September 27, 2008
2 PM to 4 PM Drill Hall, London – near Goodge Street underground station.
I missed the 12:15 PM train, which might have enabled me to run some errands at Oxford Circus before the class started. So with a slower 12:30 PM train, I went directly to Drill Hall. At the front desk, I asked for Terence Levine (pronouncing it to rhyme with vine) and was corrected (rhyming with bin). Room 3, second floor.
Four men were in the narrow corridor outside the room, which was still occupied. I picked out Terence as the oldest gentleman. I recognized Andrew. The third I learned later was Matt from Bath. The fourth was waiting for a different room. Then another two people arrived – one of them in our group. It felt claustrophobic. I went back to the stairs, and waited until the room was cleared.
It wasn’t clear what the previous occupant were doing. I only remember there being a blonde woman (by herself?) and no one standing or moving. The fifth guy (not in our group) went into the room at the same time as the rest of us. One of the early arrivals carried in a portable CD player. I guessed that the piano in the room would not get used – you never know for certain.
First impressions of Terence. Other than his obvious age, I would have trouble picking him out in a roundup. I thought the photo on DJ Yuca’s article was only mildly helpful – at least from my memory. Unusual haircut – especially on the back. It reminded me that I am way overdue for a haircut. In any case, I wouldn’t say that he had the most memorable face – not particularly distinctive or striking. Well preserved.
Four more people arrived a little later – three of them girls. That’s not too bad – especially given that Salsa internet forums are dominated by men – unlike the Salsa world in general (Ballroom internet forums are another matter). A group of three including DJ Yuca were from Leicester. This meant that the Londoners were distinct minority here. Amusing but perhaps not surprising.
The class was fairly fast-paced and dealt mostly with basic steps of many different dances. First up was Bolero, which reminded me of Ballroom Rumba – but not quite so stiff. It made me think that such basic step can be quite flexible and used in rather large number of musical settings. Not necessarily optimal but not necessarily completely out of character either. Next up was Danzon box step quickly leading to Mambo box step to forward and back basic to give it all a historic context.
Next up was cross-over (a.k.a. New Yorker), which is seen rarely in social Salsa dancing although common enough in Cha Cha. Arguably the segment, which came closest to a turn pattern, came around here starting with cross-over, followed by back spot turn (or stationary clockwise turn for follower) followed by what was called scallop.
Terence suggested that scallop does require that follower be aware of the move meaning it’s probably not leadable for someone unaware of it. Of course there is lead involved. I thought the footwork timing might be slightly easier with On2 timing, but I don’t think this was the case with follower I had at the time (who was not used to On2 timing in the first place).
Footwork for leader is as follows. On1 timing in this case…
7 R to R somewhat wide and establish two-handed open hold
1 L cross over in front of R
3 L cross over behind R
5 R cross over behind L
6 L slightly to L
7 R together or at least change weight to R
I won’t bother with On2 timing – obvious enough for me. On to follower’s footwork (which the leader leads her into, helped if she knows what she's supposed to do)…
1 R cross over behind L
2 weight transfer to L
3 R cross over in front of L
5 L cross over in front of R
6 R to R
7 L together
So it’s essentially mirror image footwork. The lead is done with both hand connected. It’s really more of frame lead of course, rather than leading with arms.
Dancing on the Clave was funky. This involves dancing outside the bars of music – or you get back to the original position after 6 bars of music. Too little time was spent to see how it would feel.
Last or near the end was the distinction between Guajira and Cha Cha. One is On1 and the other is On2. I actually missed the distinction because I could hear where the cha-cha-cha steps should be coming based upon the beats with Guajira music Terence used. However, it seemed that this was because I was not paying attention to the melody.
There were fair bit of technical stuff in terms of holds, being grounded, etc. For me specifically Terence observed that I was dancing on balls of my feet often without getting my heels down completely to complete the steps. He also noted that I must have become very accustomed to doing it this way and that changing it would take a long time. I’d imagine he would have an interesting reaction to how Ivan does it. In any case, I’d want to change it before I could change it. It’s something to think about.
It was an interesting experience. Would I do it again? Probably. Is the whole thing financially viable for Terence? I have no answer to that. My natural tendency is to be conservative in anyone’s ability to raise interest level. Maybe youtube video shot by DJ Yuca (unfortunately shot vertically) will help.
The Record Breaker With Niko & Anetta
September 26, 2008
My first thought was that it was really crowded. It took a sneak here and there to make it to the DJ booth to leave my CDs there as well as change shoes – given that there really was no space anywhere. Vish said it was a record crowd for classes. I believe it. The only people missing were Joe and Danie, who were apparently in Sweden.
Vish’s work on refinishing the floor was more or less done; it looked pretty good. I didn’t exactly get a great look at it given there being so many people. In fact because of the swarm of people, I did not spot Anetta for another 30 minutes or so after my arrival; I saw and shook hands with Niko on my way to the DJ booth. Likewise it was only at the end of my first DJ session when I finally got to check out the pair of small speakers Vish installed on the columns near the rearranged seating area. People coming back from their summer vacation will see a different looking Club Salsa on their arrival – not radically different but noticeable cosmetic changes.
On pretext of Joe not being there and Vish being short-staffed, I was asked to start off the evening as the DJ. I hadn’t counted on it, but I rather like starting off.
