¡Bailamos!
Queens goes Salsa Crazy over the next few weeks with concerts, open floors, and other chances to boogie.
The fun kicks off with A Night of Latin Music at Alewife (41-11 39th St., Sunnyside) on Saturday, June 7. To start at 7 pm, the program explodes with high-energy performances by Sunnyside Salsa, Rumba Cubana & Poesía, Salsa en Vinilos, Conjunto Los Chachos, and powerhouse voices from the Nuyorican Poets Cafe. Admission is free, but the beer isn’t.
Then, the New York State Latino Restaurant Association presents Salsa Night on two consecutive Fridays – July 11 and July 18 – always at 4 pm. These sessions mix Salsa beats by DJ Cheeky Star, professional dance lessons, and Latin culture and community spirit. Free and open to all ages, both events are part of the Open Worlds series at the Museum of the Moving Image, which is located at 36-01 35th Ave. in Astoria’s Kaufman Arts District.
A few weeks to rest (and/or practice), and Kupferberg Center for the Arts presents Migguel Anggelo’s Icons: Celia Cruz at Gantry Plaza State Park in Long Island City on Tuesday, July 8, 7 pm. Part of Kupferberg’s free Summer concert series Live at the Gantries, this event honors the legendary Cuban singer Celia Cruz, who was born 100 years ago. (She died in July 2003 after a career that includes three Grammys, four Latin Grammys, and several million record sales.)
Directed and developed by Adrian Alea with Musical Director Jaime Lozano and an all-star lineup of musicians, the tribute explores Latin cultural identity, resilience, and music’s transformative power. Anggelo and Lozano created the music and lyrics, while the ensemble features Saúl Cosme on guitars, Lozano on piano, Yahir Montes on bass, a currently unconfirmed percussionist, and backing vocals by Sara Ornelas and Mayelah Barrera.
This concert kicks off this year’s Live at the Gantries, which presents live music on Summer Thursdays at 7 pm.
Here’s the rest of the program.
July 15: The Slide Stops (A Honky-Tonk band influenced by Hank Williams, Bob Wills, and the Carter Family).
July 22: Alphonso Horne & The Gotham Kings (An all-star Jazz band led by Horne, a two-time Grammy-nominated trumpeteer, that blends the sounds of New Orleans, Funk, Jazz, and Hip Hop).
July 29: Rebolu (A Colombian group that mixes traditional and modern Caribbean sounds).
Aug. 5: Malika Zarra (A Moroccan-born, French-raised mezzo-soprano who fuses North African chaâbi, Amazigh (Berber), and Gnawa rhythms with contemporary urban jazz. She sings in Amazigh, Arabic, French, and English)
Aug. 12: Mireya Ramos (This Latin Grammy winner and Grammy nominee blends Mariachi, Salsa, Merengue, Hip-Hop, and Classical music.)
Salsa is a marketing term that refers to music that originated over centuries in Cuba and Puerto Rico with influences from other Latin countries. Its roots are in such rhythms as Son Montuño, Mambo, Danzón, Guaracha, and Cha Cha Cha. Songs generally combine Spanish guitar and wind instruments with African percussion, Jazz elements, and call-and-response lyrics.
When the music started gaining worldwide popularity in the 1960s, it acquired the general name Salsa to encompass it all. Nowadays, Salsa includes sounds generated from computers and other electronic devices. It’s still a global phenomenon with hot spots in Colombia (Cali), Venezuela (Caracas), and Florida (Miami) that rival Cuba and Puerto Rico.
Image: Frank Rolando Romero