San Francisco

Latin Beat Magazine, Dec, 1997 by Jesse Varela

El Año Viejo: What a year! We kicked off in San Francisco with the smash debut of Juan Formell & Los Van Van at Maritime Hall in late January. Thanks to the efforts of the Latino Entertainment Partners, we were graced with this superb performance plus others like Jesús Alemañy & Cubanismo, Roy Hargrove & Crisol, The Thunderdrums Tour (with Changuito, Giovanni Hidalgo, and Tata Güines), NG La Banda, and Orquesta Aragon.

The San Francisco Jazz Festival in late October also surprised us, giving Latin jazz and Salsa a special focus with superlative shows by Gato Barbieri, Danilo Pérez, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, and the mega-party with Albita, José Alberto "El Canario" and Celia Cruz. With vibrancy and gumption, Latin music continues to jump despite seesaw attendance at clubs and events.

Puro Party: Dance of the year goes to the Celia Cruz, Albita, José Alberto "El Canario" and Avance show produced by the San Francisco Jazz Festival in late October, when 6,000 people packed the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium shoulder-to-shoulder to groove to la guarachera del mundo. Avance opened like gangbusters, warming the crowd up nicely with a nonstop set of their romántico stylings. Albita took their breath away with a potent band and a chanteuse charisma. El Canario stole the show with honest to goodness NYC swing and a band that sizzled. Yet nothing could overtake the legendary radiance of the queen herself Celia Cruz. Given her 72 years of age, she can still sing with operatic strength and expression equal to none.

Duo of the Year: Honors go to John Santos and Omar Sosa who have struck a special improvisational chemistry playing percussion and piano, respectively. Creating sonic sculptures of sheer genius, they first busted out in early spring at The Elbo Room in the City and haven't stopped since. A stunning recording of their performance at La Peña Cultural Center in Berkeley done in late July (NFUMBE-For The Unseen), for Price Club Productions, was released in October. Santos continues to amaze us with his Machete Ensemble which performs at this year's Havana Jazz Festival as well as his sideman gigs for Blue Note Records with avant-jazz guitarist Charlie Hunter. Sosa ruled this year with his fine sophomore outing, Raices Libres - Free Roots, and was awarded a GOLDIE from the San Francisco Bay Guardian for best local talent.

Paz: The tragic passing this past July of renowned percussionist and bandleader Elio Revé was a sad loss to contemporary Cuban music. One of the island nation's post-1959 dancehall kings, Revé took one of the last rural remnants of the son - the son changüií - and urbanized it. Born in Guantanamo in 1930, he mastered the pailas (Creole timbales) as a teen and headed to Havana to pursue a professional music career. He formed his first band in 1955 with a sound that dressed up the traditional sonchangui with a charanga texture that would later incorporate brass. His first records in 1968 captivated the public with a vicious swing and extremely imaginative arrangements. In '89, the album La Explosión Del Momento, for Peter Gabriel's REALWORLD Records, propelled him onto the world stage. A prolific composer, he wrote dozens of songs and incorporated the sacred batá drums of santería into popular dance music. Those that reeked his influence as members of his bands included Juan Formell (Los Van Van) and Juan Carlos Alfonso (Dan Den) as well as Ritmo Oriental, a band he helped cofound. Gracias maestro!

Group of the Year: Avance, with it's frontline of youthful singers continues to be the one to beat around Northern California. With vigor and excellent musicianship, the pieces all fit with tight choreography, great intonation, and a fun vibe. Just putting the finishing touches on their first full-length album, they ventured out to Los Angeles this year to great response. With a lot of soul, their R&B romántico stamp is top notch with cats like co-leader Karl Perazzo of the Santana band taking it to the next phase.

Producer of the Year: Since his return to the Bay Area a few years ago, guitarist/producer Greg Landau has been a creative spark that has brought to the forefront unsung talent from Cuba, the rest of Latin America, and the local scene. His Grammy nomination in the Latin Jazz Category 3 years ago for the Redwood Records release Ritmo y Candela brought him international acclaim. With Robert Leaver of Round World Music, he's brought us exciting new voices from Cuba like Los Terry, Pancho Quinto, and Bellita Jazztumbatá. Right now you can hear him playing his axe on a cool fusion of hip hop and Latin jazz called Oaktown Irawo. But his stellar effort for '97 has been the American debut of Afro-Peruvian singer Susana Baca for Luaka Bop Records, one of the top world music releases of the year. Landau is making things happen with a lot of love and dedication.

Ojo al futuro: Nice developments are underway that will greatly impact and influence the scene into 1998. Percussionist and bandleader Pete Escovedo opened up his new club "Mr. E's" in November in downtown Berkeley. The orchestra, led by Roberto Borrell (La Moderna Tradición) has a debut release out on Candela Records. And the most creative mom on the Latin scene, Rebeca Mauleon Santana is busting out with her long awaited debut CD entitled Round Trip, on her own label, Rumbeca Music. Given the depth of knowledge and experience this pianist, composer, and author has garnered, this effort will illuminate many to her talent and musical beauty. So until February...¡Paz y Alegria!