Playlist
Huracan – Bobby Valentin
La Muy Muy – Roberto Torres
Que Quiere La Nina – Kako Y Totico
La Esencia Del Guaguanco – Johnny Pacheco
Volver Volver – Grupo Gale (1)
long break
Se Me Fue – Conjunto Yumuri*
Son Diez Lagrimas – Lebron Brothers
Barranquiello Arrebatao – Fruko Y Sus Tesos*
Vampira – Rey Reyes
Yay Boy – Africando *
Mirandote – Franke Ruiz
Ven Morena – Orquesta Aragon (-3%) (2)
Perdios – Monchy & Alexandra*
Cualquiera – Oscar D’Leon
Los Salseros Se Van – Willie Rosario
Mambo For Vibes – Hilton Ruiz (3)
Dejate Querer – Jose Alberto “El Canario”
Pueblo Latino – Spanish Harlem Orchestra (-2%)
Dos Locos – Monchy & Alexandra
La Realidad – Angel Canales*
Mentirosa – Louie Ramirez & Ray De La Paz
Gotas De Lluvia – El Gran Combo
A Corazon Abierto – Hector Tricoche
Loco De Amor – Evolucion A R
Camina Prende Y El Fogon – Conjunto Yumuri*
Quiero Llenarte – Frankie Ruiz*
Otra Oportunidad – Jimmy Bosch
Los Caminos De La Vida – Ismael Rivera & Junior Gonzalez
(1) Vish relieved me here. I think the biggest reason might have been to raise the tempo of the songs. Vish played for a while followed by a guest DJ from Norwich. Vish played one or two songs afterwards before I took over for the rest of the evening.
(2) The Norwich DJ was very impressed that I got the crowd to accept such an old song.
(3) Unexpected fan for this song – same person who was awfully unimpressed with my Fruko Y Sus Tesos selection earlier (and wanting exciting Colombian songs).
Total = 28 songs. 3 Bachata including 2 new. 25 Salsa including 6 new.
Interesting fact for the night. I don’t think there was a single Merengue played tonight. Zero Reggaeton as well. It was all Salsa and maybe 5-6 Bachata. That is unusual. The Norwich DJ was alright – some might describe his style as something like On1 version of DJ Sylvester.
Present tonight included Jane, Rajiv, Ivan, Clara, Sally, Andrea and Polly. I think there was a sizeable contingent from Norwich. The Royston trio were there as well. As it has been the case often this summer, the two most in-tune dances were with Jane and Andrea. The one with Jane was especially interesting because of Vishal’s song choice – Saraguay Santoja by Angel Canales, a song I never expected to hear any DJ play – let alone in Cambridge. Of course, it’s possible that people dancing tonight might have been more puzzled by La Realidad than Saraguay Santoja.
It was quite warm tonight. Too many people probably caused the AC to work overtime. I wonder if turning it on earlier would have helped. I was dripping so much so that I was distracted from paying attention to the showcase. The floor was still quite sticky at that time.
The party ended around 2:30. I hurried home to catch the debate.
My first thought was that it was really crowded. It took a sneak here and there to make it to the DJ booth to leave my CDs there as well as change shoes – given that there really was no space anywhere. Vish said it was a record crowd for classes. I believe it. The only people missing were Joe and Danie, who were apparently in Sweden.
Vish’s work on refinishing the floor was more or less done; it looked pretty good. I didn’t exactly get a great look at it given there being so many people. In fact because of the swarm of people, I did not spot Anetta for another 30 minutes or so after my arrival; I saw and shook hands with Niko on my way to the DJ booth. Likewise it was only at the end of my first DJ session when I finally got to check out the pair of small speakers Vish installed on the columns near the rearranged seating area. People coming back from their summer vacation will see a different looking Club Salsa on their arrival – not radically different but noticeable cosmetic changes.
On pretext of Joe not being there and Vish being short-staffed, I was asked to start off the evening as the DJ. I hadn’t counted on it, but I rather like starting off.
Playlist
Huracan – Bobby Valentin
La Muy Muy – Roberto Torres
Que Quiere La Nina – Kako Y Totico
La Esencia Del Guaguanco – Johnny Pacheco
Volver Volver – Grupo Gale (1)
long break
Se Me Fue – Conjunto Yumuri*
Son Diez Lagrimas – Lebron Brothers
Barranquiello Arrebatao – Fruko Y Sus Tesos*
Vampira – Rey Reyes
Yay Boy – Africando *
Mirandote – Franke Ruiz
Ven Morena – Orquesta Aragon (-3%) (2)
Perdios – Monchy & Alexandra*
Cualquiera – Oscar D’Leon
Los Salseros Se Van – Willie Rosario
Mambo For Vibes – Hilton Ruiz (3)
Dejate Querer – Jose Alberto “El Canario”
Pueblo Latino – Spanish Harlem Orchestra (-2%)
Dos Locos – Monchy & Alexandra
La Realidad – Angel Canales*
Mentirosa – Louie Ramirez & Ray De La Paz
Gotas De Lluvia – El Gran Combo
A Corazon Abierto – Hector Tricoche
Loco De Amor – Evolucion A R
Camina Prende Y El Fogon – Conjunto Yumuri*
Quiero Llenarte – Frankie Ruiz*
Otra Oportunidad – Jimmy Bosch
Los Caminos De La Vida – Ismael Rivera & Junior Gonzalez
(1) Vish relieved me here. I think the biggest reason might have been to raise the tempo of the songs. Vish played for a while followed by a guest DJ from Norwich. Vish played one or two songs afterwards before I took over for the rest of the evening.
(2) The Norwich DJ was very impressed that I got the crowd to accept such an old song.
