Random Notes 3/24/15

9 time Grammy Award Winner, NEA Jazz Master and Latin Music legend Eddie Palmieri will be bringing his mighty Salsa Orchestra to open up the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival 2015 season on Sunday, May 3rd at 1 pm.  The show is FREE to the public.  The Gardens are located on Mission Street between 3rd and 4th Streets in San Francisco.  The rest of the season will feature such acts as Cuban drum phenom Dafnis Preito, the Venezuelan Music Project, Yosvanny Terry and Baptiste Trotignon, Bixiga 70 direct from Brazil, Marcus Shelby, Lavay Smith and her Red Hot Skillet Lickers and others!  The series will go until early October with free noon-time concerts during the week and free weekend early afternoon shows….Space 550 located at 550 Barneveld is becoming the place to be for the Salsa dance community on Saturday evenings in SF.  The multi room space is featuring shows produced by the Club Fuego group and the Yerba Buena Social Club group.  Shows have been featuring L.A.’s Boogaloo Assassins and such local favorites as Louie Romero’s Mazacote….I am wrapping up a month long DJ residency at Friday Nights at the OMCA (Oakland Museum) this Friday (March 27) from 5 to 7 pm.  The Friday night scene which actually goes from 5 to 9 pm features a live band (this week is Hot Einstein), gourmet food trucks, wine/beer available, 1/2 price to the museum’s exhibits and band starting at 7 pm.  It’s FREE to the public!…..I will also be guest DJ at the popular Koketo’s Sundays this coming Sunday, March 29th at St. James Gate Pub, 1410 Old County Road in Belmont from 4 to 9 pm.  The featured band is the hot Orquesta La Original featuring vocalist Alexis Guillen.  Get ready to sweat to the hottest in Salsa Brava, Timba, Mambo, Guaguanco, Merengue, Bachata y lo que sea for the dancers!!….Tomaj Trenda continues his Levitate Fridays and 3rd Saturday’s Party (3 1/2 years strong) at the spacious Just Dance Ballroom, 2500 Embarcadero in Oakland.  The venue features 3 rooms including a Bachata and Kizomba room….SF Jazz will be presenting Chucho Valdes, Gonzalo Rubalcaba and Michel Camilo in a tribute to the Cuban legend Ernesto Lecuona on Sunday, June 21st at Davies Symphony Hall where Los Van Van will be presented on Friday, August 24th!  The summer is going to be hot in the SF Bay!!  Ciao 4 Now!