That’s right!  San Diego is gaining a new salsa dance venue and the Grand Opening is set for Tue Sept 14, 2010 at the Keating Hotel.  The event will also be a celebration of Mexican Independence featuring Orquesta Tabaco y Ron and Oddy Pena y su Bachata Magic.

There will be multiple dance shows and a free salsa lesson beginning at 8:30pm courtesy of Ooh La La Dance Dance Company.  If you plan on going make sure you get there before 10pm to get in free, otherwise it’s $10.00.

If you haven’t been to the Keating Hotel before it’s easy to find with access through the Merk restaurant on 818 5th Street, next to Croces.

Ritmo Bello and the San Diego Salsa and Latin Dancing Meetup Group invite you to welcome San Diego’s newest salsa venue by joining us September 14th.  You can RSVP for the event on our calendar page here.

See you all on the dance floor!

John

@RitmoBello

It’s hard to believe that summer is ending but we’ll have at least one more opportunity to celebrate summer 2010.  The San Diego Salsa and Latin Dancing Meetup group in conjunction with Ritmo Bello is hosting our last 1st Wednesday event at Cafe Sevilla September 1st.  Why is it our last one you may ask?  Well, as I shared with you last month Cafe Sevilla will be moving in the fall to a new location.

Join us as we celebrate one final time at the old Cafe Sevilla location.  The event starts at 8pm and this time there will be a LIVE BAND to enjoy beginning at 10pm.

For more information about the event and to RSVP please visit the event page (click here).

See you all on September 1st at Cafe Sevilla!

John

@RitmoBello

Ritmo Bello and the San Diego Salsa Bachata Festival congratulate Franklin Liranzo for winning the 2010 Full VIP event pass!  Hailing from New York City, Franklin’s YouTube video submission presented the best creativity and overall impact as you’ll see below (it’s actually inspiring too):

Thank you to everyone that submitted their video entries.  If you still need to purchase your passes for the 2010 San Diego Salsa Bachata Festival don’t procrastinate, get yours today before they sell out of tickets and hotel rooms!

You can find out more information about the upcoming festival on the San Diego Salsa Bachata Festival website and RSVP to meet members of the San Diego Salsa and Latin Dancing Meetup Group at the event.

See you all at the 2010 San Diego Salsa Bachata Festival!

John

@RitmoBello

For many Latin Americans, tradition plays a huge role in the development of not just the culture but also the music that comes from that culture.  This is clearly evident in the work of Cuban Son Band Septeto Nacional.  Since 1927 the Cuban band has worked tirelessly to keep the traditional Cuban son alive and little has changed for the 4th generation of the band that currently tours today.  San Diego will be able to experience true, authentic Cuban Son at their upcoming Anthology concert here in Little Italy on September 3rd.  Recently I was lucky enough to talk with Francisco Oropesa from the group about the history and tradition of Septeto Nacional.  I hope you enjoy the interview as much as I did.

John

@RitmoBello

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Ritmo Bello: Francisco Oropesa, it’s great to finally sit down with you to talk about the legendary Septeto Nacional. Okay, let’s begin. Can you give my Ritmo Bello readers some background on the band’s origin and the original leader, Ignacio Pineiro?

Septeto Nacional:  The Septeto Nacional was officially founded on December 13, 1927, by Don Ignacio Piñeiro at 56 Pocito Street in the neighborhood of Pueblo Nuevo, in Havana, Cuba. Additional founding members were Juan de La Cruz Iznaga, Francisco Solares, Jose Manuel Incharte, Alberto Villalón, Bienvenido León y Abelardo Barroso. Another early member was Lázaro Herrera. He became the first trumpeter to record Cuban son in the newer septet format. Prior to this, the group was a sextet, as were the vast majority of son groups in Cuba at the time. The addition of the trumpet was a major innovation in the development of Cuban son.

Ritmo Bello: What exactly does ‘septeto” refer to, the group members themselves or the instruments? What’s the history behind the name?