(3) Unexpected fan for this song – same person who was awfully unimpressed with my Fruko Y Sus Tesos selection earlier (and wanting exciting Colombian songs).
Total = 28 songs. 3 Bachata including 2 new. 25 Salsa including 6 new.
Interesting fact for the night. I don’t think there was a single Merengue played tonight. Zero Reggaeton as well. It was all Salsa and maybe 5-6 Bachata. That is unusual. The Norwich DJ was alright – some might describe his style as something like On1 version of DJ Sylvester.
Present tonight included Jane, Rajiv, Ivan, Clara, Sally, Andrea and Polly. I think there was a sizeable contingent from Norwich. The Royston trio were there as well. As it has been the case often this summer, the two most in-tune dances were with Jane and Andrea. The one with Jane was especially interesting because of Vishal’s song choice – Saraguay Santoja by Angel Canales, a song I never expected to hear any DJ play – let alone in Cambridge. Of course, it’s possible that people dancing tonight might have been more puzzled by La Realidad than Saraguay Santoja.
It was quite warm tonight. Too many people probably caused the AC to work overtime. I wonder if turning it on earlier would have helped. I was dripping so much so that I was distracted from paying attention to the showcase. The floor was still quite sticky at that time.
The party ended around 2:30. I hurried home to catch the debate.
End Of Summer In Sight
September 19, 2008
What’s with the reduction in Salsa outings? Last week, one night. The week before, two nights at Salsa Kingdom. Before that, one night. I’m far from convinced that this is an SOS weekend. It’s a far cry from at least twice a week and more often than not three times a week.
I simply don’t see any reason to visit CS more often. Maybe something will change when school starts again, but I’m pessimistic. So unless some compelling reason appears, I’ll just continue to hold the fort on Fridays and no more. Progress elsewhere is slow, and it’s probably best to keep my Salsa distraction to minimum to try to find myself out of this jungle.
This may be the last of the slow “summer” Fridays this year. Next week brings another showcase Friday. Some of the university students might be back the Friday after that. Whatever the reason the only people from the ole crowd tonight were Ivan and Nina. Mmm – I think Sharon has been around long enough to qualify. Hmm - how should or could the ole crowd be defined? How about for girls - the ones who are liable to get asked to dance by both me and Rajiv or Ivan? Just kidding. Don't take this seriously. Please!
I don’t mean no one else is dancing slot style; there are quite a few newcomers catching on very fast as well as longer-termers still steadily improving. I have said a while ago that the newcomers coming to a stronger scene tend to improve faster, and many of the people who became “good” when the scene was weaker but stopped improving will find themselves getting surpassed.
Personal Salsa news – not that I think anyone should care. I think I’m out of the GBSEx. I kept holding off buying a ticket for it, and now I found a more attractive alternative – Athens at the end of November. I really don’t want to spend two weekends in a row at Salsa congresses. Even if one night party pass was possible to obtain, Manchester is too long a drive. On the other hand, Acropolis + New Swing Sextet + El Gran Combo = irresistible. I’m looking at Fri+Sat only option – similar to Salsa Kingdom except with a lot more sightseeing. Will GBSEx come to rue not locking people into buying tickets by offering early-bird discount? Salsa Del Este is still fairly safe, however.
Joe's song selections came in blocks. I can't remember exactly but there were songs like Blue Mambo and Lluvia Con Nieve next to each other early, songs like Betece and Se Le Ve were near each other in the middle, and Nadie Se Salva De La Rumba (Ivan's favorite - ha ha) and Manos Duras at the end to clear the floor.
Playlist
Lindo Yambu – Cheo Feliciano
Mentiras – Oscar D’Leon
No Es Una Novela – Monchy & Alexandra*
Pastorita – Conjunto Yumuri*
Ay Amor, Cuando Hablan Las Miradas – Guayacan Orquesta
Mi Pollo – Eddie Palmieri*
Rumbera – Willie Chirino
Sopa En Botella – Celia Cruz & Johnny Pacheco
Merecumbe – Johnny Colon (-5%)
El Costo De La Vida – Juan Luis Guerra
La Bilirrubina – Juan Luis Guerra
Hasta El Fin – Monchy & Alexandra*
Guaguanco Pa’l Que Sabe – Johnny Pacheco
El Tiroteo – New Swing Sextet
Que Locura Enamorarme Ti – DLG*
Total = 15 songs. 2 Bachata new. 2 Merengue. 11 Salsa including 3 new.
What’s with the reduction in Salsa outings? Last week, one night. The week before, two nights at Salsa Kingdom. Before that, one night. I’m far from convinced that this is an SOS weekend. It’s a far cry from at least twice a week and more often than not three times a week.
I simply don’t see any reason to visit CS more often. Maybe something will change when school starts again, but I’m pessimistic. So unless some compelling reason appears, I’ll just continue to hold the fort on Fridays and no more. Progress elsewhere is slow, and it’s probably best to keep my Salsa distraction to minimum to try to find myself out of this jungle.
This may be the last of the slow “summer” Fridays this year. Next week brings another showcase Friday. Some of the university students might be back the Friday after that. Whatever the reason the only people from the ole crowd tonight were Ivan and Nina. Mmm – I think Sharon has been around long enough to qualify. Hmm - how should or could the ole crowd be defined? How about for girls - the ones who are liable to get asked to dance by both me and Rajiv or Ivan? Just kidding. Don't take this seriously. Please!
I don’t mean no one else is dancing slot style; there are quite a few newcomers catching on very fast as well as longer-termers still steadily improving. I have said a while ago that the newcomers coming to a stronger scene tend to improve faster, and many of the people who became “good” when the scene was weaker but stopped improving will find themselves getting surpassed.
