The re-launch of Club Salsa and the introduction of Club Salsa Live have been a great success throughout May! We are pleased to bring you another great month during June. Please click on the flyer to visit the Facebook Page for more details…
See you on the dancefloor!
Jenny
Cuban Party at Hermann’s Jazz Club
I’m just in back from CFUV radio’s Postales Musicales Latin show hosted today by Steve Lorenzo Baileys. I was invited to talk on the show about Club Salsa at the Victoria Event Centre and La Bomba, which will be held at Svelte Cocktail Lounge in Langford. I wrote a piece about Dale Tumbao at Club Salsa Live a few weeks back and now I would like to share a little more about La Bomba which is launching on Friday night!
I am so pleased to be involved in the promotion of Greater Victoria’s biggest Latin party to date! La Bomba is taking place in a brand spanking new venue, which has a late license til 2am, capacity for up to 400 people and a very open area for dancing! What better reason to dust off your dancing shoes, put on your best dress and shimmy the night away! There is a lot of excitement about this event and we would like to thanks George Salvador from Svelte for helping to make it happen! Here’s a clip of the last Cuban Party night held at Hermann’s Jazz Club back in January.
Our headline band is the one and only Cuban Party with Hector Ferrales [vocals, trombone], Jose Sanchez [percussion/guitar/vocals], [bass], Armando Alvarez [sax], Juan ‘Chocolate’ Gonzalez [trumpet/percussion], Tony Delgado [piano], Leon Torres [Congas], Monik Nordine [sax], Peter Dowse [bass] and Pablo Cardenas. If you click on the poster it will take you to the Facebook Event Page.
Our night kicks off with a Latin dance lesson by Javier Monsalve from Sabor Asi Dance Company to get you all warmed up! Javier is the Founder and Director of Sabor Asi™ which is one of Vancouver Island’s most popular Latin dance companies. He is also the artistic director, choreographer, lead dancer and trainer for the various performance groups that are run by the company.
Javier & Christie from Sabor Asi Dance Company
Javier was born in Santiago, Chile and has been teaching Latin dance since 2006. Although his main focus is on salsa and bachata, he also teaches Reggaeton, Cha Cha, Rumba, Casino Rueda and Cumbia. Javier is one of the most charismatic and talented salsa dancers and instructors in British Columbia. Javier has trained, danced and competed internationally (L.A., New York, Puerto Rico, Calgary, Vancouver, etc.) with some of the world’s top talent and has studied with world famous instructors. We are delighted to have Javier onboard for La Bomba!
Svelte Cocktail Lounge
Our host venue Svelte are offering specials on double Mojitos all night as well as some great menu features including the classic Cuban Sandwich. We also have DJ Moises del Olmo booked to play music until 2am!
Advanced tickets are $12 [which includes the dance lesson] or $15 on the door
This is one event worth going the distance! After numerous sold out shows at Hermann’s in downtown Victoria, we highly recommend buying your advanced tickets from one of the following locations; Lyle’s Place [Yates Street], Larsen Music [Cook Street] or The Station House Pub [Above Svelte in Langford]
Israel 'Toto' Berriel
Spring has finally arrived and it’s time to turn up the heat! If you’re like me, you might find the Latin music scene in Victoria a little on the quiet side lately. The recent success of our January Cuban Party double bill and last weekend’s Adonis Puentes show at Hermann’s Jazz Club show that people here are really craving a Latin club night in downtown Victoria.
I can now tell you that Victoria is in for a very special treat this spring and as you’re reading this, you are the first to know! The Victoria Event Centre‘s Club Salsa! is undergoing some major changes and will re-launch during May 2012 with the first Friday of each month featuring a club night with deejay alongside dance performances and the third Friday of each month we will showcase a live Latin band. I am working on this project personally and am very excited to bring you something that will warm up your bones after the long winter!
Our grand opener is May 4th where Club Salsa! will be celebrating the Cinco de Mayo festival! Two weeks later on May 18th we present Dale Tumbao for the first edition of Club Salsa Live with Pablo Cardenas [Cuba] on piano, Hector Ramos [Cuba] on congas and Peter Dowse [UK] on the bass with two special guests Oscar Soto de Leon [Cuba] on percussion and Isreal ‘Toto’ Berriel [Cuba] as lead vocalist along with a feature horn player.
Israel (Toto) Berriel, is a naturally gifted traditional Afro-Cuban percussionist and vocalist from Matanzas, Cuba. Toto began his professional music career at the young age of 16 in Los Yumurinos, a group formed by the children of the famous groups Los Muñequitos de Matanzas and AfroCuba de Matanzas, two well recognized traditional AfroCuban groups. In 1988 he joined AfroCuba de Matanzas working with them until he was invited to join the world’s best-known Rumba group Los Muñequitos de Matanzas. Toto worked with the Los Muñequitos for twelve years learning the entire AfroCuban repertoire. Toto is a charming performer with a very distinctive sound and entertaining personality.
