to catch up with the Barcelona double team of Orquesta Sabor Y Son and DJ Jacoviche who were playing to the die-hards. Sabor Y Son had their moments but the real story was DJ Jacoviche (reminded me of a taller DJ Walt Digz in a cap and athletic suit) slammin' la salsa dura until 5 am when the police finally cut the power. What a fitting end to a Salsa festival such as Tempo Latino! Gracias Enrique, Eric, Louise, the great crew of Tempo Latino and the Antilla crew! I hope that I'll be back soon!!

Saturday was a big day...not only was Puerto Rican diva Choco Orta headlining the festival with Austin's own party band Grupo Fantasma but I was also dj'ing my second night at Tempo Latino. Choco worked the press on Friday: singing at the press gatherings and wanting to be taken seriously as the heir to Celia Cruz's throne. I was only able to check out 3 songs but she clearly showed off her powerful singing voice backed by a swinging band with tight coro singers. Her old school repertoire from her recording "Ahora Mismo" included gems from the Machito and Celia songbook. She danced like a staggering woman possessed by voodoo. She was nervous and self concious on stage but turned into a dynamo as soon as the music started. I missed her fiery conga and timbales solos later in the set as I had to run to start my gig. Grupo Fantasma played a tremendous opening set..more salsafied than when I saw them at South By Southwest. Fantasma was made up of an explosive brass section, screaming guitars, fine lead vocalists and played a set that included cumbia, funk, latin rock, bolero and descarga. Vocalist Jose Galeano took the place of two missing percussionists with fire and chops behind his percussion set of timbales, congas and bongos. Eric Duffau introduced their encore by stating "La Revelacion" to the crowd and revealed that Fantasma had earned themselves a headlining spot in the future. The crowd roared with approval. I started at La Conga earlier than expected because the place was nearly packed by 12:15 am! I tore it up on my first of 3 sets before our musical guests Zulu 9.30, a reggae band from Barcelona started. Zulu 9.30 struck a chord with the partying crowd although the salseros backstage were asking me when I was going to come on. The crowd was screaming for more at the end of their set. I had no choice but to play the best music that I felt at the moment. I started with Bobby Valentin's "Aqui No Me Quedo" and the rest was history-the entire La Conga dance floor was packed with dancers! What a great scene! I loved playing at Tempo Latino!

International Salsa at Tempo Latino 2010

Salsa music took over the main stage of Tempo Latino in all of its international flavors on the course of the following 3 evenings. Friday night's opener, Calambuco impressed the packed Plaza De Toros crowd with their 70's influenced salsa dura sound from Colombia. This vibrant youthful ensemble led by pianist Andres Succar gave the crowd what they wanted: a fine show with a tight band, charismatic singers up-front and an irresistibly danceable sound. Ireland's Salsa Celtica headlined the evening with their unique fusion of traditional Irish music, afro cuban rhythms and salsa. Their instrumentation blended banjo, gaita, irish flute and guitars alongside congas, timbales, bass, piano and horn section. There were moments of explosive fire such as their live version of "El Agua De La Vida" but the novelty wore off for me by the end of the set. La Conga featured the Afro-Caribbean group Grupo Kfe from Paris whose erratic set ranged from tasteful son montuno to tasteless covers of pop salsa hits. El Molestoso dropped a totally unpredictable but tasty dj set that ranged from bugaloo to classic salsa to a Paso Doble!

Opening Night At Tempo Latino 2010!

The lingering rain loomed over the Tempo Latino site cleared up by the time that the opening night festivities started. The World Music night kicked off the festival featuring the acclaimed Ojos De Brujo and pop singer/songwriter Sebastian Avispa. Avispa showed that he had a strong voice but his bland fusion of pop, middle eastern melodies and flamenco was tepid, banal and boring. He was clearly out of place at this festival. Ojos De Brujo had a dynamic opening number featuring their talented flamenco dancer Susana Medina providing the fireworks that framed Marina Abad's vocals. However, Ojos seemed musically sparse due to the absence of two of their key members: DJ Panki and percussionist Xavier Turull. Ojos lacked the spark that have made them such a sensation in past shows that I have seen. However, the action was hot and heavy at La Conga night spot with the all-female French salsa band Yemaya La Banda who turned the crowd on their heads with their smokin' repertoire, campy costumes, dance routines and top notch musicianship. The crowd begged for more at the end of their two hour set. I opened and closed the evening at La Conga with my brand of explosive dance music that kept the crowd dancing and sweating until the wee hours of the morning! The mix was dead-on for both the dancers and the hard-to-please salseros. My first gig at Tempo Latino went great-Sabroso!

Tempo Latino Part 2

Although Thursday, July 22nd was a rainy day in the small French town of Vic-Fezensac, the Tempo Latino festival office was a buzz of excitement. Executive producer Eric Duffau was busy coordinating his crew of paid and unpaid staff for the opening night festivities that featured the Ojos De Brujo concert in the small town's Plaza De Toros (bullfight stadium). Duffau, a gray haired dynamo with great wit and a sincere passion for Latin music greeted my friend, colleague and fellow dj Enrique Romero "El Molestoso" and myself as the technical crew mounted the huge state of the art lighting and sound system on the massive stage that was built inside of the stadium. His dedicated crew of staff and volunteers ran around tending to last minute details before the press conference that officially opened the 17th annual edition of Tempo Latino which ran from the 22nd through Sunday July 25th . Duffau and his crew are part of an non profit association that produces the festival which has featured the creme de la creme of salsa performers from all over the world. Vic-Fezensac was taken over during these four days by thousands of salsa music lovers. The dj duties at the after hours parties at La Conga were handled by Enrique "El Molestoso" on Friday and fellow Barcelonian DJ Jacoviche on Sunday. I handled the dj duties on opening night and on Saturday night following the Choco Orta/Grupo Fantasma show.

Tempo Latino Part 1

My time visiting Europe came and disappeared in a flash! But what a flash it was experiencing the Tempo Latino Festival in the picturesque small French town of Vic-Fezensac. This festival now in its 17th year was full of rumba, soul and most of all...Salsa! The biggest outdoor Salsa festival in all of Europe featured 4 days of music that satisfied the most die-hard fans of Salsa and Latin music. The big outdoor concerts at the Plaza De Toros (bullfight arena) featured 2 prominent acts per night starting at 9:30 pm and going until 1 am. The "La Conga" nightspot was free to the public and featured a band and a dj starting around 12:30 am until closing time at 4:30 am. It was a large space that featured a stage, huge dance floor and a meadow with a sandy floor that could fit 4,000 folks. The festival also had smaller stages with free music that were outside of the Plaza De Toros. A large crafts fair leading from the entrance of the festival to the town featured everything from hats, jewelry to percussion instruments. Vic-Fezensac was alive with music, dancing and rumba! Most cafes and restaurants had their own dj's, small groups and dance instructors...what a scene! The colorful decorations in the festival area were made by the large crew of volunteers who help make Tempo Latino a unique festival.