Personal Salsa news – not that I think anyone should care. I think I’m out of the GBSEx. I kept holding off buying a ticket for it, and now I found a more attractive alternative – Athens at the end of November. I really don’t want to spend two weekends in a row at Salsa congresses. Even if one night party pass was possible to obtain, Manchester is too long a drive. On the other hand, Acropolis + New Swing Sextet + El Gran Combo = irresistible. I’m looking at Fri+Sat only option – similar to Salsa Kingdom except with a lot more sightseeing. Will GBSEx come to rue not locking people into buying tickets by offering early-bird discount? Salsa Del Este is still fairly safe, however.
Joe's song selections came in blocks. I can't remember exactly but there were songs like Blue Mambo and Lluvia Con Nieve next to each other early, songs like Betece and Se Le Ve were near each other in the middle, and Nadie Se Salva De La Rumba (Ivan's favorite - ha ha) and Manos Duras at the end to clear the floor.
Playlist
Lindo Yambu – Cheo Feliciano
Mentiras – Oscar D’Leon
No Es Una Novela – Monchy & Alexandra*
Pastorita – Conjunto Yumuri*
Ay Amor, Cuando Hablan Las Miradas – Guayacan Orquesta
Mi Pollo – Eddie Palmieri*
Rumbera – Willie Chirino
Sopa En Botella – Celia Cruz & Johnny Pacheco
Merecumbe – Johnny Colon (-5%)
El Costo De La Vida – Juan Luis Guerra
La Bilirrubina – Juan Luis Guerra
Hasta El Fin – Monchy & Alexandra*
Guaguanco Pa’l Que Sabe – Johnny Pacheco
El Tiroteo – New Swing Sextet
Que Locura Enamorarme Ti – DLG*
Total = 15 songs. 2 Bachata new. 2 Merengue. 11 Salsa including 3 new.
Bored Or Lethargic?
September 12, 2008
When Vish asked me to be at CS by 9:45 asking me to DJ all night, I guessed that Joe was away this week. Wrong. Joe was there, and he played music fairly late into the evening.
Apparently many of the people I know were not at CS last Friday thus missing out on another big flooding incident. Curious. I did not give it much thought however.
When Joe revealed the identity of the person celebrating a birthday, I thought I had a better guess as why some of the people were here tonight. Raj. Then again it wasn’t a super unusual group tonight.
I paused for a second in anticipation when Nina asked me for a request for the first time in over two years. Doh! She wasn’t the first to ask for Monchy & Alexandra; I could have gotten it more than a year ago (although I didn’t get to find out which particular song she was asking for).
Meanwhile David continues to lean on me to get some DLG. Be fair and balanced?
I probably ended up dancing with 6-8 people including Zhenzhi and Andrea before taking over as DJ. Joe suggested that the number of people dancing seemed alright considering how it looked at the start. I replied that I’ll probably lose the dancers right away with my first song. Joe’s choices tonight included more R&B type Salsa than typical (Get It On, Contigo, Show Me, two versions of Fragile, etc).
I opted to be done with one choice to amuse myself very early before settling down on vanilla and getting quite Salsa-free near the end.
Playlist
Joe Cuba’s Latin Hustle – Joe Cuba*
Ken Moussoul Guis Li – Africando*
La Paella – Jose Alberto “El Canario”
Tres Dias De Carnaval – Celia Cruz & Johnny Pacheco
Ajiaco Caliente – Eddie Palmieri
Cao Cao Mani Picao – Tito Puente & Vincentico Valdes
El Negrito Del Batey – Direct Latin Influence
Ven Tu – Domenic Marte
Guaguanco Del Gran Combo – El Gran Combo
Tu Amor Me Hace Bien – Marc Anthony
Cali Aji – Grupo Niche
Hablame – Frankie Ruiz
El Cepillo – Fulanito
Pin Pon – El Medico
Que Buena Baila Usted – Oscar D’Leon
Solo Se Que Tiene Nombre De Mujer – Angel Canales
Oiga Mire Vea – Guayacan Orquesta
Trucutu – Tommy Olivencia
Visa Para Un Sueno – Juan Luis Guerra
I Wanna Love You – Pablo Bachata
Luna Negra – Rey Ruiz
Rompe – Daddy Yankee
Guallando – Fulanito
Playa Fa Sho – Toby Love
Silencio – Hector Tricoche*
Miss Fatty – El Medico*
Impacto – Daddy Yankee
Lamento Boliviano – Toque D Keda
Quiero Enamorarte – Marco Ferretti
Total = 29 songs. 1 Cha Cha new. 4 Merengue. 4 Reggaeton including 1 new. 5 Bachata. 15 Salsa including 2 new.
When Vish asked me to be at CS by 9:45 asking me to DJ all night, I guessed that Joe was away this week. Wrong. Joe was there, and he played music fairly late into the evening.
Apparently many of the people I know were not at CS last Friday thus missing out on another big flooding incident. Curious. I did not give it much thought however.
When Joe revealed the identity of the person celebrating a birthday, I thought I had a better guess as why some of the people were here tonight. Raj. Then again it wasn’t a super unusual group tonight.
I paused for a second in anticipation when Nina asked me for a request for the first time in over two years. Doh! She wasn’t the first to ask for Monchy & Alexandra; I could have gotten it more than a year ago (although I didn’t get to find out which particular song she was asking for).
