Ragga Muffins Go Crazy at Mezzanine

I knew that there were many Reggaeton fans out there but fans of Reggae En Espanol?  You bet!  The hip trendy club Mezzanine featured 3 out of the biggest acts in the genre: Cultura Profetica, Gondwana, Los Cafres along with locally based Bayonics at the Reggae Latino 2011 Fest.  The place was packed with mostly young people who danced, screamed, jumped, cheered and raised their drinks up in the air to party to their heroes on stage.  DJ Stepwise kept the heads bobbing in-between the breaks.  Cultura lived up to their headline status with a dynamic set featuring their potent politically charged dance music.  Los Cafres' charismatic vocalist had the crowd pumped up while the band slammed down their ragga dub beats.  The Bay Area's own Bayonics, in true chameleon form stuck to the Reggae theme of the evening, held their own with a powerful opening set.  I missed Gondwana but caught a lot of the island love before I left the club thanks to Adrian Goddard of Jaffe Events.

Willie Colon In The House!!

What a week!  Caught Willie Colon in one of his very rare SF Bay Area appearances at the 10th Annual San Francisco Salsa Congress at the Oakland Marriott.   Colon, who has a notorious reputation for being unpredictable, played a phenomenal set.  Backed by a top notch band and a powerful horn section boasting 2 trombones and sax, Willie was splendid on lead vocals, trombone and bass trumpet (one of his featured instruments since the late 70's which sounds like a trombone).  He thrilled the crowd with his opening medley of his early hits with Hector LaVoe.  His trombone playing was strong blasting out monas as he did 40 or more years ago.  He was also in fine voice as he performed songs from various periods of his long career with passion, style and power.  Colon doesn't visit us very often but this was definitely a musical highlight.

Latin Grammylicious

I'm checked out the Latin Grammys on TV on Thursday night.  I watched as the current crop of hot recording stars who are enjoying massive success such as Shakira, Romeo Santos singing a duet with Usher, Pitbull with Marc Anthony, Christian Castro, Pepe Aguilar and Disney rehab comeback princess Demi Lovato entertained with gusto.  This 3 hour awards ceremony/spectacular is your traditional long drawn out affair with "highlights" that were either dope, corny or awful.  Calle 13 accepted the award for record of the year with Residente and their crew as they seized the moment to make a political statement supporting the current student protest movements in Chile and Puerto Rico.   I had to endure Alejandra Guzman and Franco De Vita as they sang an insipid ballad that was nominated for song of the year.  Co-host singer/actress Lucero and the Muppets own Kermit The Frog introduced the hot Mexican norteno band Intocable.  Pitbull and guest Marc Anthony performed their hit duet surrounded by an over abundance of scantily clad women..some wearing bikinis and some were being showered by water!  So much for a "top notch" awards show.  Oh well, there's always next year!

Be ready to bring your dance shoes 2 my shows

I will be the guest DJ at the new Sabor Salsa monthly happening next week in Marin County at Georges Nightclub, 842 Fourth Street in San Rafael on Thursday, November 17 starting at 9 pm.  I will be putting it in the mix with my blend of Salsa Dura, Mambo, Musica Cubana, Merengue, a taste of Bachata y mucho mas for all the salseros and salseras.   Georges has been featuring live salsa each month since August featuring bands such as Orquesta Borinquen, Avance and Julio Bravo y Salsabor.  I'll be bringing the Con Sabor wall of sound as featured during my nights at Cafe Cocomo.  Speaking of Cafe Cocomo, I will be the dj this Saturday, November 12 as the 19 piece Pacific Mambo Orchestra celebrates their one year anniversary.  This great big band is led by pianist Christian Tumulan (Montuno Swing) and trumpeter Stefen Kuehn (Mazacote).  Be ready to bring your dance shoes!

Oscar D'Leon - Still A Superman!

I had the opportunity to run over to Roccapulco after my radio show on KPFA to catch the living salsa legend, Oscar D' Leon last Saturday.  D'Leon is one of the premier performers in Latin music....a tireless, consummate showman whose live shows are legendary and whose sets last two to three hours at least.  I arrived at Roccapulco once D'Leon started his set.

At 68, Oscar D'Leon looks good for someone who has survived 4 heart attacks and a few scandals throughout his long career...his voice more powerful than ever and his body strong and robust as he performed his dance moves with the boundless energy of someone half his age.  He is a performer that solidly connects with his audience whether he is singing to an admiring fan, signing autographs, taking notes from fans or on the receiving end of a bra thrown on stage from a smitten female.  D'Leon sang an impressive range of material from his big hits such as "Calculadora" to Mexican rancheras to boleros.  A tune or two bordered on schlock for my taste, but it was his brand of Salsa that consistently had the crowd going with expert backup from his solid orchestra of veterans.

Although he was constantly covered in sweat, D'Leon didn't let it bother him at all as he gave 150% for his audience.  He hardly took any break as he went from one tune to the next to the delight of fans and dancers alike.  This was the kind of show that reminds you why a legend such as D'Leon is still loved and appreciated today.

Diego El Cigala triumphs at Zellerbach

The anticipation was high at Zellerbach Auditorium for the debut of the renowned flamenco vocalist Diego El Cigala at the Bay Area Flamenco Festival.  The lines at the box office were so backed up due to an internal snafu that caused the show to start one hour late.

However, once the long haired and bearded El Cigala stepped on stage and started to sing, the crowd who hassled to get in the show thawed out as he took them under his spell.  His distinctive voice was as grand as were his hand gestures which he used to direct the band.  His group consisted of exceptional players such as guitarist Diego Del Morao (son of Flamenco guitar legend Moraito), pianist Jaime Calabuch Jumitus, bassist/vocalist Yelsy Heredia, percussionist Sabu Porrina and violinist Bernardo Parrilla.   They joined Cigala in different configurations from duo to full band to perform the variety of flamenco, tango and boleros that was presented that evening.

Cigala sang captivating versions of great songs such as his classic version of "Lagrimas Negras" from his 2003 Grammy award collaboration with Bebo Valdes.  El Cigala gave so much of himself during this performance displaying both the strength and tenderness of his expressive voice.  He was touched by the Bay Area audience who cheered him on and brought him back on for 3 encores.  What a phenomenal show!