Upcoming Shows, Ruben Blades, Niche, Latin Grammys & More

Julio Bravo will be celebrating 27 years as a bandleader and vocalist of his band Salsabor on Wednesday, November 24th (the night before Thanksgiving) at the Seahorse, 305 Harbor Drive in Sausalito. Expect musical fireworks as Bravo will be there with his full band ready to play both original material as well as crowd favorites for the dancers. I have the honor of being both the MC and the DJ bringing you 100% Bailable at this special Black And White Ball at the Seahorse on the 24th. Show starts at 8 pm. I will be interviewing Julio Bravo this coming Saturday, Nov. 20th on my program, Con Sabor 9 to 11 PM PST on KPFA 94.1 FM and kpfa.org.

VibraSON will be returning to their old haunt, Bar Fluxus, 18 Harlan Place in San Francisco this coming Thursday, November 18th. Recently, the band announced that their popular long running Latin Vibe Tuesday nights have come to an end. This coming Thursday night may be a new beginning to restart a new night for the band. For this occasion, percussion phenom Karl Perazo of Santana as well as vocalist Manny Martinez will be joining the band for this special evening. You can get more news as well as information on VibraSON’s latest singles at www.vibrason.com.

There is a lot of anticipation regarding the upcoming Ruben Blades concert at the Paramount Theater in Oakland this Saturday evening, Nov. 20 starting at 8 pm. This show kicks off a short 8 city tour for Ruben who will be accompanied by the mighty orchestra of fellow Panamanian bassist/bandleader Roberto Delgado. Ruben is touring in support of his Latin Grammy nominated recording Salswing where he ingeniously combined Salsa, Swing and Jazz. Salswing is one of the best Salsa recordings of the year in my opinion. Ruben will be performing selections from Salswing, his greatest hits and favorites from his vast repertoire. This is a concert not to be missed! Tickets are still available for the show at Ticketmaster.com. (Photo Top Left: Ruben Blades interviewed by Luis Medina @ Monterey Jazz Festival 1993. Photo by Denise Carignan)

Grammy award winners Grupo Niche will also perform on Saturday night across the bay at Roccapulco, 3140 Mission Street in San Francisco. Niche won the Grammy for best Tropical Latin recording this year for their recording “40”. The Colombian powerhouse has continued to impress with their live shows since the death of the prolific producer/bandleader and founder Jairo Varela 10 years ago. The band is now under the direction of trumpeter/arranger Jose Aguirre.

Don’t miss the 2021 Latin Grammys broadcast this coming Thursday evening at 8 pm on Univision. Ruben Blades, El Gran Combo, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Willy Garcia and the all-star tribute to Joe Arroyo (En Barranquilla Me Quedo) will be battling it out for Best Salsa Recording. Ruben Blades will also be receiving a special award as well as his nomination for best album of the year. The great Orquesta Aragon along with fellow Cuban stars Issac Delgado and Alain Perez are nominated for their great recording “Cha Cha Cha: Homenaje A Lo Tradicional” released as a joint venture by the Cuban label Egrem and the SF Bay Area’s own El Cerrito Records. I suspect that a lot of Urban music featuring Reggaeton and Bachata will dominate the live performances but hopefully there will be a balance with all the other fine music including Salsa (hint, hint!) to make the Latin Grammys an enjoyable show for everyone!

That’s it for this time! Ciao 4 now!!