Meanwhile David continues to lean on me to get some DLG. Be fair and balanced?
I probably ended up dancing with 6-8 people including Zhenzhi and Andrea before taking over as DJ. Joe suggested that the number of people dancing seemed alright considering how it looked at the start. I replied that I’ll probably lose the dancers right away with my first song. Joe’s choices tonight included more R&B type Salsa than typical (Get It On, Contigo, Show Me, two versions of Fragile, etc).
I opted to be done with one choice to amuse myself very early before settling down on vanilla and getting quite Salsa-free near the end.
Playlist
Joe Cuba’s Latin Hustle – Joe Cuba*
Ken Moussoul Guis Li – Africando*
La Paella – Jose Alberto “El Canario”
Tres Dias De Carnaval – Celia Cruz & Johnny Pacheco
Ajiaco Caliente – Eddie Palmieri
Cao Cao Mani Picao – Tito Puente & Vincentico Valdes
El Negrito Del Batey – Direct Latin Influence
Ven Tu – Domenic Marte
Guaguanco Del Gran Combo – El Gran Combo
Tu Amor Me Hace Bien – Marc Anthony
Cali Aji – Grupo Niche
Hablame – Frankie Ruiz
El Cepillo – Fulanito
Pin Pon – El Medico
Que Buena Baila Usted – Oscar D’Leon
Solo Se Que Tiene Nombre De Mujer – Angel Canales
Oiga Mire Vea – Guayacan Orquesta
Trucutu – Tommy Olivencia
Visa Para Un Sueno – Juan Luis Guerra
I Wanna Love You – Pablo Bachata
Luna Negra – Rey Ruiz
Rompe – Daddy Yankee
Guallando – Fulanito
Playa Fa Sho – Toby Love
Silencio – Hector Tricoche*
Miss Fatty – El Medico*
Impacto – Daddy Yankee
Lamento Boliviano – Toque D Keda
Quiero Enamorarte – Marco Ferretti
Total = 29 songs. 1 Cha Cha new. 4 Merengue. 4 Reggaeton including 1 new. 5 Bachata. 15 Salsa including 2 new.
Salsa Kingdom Part 2
September 6, 2008
Because the Park Hall Hotel was full for Saturday night (it had been for quite some time), I looked for alternatives and settled on Parr Hall Farm B&B, which was not listed in the Salsa Kingdom website. It was located about 2-3 miles or 5 minute drive away. At 40 pounds per night for single occupancy of a double room, this was a great deal. I think it’s a better deal for singles because two people occupying the same room would have paid 70 pounds per night. The rooms were located in a converted barn and had a classy décor and were spacious. The breakfast was mostly Ploughman style with toast, porridge and soft boiled eggs made upon request – it in my opinion was the best looking breakfast I have seen in any B&B. The only amenity missing was an internet connection.
Scattered rain dissuaded me from doing any day trips to places like the Lake District. I took it easy doing little but a light walk to get a feel of the small town of Eccleston. Lunch was at The Original Farmers Arms, which seemed like a nice local pub (with cheap lodging options – cheaper than Parr Hall Farm). Dinner was at Verdes, a fashionable Italian eatery short walk from Parr Hall Farm. The food in my opinion was at least as good as better standard Cambridge eateries. Because I only got a table for dinner a little after 9:30, I ate hurriedly and made it to the party around 10:15 (or a bit later than I would have liked).
Eddie Palmieri and La Perfecta II started playing around 11 or about 30 minutes late, which isn’t bad. They started off with La Malanga (a song from after the breakup of the original La Perfecta) followed by Sujetate La Lengua. I was worried about the speed of the songs, but I should not have been. However, the songs were long to give musicians a lot of room to show off. Other songs played by the band included Bilongo, Muneca, Picadillo, Cuidate Compay, Azucar, Oyelo Que Conviene. Obvious songs one might have expected to hear but did not were Tu Tu Ta Ta, Lo Que Traigo Es Sabroso and Ajiaco Caliente from La Perfecta days alone – Eddie has a lot of hits outside that period too (at one point I thought he was hinting at playing Puerto Rico before starting Cuidate Compay). There was at least one more Cha Cha (well-known one but I cannot remember which tune it is now – was it Ay Que Rico? Not sure) as well as a more Afro-Cuban not-really-for-standard-Salsa song closing off the first set.
It was interesting that a young bass player (I learned later that he is only 25!) was given as much opportunity for solo riffs arguably as Eddie himself. It was especially nice to see because Salsa music scene doesn't have very many young musicians - he was very good. Comparatively speaking the small horn section (Jimmy Bosch was one of only two horn players – trombone presumably) had rather little to do. Most of the action happened on the Eddie’s side (Eddie in rear left, bass player next to Eddie, tres/guitar in front of Eddie and bass player, and the Conga and lead singer in center). The other musicians included timbalero and flutist (occ. minor percussion). New Swing Sextet was an excellent band playing dance music; Eddie Palmieri and La Perfecta was a superb group of virtuosic musicians who played songs you also can dance to if you had enough stamina and could find a partner who could match the intensity.
Finding a dance partner was something of a challenge, however. Although it was far from empty, the total number of dancers was not as large as type of event like this one deserved. The fact that the dance floor was quite small really did not help matters – even with small number of people there, the floor could have been twice its size without appearing empty. It probably did not help that the length of the song made agreeing to dance a major commitment. In the end, I probably danced to no more than 3-6 of the songs played by the band.
