2010

No More Jelly’s Club Havana?

Posted on Aug 15, 2010

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...

Todo Tiene Su Final – Tempo Latino 2010

Posted on Aug 9, 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...

Posted on Aug 9, 2010

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...

International Salsa at Tempo Latino 2010

Posted on Aug 3, 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...