Oscar Soto de Leon
Our second musical guest is percussionist Soto from Pinar del Rio, Cuba. Growing up surrounded by the lush tobacco fields; Soto would strap his timbales on his bicycle and go out to the fields to practice. His dedication and passion for his national Cuban Son gave him the opportunity of being the youngest person chosen to study percussion at the prestigious, world renowned, National School of Music in Havana (ENA) where he studied alongside Pablo Cardenas. Since then he has flourished as a percussionist playing a combination of the drums and timbales together, which has made him a sought out percussionist.
Soto has played with the grammy nominated, Wil Campa, headlining concerts and festivals both in Cuba, and Canada. Since moving to Vancouver he has played with Juno Award Winner, Tom Landa of Locarno/Paperboys, Afro Cuban Jazz Quartet- Zapato Negro, Latin Salsa group- Tanga and Grammy Nominated, Cuban Senora- Adonis Puentes.
Pablo Cardenas
We are honoured to be able to share this incredible group with Victoria’s enthusiastic Latin music lovers. There is nothing else like this happening here, so come out and show your support and dance the night away!
Here’s a summary of what’s coming up…
Friday May 4th – Cinco de Mayo Celebration
In association with the Mexican Canadian Community Association Of Victoria
Club Salsa - All ages! [dance lesson at 8.30 with Sabor Asi Dance Company]
Deejays and Dance Performances from 9:30pm – 1am
$10.00 [Cover charge payable on the door after 8pm]
Friday May 18th – Club Salsa Live [dance lesson at 8.30 with Salsa Moderna]
Dale Timbao with special guest Toto Berriel from 10pm – 1am
$15.oo [Advanced tickets recommended and available from April 6th]
Please follow Son de la Isla or email sondevancouverisla@gmail.com for more information.
Stay tuned for more details including interviews with performers and news of an upcoming Latin Club night ‘La Bomba’ for those of you living on the West Shore!
Hasta Mañana
Jenny
I had the pleasure of working the Eric St-Laurent Trio show last Friday night at Hermann’s Jazz Club as part of the Victoria Jazz Society concert series. I got to know a little about the band as well enjoying their live performance, which was truly full of surprises!
The Eric St-Laurent Trio is a rare and exciting treat that play a unique fusion of Jazz and Blues fused with Afro-Cuban rhythms. The songs; full of infectious grooves and riffs are the unique compositions of guitarist Eric St-Laurent.
Eric St-Laurent Trio
Born and raised in Montreal, Eric studied improvisation in New York before moving to Berlin where he toured with both the big and small names of the German and Scandinavian music scenes. More recently Eric was the winner of the SOCAN award for Best Original Composition at the Montreal Jazz Festival and The Best Band Award at the Vienne (France) Jazz Festival. He has been featured on over 50 recordings, produced multiple albums, composed scores for short films and theatre, and toured extensively in Europe and Canada.
Jordan O’Connor
This trio features a very distinctive rhythm section with the enthusiastic playing of Jordan O’Connor on bass guitar and Michel DeQuevedo; a native of Mexico City on percussion. Michel plays the Djembe like nobody I’ve ever seen, and these guys have come up with a way of creating an almost electronic musical sound through acoustic instruments. Many songs awake the desire to get up and boogie, well others will simply mesmerize and entertain you. The group’s live performances create new interpretations of the music every night through the magic of improvisation.
Michel DeQuevedo
The Eric St-Laurent Trio are currently based in Toronto and have just finished their Westerly Canadian tour and we’re already looking forward to the next one! Their latest album Ruby was released during September 2011 and is available to buy from Bandcamp, CD Baby, iTunes and Amazon. It’s a great CD and if you get the chance you really should see these guys play live for the full experience!
Thanks for the album and good luck!
Jenny
TrioTango
Tango and Flamenco lovers delight!
Tomorrow night Passion for Tango will host a fundraising event at Hermann’s Jazz Club in Victoria. This will be an evening of live music, dance, vocals, fun and fundraising features the TrioTango, Klez Galz and Flamenco Jam . There will be a silent auction and the event is sponsored by travel agent Martina Papadeau, of Vision 2000.
Wednesday March 21st 7:30 (doors open at 7:00)
Hermann’s Jazz Club 753 View Street, Victoria BC
12$ Advance /$14 Door, $8 Student adv/$10 Student Door (children under 12 free)
Hope to see you there!
Jenny