The DJs were fine – about the same as Friday. Both Henry Knowles and Lubi had some problems with the sound system due to miscommunication with the engineers at the main control. I’m guessing that neither of them are used to not having total control over the sound system. I for one thought that the sound system worked quite well in terms of never becoming shrill or too loud. The song selections were fine mostly - I won’t complain about a few Timba or near-Timba type songs. On the other hand, I was getting a little tired of Julian the Duke always playing Avisale A Mi Contrario by Tito Rodriguez pretty much every time I see him play anywhere. The most amusing moment in terms of song selection was hearing Otra Oportunidad coming on right after my first dance with Jimmy Bosch dancing right next to me. Playing favorites with DJs for this weekend, I would place Henry Knowles (no constant blending and many of the mixing was not distracting) and Lubi above Julian the Duke (so-so at best) and Pepe Bassan (blending songs for major deduction).
There were more people tonight than Friday night although the number of people dancing a lot wasn't much greater. People I don't remember seeing last night included Aiste, Rafael and Wesley. I don't remember seeing Leon, Inaki or Sekou McMiller. I probably would not have recognized rather large number of international guests although I might have danced with some of them. Mark, Lisa and Susana were present both nights. Steve did not make it - car trouble.
My dancing overall was again just okay. I’m not sure if there was an improvement over Friday quality-wise. There was less in quantity or at least in frequency; the fact that I stayed until later might have made the total number fairly close. Near the end, I opted to concentrate mostly on dancing On2 – not because it felt better or anything but because I thought I might be better served practicing it and because I wasn’t having any better time dancing On1.
September 7, 2008
I left Parr Hall Farm a little after 10:30 and headed over to M61 in order to take a side trip to York on the way back. I only became lost three times on the main roads – twice on the motorway including a detour into Leeds and ensuing forced entry into M1 southbound rather than northbound and once entering York and following the wrong sign for Park and Ride. I ended up parking on Bishopthorpe Road, which ended up saving me a bus fare.
I ended up spending over 4 hours in York and probably could have stayed longer except for being somewhat sleep-deprived and having a long drive back. York was still suffering from flooding of the Ouse River, but the weather while I was there was nice. I took a walk on the Western side of the York City Walls (from Bishopgate Street to Station Road), which was more interesting than I expected. Then I headed over to the York Minster and took a look at the chapel and the undercroft. The Minster in size was comparable to many of the major Spanish cathedrals I have been to (Seville, Toledo, Segovia) but was considerably less opulent – no doubt helped by the Reformation and the wealth of the countries and the church when the cathedrals were built and were in prime use. Visiting the undercroft was in some ways more interesting than what was a rare bare chapel. I then roamed the streets of York downtown including the Shambles.
Finding a nice-looking place for lunch was something of a challenge; Betty’s was too full and a few others I considered were closed. I also forgot to take a list of possible places to eat with me after my parking debacle. I ended up in Vegan café called El Piano (it was listed on Lonely Planet). The music was amusing (Africando was on when I entered), but my verdict is that British Vegan (gluten free to boot) was not for my palate. I think on the whole I am not crazy about meat-free food – although I did enjoy a vegetarian Indian restaurant in London some years ago.
I only managed to start the final leg back to Cambridge around 5 PM. It wasn’t bad. There was only one traffic accident to cause a major traffic jam. However, by the time I got home around 7:40, I was dead tired and was with a minor headache.
Because the Park Hall Hotel was full for Saturday night (it had been for quite some time), I looked for alternatives and settled on Parr Hall Farm B&B, which was not listed in the Salsa Kingdom website. It was located about 2-3 miles or 5 minute drive away. At 40 pounds per night for single occupancy of a double room, this was a great deal. I think it’s a better deal for singles because two people occupying the same room would have paid 70 pounds per night. The rooms were located in a converted barn and had a classy décor and were spacious. The breakfast was mostly Ploughman style with toast, porridge and soft boiled eggs made upon request – it in my opinion was the best looking breakfast I have seen in any B&B. The only amenity missing was an internet connection.
Scattered rain dissuaded me from doing any day trips to places like the Lake District. I took it easy doing little but a light walk to get a feel of the small town of Eccleston. Lunch was at The Original Farmers Arms, which seemed like a nice local pub (with cheap lodging options – cheaper than Parr Hall Farm). Dinner was at Verdes, a fashionable Italian eatery short walk from Parr Hall Farm. The food in my opinion was at least as good as better standard Cambridge eateries. Because I only got a table for dinner a little after 9:30, I ate hurriedly and made it to the party around 10:15 (or a bit later than I would have liked).
Eddie Palmieri and La Perfecta II started playing around 11 or about 30 minutes late, which isn’t bad. They started off with La Malanga (a song from after the breakup of the original La Perfecta) followed by Sujetate La Lengua. I was worried about the speed of the songs, but I should not have been. However, the songs were long to give musicians a lot of room to show off. Other songs played by the band included Bilongo, Muneca, Picadillo, Cuidate Compay, Azucar, Oyelo Que Conviene. Obvious songs one might have expected to hear but did not were Tu Tu Ta Ta, Lo Que Traigo Es Sabroso and Ajiaco Caliente from La Perfecta days alone – Eddie has a lot of hits outside that period too (at one point I thought he was hinting at playing Puerto Rico before starting Cuidate Compay). There was at least one more Cha Cha (well-known one but I cannot remember which tune it is now – was it Ay Que Rico? Not sure) as well as a more Afro-Cuban not-really-for-standard-Salsa song closing off the first set.