Septeto Nacional:  Septeto (Septet) refers to the number of muscians in the group (seven musicians, each with an instrument). Ignacio Pineiro played a significant role in changing the number of musicians in the son format to seven from the original six.

Ritmo Bello: Most folks may not be familiar with the difference between modern salsa music and Cuban Son. How would you describe the differences and what do you see as the advantages of one music form over the other?

Septeto Nacional:  First, the son is played with acoustic instruments. Some of the early instruments are no longer used as frequently, such as the Marímbula (used as a bass – constructed of several metal strips attached to a box) and the Botija (a jug – like those found in the Kentucky black jug bands).

The son played by Septeto Nacional is special. Ignacio Piñeiro’s unique arrangements and compositions are infused with many of the African derived music traditions found in Cuba, such as Rumba (the Rumba complex includes: Guanguancó, Yambú and Colombia) and Abakuá. He created and enriched his music with all these elements.

Ritmo Bello: Although Septeto Nacional is known for its rich musical history I’m sure you have an opportunity to make new music. How and where do you find inspiration for creating new music?

Septeto Nacional:  The most important objective for our group is to keep the original repertoire and preserve the Rumba style Ignacio Piñeiro brought to the son.

When we make new music, we’re inspired by our excellent musicians and composers.   However, we always make sure to conserve the traditional character and brand handed down by Ignacio Piñeiro.

Ritmo Bello: As a history buff I always like to see the greater picture and understand how music has evolved through certain events. How has the Cuban revolution in 1959 affected music coming from Cuba such as Cuban Son?

Septeto Nacional:  In our case, the group has not been affected. We have always received our country’s full support. We tour and perform a great deal and through this, we receive much admiration and respect in Cuba and throughout the world. We are proud to be the ambassadors of Cuban Folklore, a title we’ve held since 1929, and represent our traditional music at the highest levels.

Ritmo Bello: Can you tell me a little about the albums that Septeto Nacional has released to date?

Septeto Nacional:  A vast number of recordings have been made since 1927. Between 1959 and 2010, more than 20 albums have been released. Some of the latest and most significant recordings are: Poetas del Son (Chant du Monde label – Grammy nominated, 2002), El Sabor de la Tradición (Ferment 2005), Noche de Conga (Egrem 2007), Desafiando al Destino (Bis Music 2009).

Ritmo Bello: Are there current plans for new CD releases coming up soon?

Septeto Nacional:  Our latest album is titled Sin Rumba, No Hay Son from Harmonia Mundi/World Village Records. We’re launching it on this U.S. tour. The official release date is September 14th. The CD has 14 great tracks. We hope our fans enjoy it and that it’s a success on the global market

Ritmo Bello: What song from your group best epitomizes true Cuban Son in your opinion?

Septeto Nacional:  Indisputably, there are many songs from Piñeiro that exemplify the Septeto Nacional. However, in my opinion, the most universal is Échale salsita (throw a little salsa on it!). The term “salsa”, the blanket word we use today to describe tropical/Latin music, can be traced to this son composition.

Ritmo Bello: What type of awards has the group received over the years on account of Cuban Son music? Which ones are you most proud of receiving?

Septeto Nacional:  I think the most significant awards the Septeto Nacional has received are the gold medals from the Seville World’s Fair in 1929 and the Chicago World’s Fair in 1933. Equally as important, the group is also a recipient of the Cuban Cultural Heritage Award of Distinction. We’re proud and honored to be so recognized.

Ritmo Bello: What are you future plans concerning your music?

Septeto Nacional:  To continue the worldwide promotion of Ignacio Piñeiro’s music, identified globally as Cuban Folklore.

Ritmo Bello: As a salsa dancer I have to ask, what do you think about the growth and popularity of dancing to salsa, Cuban Son or other types of Latin music?

