Music News: Charanson is back & other News!

Charanson, the renowned SF based all-star band led by violinist Anthony Blea has returned to the scene! I have many good memories from working with Chranson as a resident dj at the legendary club Jelly’s on alternating Sundays with DJ Coqui (Ivette Fuentes) which was the big Sunday thing during the 1990’s and early 2000s until the club’s demise in 2010. The band and I would keep the music on a high intensity level for the crowd both musically and to keep them dancing. Charanson was one of the few rotating bands that had a strong fan following at the club with guest stars such as Giovanni Hidalgo, Ray De La Paz and Omar Sosa to name a few dropping by everytime that they would play.

The band that will play this Sunday is a quintet featuring members of the band that were fixtures at Jelly’s including vocalist Orlando Torriente, conguero Javier Navarrette, bassist Saul Sierra and keyboarist/trumpeter Marco Diaz who will be joining Blea. They will be holding court at Blondie’s Bar, 540 Valencia Street near 16th Street in the SF Mission this Sunday, November 12th starting at 4 pm. Expect musical fireworks for the aficionado y para el bailador! Photo: LM-Left, Anthony Blea-Center and Javier Navarrette-Right at the KPFA Studios, Berkeley 2021. Photo by Luis Medina)

La Dame Blanche, the Cuban cigar smokin’ vocalist and flautist whose music combines Hip Hop, Salsa, Cumbia, Son, Beats and electronics made her SF Bay Area debut this past Wednesday at The New Parish in Oakland. The Paris based performer a.k.a. Yaite Ramos Rodriguez originally from Piñar Del Rio in her native Cuba records for the Nacional Records label and has just released the single “Los Fines De Semana”. Her musical fusion combined with Hip Hop and Cumbia has drawn attention worldwide among tastemakers and new audiences. She seeks on this current tour to expand her audience to the United States. Judging by this reaction and from live performances, we’ll be seeing more of La Dame Blanche in the near future.

Also this Sunday in the South Bay, charismatic vocalist Carlos Del Sol y su orquesta. Carlos who also sings with the Koketos All Stars and Eric Rangel’s Orquesta America will appear at San Jose’s Sunday hot spot Mama Kin. 374 South First Street in San Jose. Robert Santana gives dance lessons starting at 5 pm.

Brazilian singer-songwriter par excellence Claudia Villela will end her four night stand at the SFJAZZ Center’s intimate Joe Henderson Lab on Sunday with two shows at 6 and 7:30 pm. Villela will be performing with accordionist Vitor Gonçalves for Sunday’s show. Villela will be playing music from her new recording “Cartas Ao Vento”. For more information, visit www.sfjazz.org.

Be sure to check out my radio program “Con Sabor” every Saturday evening (except the last Saturday of the month) from 9 to 11 PM PST on KPFA 94.1 FM and on-line at www.kpfa.org. Music programs are archived for two weeks after broadcast at www.kpfa.org/archives