It was interesting that a young bass player (I learned later that he is only 25!) was given as much opportunity for solo riffs arguably as Eddie himself. It was especially nice to see because Salsa music scene doesn't have very many young musicians - he was very good. Comparatively speaking the small horn section (Jimmy Bosch was one of only two horn players – trombone presumably) had rather little to do. Most of the action happened on the Eddie’s side (Eddie in rear left, bass player next to Eddie, tres/guitar in front of Eddie and bass player, and the Conga and lead singer in center). The other musicians included timbalero and flutist (occ. minor percussion). New Swing Sextet was an excellent band playing dance music; Eddie Palmieri and La Perfecta was a superb group of virtuosic musicians who played songs you also can dance to if you had enough stamina and could find a partner who could match the intensity.
Finding a dance partner was something of a challenge, however. Although it was far from empty, the total number of dancers was not as large as type of event like this one deserved. The fact that the dance floor was quite small really did not help matters – even with small number of people there, the floor could have been twice its size without appearing empty. It probably did not help that the length of the song made agreeing to dance a major commitment. In the end, I probably danced to no more than 3-6 of the songs played by the band.
The DJs were fine – about the same as Friday. Both Henry Knowles and Lubi had some problems with the sound system due to miscommunication with the engineers at the main control. I’m guessing that neither of them are used to not having total control over the sound system. I for one thought that the sound system worked quite well in terms of never becoming shrill or too loud. The song selections were fine mostly - I won’t complain about a few Timba or near-Timba type songs. On the other hand, I was getting a little tired of Julian the Duke always playing Avisale A Mi Contrario by Tito Rodriguez pretty much every time I see him play anywhere. The most amusing moment in terms of song selection was hearing Otra Oportunidad coming on right after my first dance with Jimmy Bosch dancing right next to me. Playing favorites with DJs for this weekend, I would place Henry Knowles (no constant blending and many of the mixing was not distracting) and Lubi above Julian the Duke (so-so at best) and Pepe Bassan (blending songs for major deduction).
There were more people tonight than Friday night although the number of people dancing a lot wasn't much greater. People I don't remember seeing last night included Aiste, Rafael and Wesley. I don't remember seeing Leon, Inaki or Sekou McMiller. I probably would not have recognized rather large number of international guests although I might have danced with some of them. Mark, Lisa and Susana were present both nights. Steve did not make it - car trouble.
My dancing overall was again just okay. I’m not sure if there was an improvement over Friday quality-wise. There was less in quantity or at least in frequency; the fact that I stayed until later might have made the total number fairly close. Near the end, I opted to concentrate mostly on dancing On2 – not because it felt better or anything but because I thought I might be better served practicing it and because I wasn’t having any better time dancing On1.
September 7, 2008
I left Parr Hall Farm a little after 10:30 and headed over to M61 in order to take a side trip to York on the way back. I only became lost three times on the main roads – twice on the motorway including a detour into Leeds and ensuing forced entry into M1 southbound rather than northbound and once entering York and following the wrong sign for Park and Ride. I ended up parking on Bishopthorpe Road, which ended up saving me a bus fare.
I ended up spending over 4 hours in York and probably could have stayed longer except for being somewhat sleep-deprived and having a long drive back. York was still suffering from flooding of the Ouse River, but the weather while I was there was nice. I took a walk on the Western side of the York City Walls (from Bishopgate Street to Station Road), which was more interesting than I expected. Then I headed over to the York Minster and took a look at the chapel and the undercroft. The Minster in size was comparable to many of the major Spanish cathedrals I have been to (Seville, Toledo, Segovia) but was considerably less opulent – no doubt helped by the Reformation and the wealth of the countries and the church when the cathedrals were built and were in prime use. Visiting the undercroft was in some ways more interesting than what was a rare bare chapel. I then roamed the streets of York downtown including the Shambles.
Finding a nice-looking place for lunch was something of a challenge; Betty’s was too full and a few others I considered were closed. I also forgot to take a list of possible places to eat with me after my parking debacle. I ended up in Vegan café called El Piano (it was listed on Lonely Planet). The music was amusing (Africando was on when I entered), but my verdict is that British Vegan (gluten free to boot) was not for my palate. I think on the whole I am not crazy about meat-free food – although I did enjoy a vegetarian Indian restaurant in London some years ago.
I only managed to start the final leg back to Cambridge around 5 PM. It wasn’t bad. There was only one traffic accident to cause a major traffic jam. However, by the time I got home around 7:40, I was dead tired and was with a minor headache.
Salsa Kingdom Part 1
September 5, 2008
The drive there was nightmarish. I started the journey at 3:40. I arrived at the hotel at 8:55. In between there were queues that caused cars to come to complete halt near Cambridge (20 minute delay), approaching M6 (for about a mile), between junctions 4-6 in Birmingham (15 minute delay), between junction 8 and 9 again in Birmingham (5 minute delay), and near Stafford and near Stoke-On-Trent (15 minutes combined). Even outside the worst areas, the cruising speed in the Midlands was 40-50 mph. Visibility was very poor in the Midlands – it was fine on A14 and on M6 after crossing the Manchester Ship Canal.
The Park Plaza (the room for New Swing Sextet and Eddie Palmieri) had a rather small dance floor (no bigger than the lower floor for Scala). The carpeted part of the floor with seats, etc was much larger. When I arrived shortly before 10, the dance floor was nearly empty, but it filled up by the time band started playing. With no more than 30-40 couples dancing on the main floor, the space was filled but was not overcrowded. I did not see Lancastrian Suite.