Septeto Nacional:  In many countries we see salsa dancers dancing on rhythmic elements of the Cuban Son. We also see many people come to Cuba to learn popular dance, some of them have dance academies that exist in different countries.  I think it’s great to see so many young people eager to learn how to dance to this music we all love.  Cubans breathe their music and dance (both in popular and folkloric forms). It’s a constant presence in our lives, from morning to night.   Cubans live it every minute of the day – in their homes, on the streets, festivals, clubs – music, dance and art are a constant presence in Cuba. It’s a part of our lives from the time we’re born. We know and understand all Latin rhythms and trends from all parts of Latin America.

Ritmo Bello: At the upcoming Anthology show September 3rd what can we expect to see when you perform?

Septeto Nacional:  The audience can expect to listen and dance to the best Cuban traditional music, the most authentic and best preserved Cuban son in the style of Ignacio Piñeiro.

Ritmo Bello: Is there anything else you’d like to share with the San Diego salsa and Latin dance community that we haven’t covered yet?

Septeto Nacional:  We hope the San Diego public enjoys our music and our interpretive quality. We’re the 4th generation of Septeto Nacional and have played over 500 concerts in over 36 countries over the past 10 years.

Ritmo Bello: Do you have contact information in case anyone from the Ritmo Bello audience wants to contact you?

Septeto Nacional:  They can contact us by email at echalesalsita@cubarte.cult.cu or by phone in Cuba 535-2829003 or 537-8635736. Ask for Frank or Ricardo.

Ritmo Bello: Francisco, on behalf of the San Diego salsa dance community and Ritmo Bello thank you for your time! It has been an honor to talk to you today.

Septeto Nacional:  Many thanks to you and the Ritmo Bello audience. We hope to see all of you at the Anthology Jazz Club shows.

Hope you are all doing great.  Just a quick reminder that the Full FREE Event VIP pass giveaway ends this Friday August 20th (that is one week from today).  The full event pass is a $225 value that gives you access to all the happenings at the upcoming San Diego Salsa Bachata Festival.

To enter:

1.  Create a  2 minute or less YouTube video
2.  that explains why you choose to dance and why you would love to attend the Festival, all at no cost to you
3.   and makes mention of Ritmo Bello in the video submission.

The winner will be chosen based on:

1.  Creativity

2.  Message clarity and relevance

3.  Motivation and inspiration

4.  Overall impact

To be eligible for the contest please submit your YouTube video link to bello_jf@ritmobello.com by Friday, August 20th, 2010. The winner will be announced on RitmoBello.com Monday, August 23rd, 2010.

Looking forward to all your entries, good luck!

John

@RitmoBello

This is a great video showing a stellar performance by Positive Energy at the recent Grupo Niche concert here in San Diego.  You’ll notice the first part is tango inspired and the latter portion switches to salsa dancing.  A great performance overall…

Remember that you can help improve the quality of these videos to high definition format by donating to the Ritmo Bello HD YouTube Fund.  Every dollar counts and we appreciate your support as we try to improve our videos for the San Diego dance community.   Below is the widget where you can help:

Thanks and see you all on the dance floor!

John

@RitmoBello

San Diego’s Bachata dance scene is always expanding and nothing is better proof of that but a new dance venue for bachata!  That’s right, San Diego is lucky to have a new venue hosting Bachata Mondays, the Gaslamp Quarter’s 809 Lounge.  Thanks to A Time to Dance Studio and Anthony Umina & Marissa Johnson of Bachatamante Dance Co. you can now find out what the bachata dance craze is all about.  Here is a video showing you how elegant and sensual the dance can be:

For more information on the new club visit BachataSanDiego.com and have a great time dancing bachata!

John

@RitmoBello

San Diego’s newest high end venue for Salsa and Latin dancing located in downtown La Jolla below George’s on the Cove is now open for dancing!  Tikul Coastal Mexican cuisine now offers Salsa , Bachata, Cha cha cha and merengue on their menu each saturday night for the month of August and possibly beyond.

Apart from being a great new alternative for your Saturday night salsa dancing, the venue is FREE all night long.