New Swing Sextet started off with Che Che (a.k.a. Buenas Noches Che Che) followed by El Tiroteo (well-known cover done later by Joe Arroyo and re-titled Ban Ban). They played essentially all-Salsa set except for one Boogaloo (I Like It Like That), which I found to be the weakest song by far from their set. Otherwise, their performance was as good as expected. Most of the songs were at mellow speed except for a couple of songs near the end (e.g. Cachondea). Other songs they played not included in their new album included Maria Cervantes reminiscent of Tito Puente version, a different arrangement of My Favorite Things, and a different arrangement of Pico Swing or Picadillo. Also there was a song, which started off sounding like Vibe Mambo (but wasn’t).
The DJs were good. Lubi played mostly classic New York set. I did not know exactly most of the songs by Pepe Bassan, who tended to blend songs together. He also played the only two Cha Cha in a row of the night. Henry Knowles was mixing and blending a little as well but played fine songs. The only song I didn’t enjoy was a Bachata, which I mistook for a Cha Cha (and I didn’t like it because it fooled me). The proportion of vibraphone-based songs probably was higher than usual. There were more Eddie Palmieri songs than usual as well, and most of them were from between late 70s and 90s (i.e. nothing from La Perfecta or La Perfecta II days or mid 70’s Coco recordings).
Jimmy Bosch was here tonight dancing! Apparently he’s a surprise guest for Eddie Palmieri tomorrow! I wouldn’t have recognized him, but Gillian knew him presumably from the Manchester / Salsology anniversary party. I should have tried to say something nice to him. Maybe tomorrow. I did shake hands with the lead singer Jose Medina and vibraphonist/leader George Rodriguez of New Swing Sextet. For whatever its worth I only recognized five of the six members of New Swing Sextet from the new CD cover. The bands were the key attractions for coming to Salsa Kingdom. New Swing Sextet was the headline act for this year’s London Five Star Congress and will be for next year’s Zurich Congress. They are the second bananas to Eddie Palmieri here.
There was a small London contingent I recognized. In fact the one of the first people I met at the entrance was from London – apparently here after having won the tickets in a raffle. I met Gillian and Mark from Manchester. I had two On2 dances and two Cha Cha in a row; everything else was On1. Dancing overall was okay – it met or exceeded expectations.
The drive there was nightmarish. I started the journey at 3:40. I arrived at the hotel at 8:55. In between there were queues that caused cars to come to complete halt near Cambridge (20 minute delay), approaching M6 (for about a mile), between junctions 4-6 in Birmingham (15 minute delay), between junction 8 and 9 again in Birmingham (5 minute delay), and near Stafford and near Stoke-On-Trent (15 minutes combined). Even outside the worst areas, the cruising speed in the Midlands was 40-50 mph. Visibility was very poor in the Midlands – it was fine on A14 and on M6 after crossing the Manchester Ship Canal.
The Park Plaza (the room for New Swing Sextet and Eddie Palmieri) had a rather small dance floor (no bigger than the lower floor for Scala). The carpeted part of the floor with seats, etc was much larger. When I arrived shortly before 10, the dance floor was nearly empty, but it filled up by the time band started playing. With no more than 30-40 couples dancing on the main floor, the space was filled but was not overcrowded. I did not see Lancastrian Suite.
New Swing Sextet started off with Che Che (a.k.a. Buenas Noches Che Che) followed by El Tiroteo (well-known cover done later by Joe Arroyo and re-titled Ban Ban). They played essentially all-Salsa set except for one Boogaloo (I Like It Like That), which I found to be the weakest song by far from their set. Otherwise, their performance was as good as expected. Most of the songs were at mellow speed except for a couple of songs near the end (e.g. Cachondea). Other songs they played not included in their new album included Maria Cervantes reminiscent of Tito Puente version, a different arrangement of My Favorite Things, and a different arrangement of Pico Swing or Picadillo. Also there was a song, which started off sounding like Vibe Mambo (but wasn’t).
The DJs were good. Lubi played mostly classic New York set. I did not know exactly most of the songs by Pepe Bassan, who tended to blend songs together. He also played the only two Cha Cha in a row of the night. Henry Knowles was mixing and blending a little as well but played fine songs. The only song I didn’t enjoy was a Bachata, which I mistook for a Cha Cha (and I didn’t like it because it fooled me). The proportion of vibraphone-based songs probably was higher than usual. There were more Eddie Palmieri songs than usual as well, and most of them were from between late 70s and 90s (i.e. nothing from La Perfecta or La Perfecta II days or mid 70’s Coco recordings).
Jimmy Bosch was here tonight dancing! Apparently he’s a surprise guest for Eddie Palmieri tomorrow! I wouldn’t have recognized him, but Gillian knew him presumably from the Manchester / Salsology anniversary party. I should have tried to say something nice to him. Maybe tomorrow. I did shake hands with the lead singer Jose Medina and vibraphonist/leader George Rodriguez of New Swing Sextet. For whatever its worth I only recognized five of the six members of New Swing Sextet from the new CD cover. The bands were the key attractions for coming to Salsa Kingdom. New Swing Sextet was the headline act for this year’s London Five Star Congress and will be for next year’s Zurich Congress. They are the second bananas to Eddie Palmieri here.
There was a small London contingent I recognized. In fact the one of the first people I met at the entrance was from London – apparently here after having won the tickets in a raffle. I met Gillian and Mark from Manchester. I had two On2 dances and two Cha Cha in a row; everything else was On1. Dancing overall was okay – it met or exceeded expectations.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)