If you’ve never been to Tikul check out this video about the new dance venue:

Tikul has a spacious outdoor patio area and ocean views from the west side of the complex complete with nice wood dance floors.  The club  is hosted by Salsa Inferno under DJ Tony Caligagan, a longtime friend of Ritmo Bello.

Ritmo Bello and the San Diego Salsa and Latin Dancing Meetup Group will be in attendance this Saturday August 7th and we encourage you to join us.  For more information on the new venue and to RSVP please go to the event page here.

See you all Saturday at Tikul in downtown La Jolla!

John

@RitmoBello

Just a quick note that Ritmo Bello and The San Diego Salsa & Latin Dancing Meetup Group will be resuming our 1st Wednesday’s of the Month event at Café Sevilla August 4th.

This particular event will be unique in that we’ll be giving away a number of items for FREE to those that come at 8pm.  Café Sevilla, our host for the event and venue for this meetup, donated a pair of full dinner show tickets to raffle off right before the free dance lesson begins at 8:30 or so.  The Cafe Sevilla Flamenco dinner show is a great fusion of succulent Spanish cuisine, wine, and of course live flamenco dancing (and completely FREE to the winner of the dinner giveaway).  The tickets are normally a  $60/ticket value so don’t miss out on this opportunity.  This video below shows a glimpse of the flamenco dinner show:

Ritmo Bello will also be giving away a free DVD from our Meetup.com sponsor Dance Your A** Off and a documentary about bachata musician Joan Soriano in “El Duque de la Bachata”.

Everything starts at 8pm at Cafe Sevilla and we’ll be holding the raffle early on before 8:30 pm so don’t be late!  For more information about this event and to RSVP please visit the event page at the San Diego Salsa and Latin Dancing Meetup.

Café Sevilla and Alma Marketing are once again hosting a yacht party here in San Diego but this one is sure to top all the ones we’ve seen in the past!  Rumor has it that Sevilla on the Bay may break some records this time around and it will be sure to be a great time during this 3 hour cruise.

The theme for this party is a dress in all white, Caribbean style (yes this means you should wear all white lest you stand out for the wrong reasons).  As we’ve seen in the past, this yacht party will feature 3 floors of music including Johnny Polanco y Su Conjunto Amistad (a live salsa band), hip hop, and Danos Island Sounds (a Caribbean Steel Drum band). I interviewed Johnny Polanco on Ritmo Bello last year  and you can learn more about him in that interview (he is a great stand up guy).

For those of you that attended past yacht parties hosted by Café Sevilla, you know that the event is a fun mix of salsa dancing, hip hop, top 40, and live music. I’ve included some videos below for everyone else to be able to get a preview of the Sevilla on the Bay yacht party and why you should not miss this event:

Ritmo Bello and the San Diego Salsa and Latin Dancing Meetup Group will have a special table set out close to the dance floor where Johnny Polanco will be playing. Make sure to RSVP here and find out all the details on the Meetup.com calendar.

Lastly, I will be shooting video of the party and I’m still trying to raise funds to upgrade our videos to HD quality. I’ve included the donation widget above and we appreciate any help you can give! (You can click here to find out more information about this fundraiser).

See you all at the Café Sevilla  DRESS IN ALL WHITE Summer Party!

John

@RitmoBello

Oscar D’Leon performing live at the Harrah’s Rincon Casino Open Sky Theater in San Diego, CA. He performed live with his friend Gilberto Santa Rosa in a great concert.

Great show worth showing again here on Ritmo Bello, enjoy!

John

@RitmoBello

Just a quick heads up that this Saturday July 17th Rumba Entertainment is hosting the San Diego Colombian & Peruvian Independence Day Celebration at the Four Points Sheraton Hotel.  The event is featuring a Vallenato group as well as a salsa and cumbia band.  If you’ve never heard vallenato you are in for a real treat, check out the video below for a taste that music:

Ritmo Bello and the San Diego Salsa & Latin Dancing Meetup Group will be in attendance for this event.  Check out the event details on the RSVP page setup on our Meetup.com site.

See you all Saturday!

John

@RitmoBello

The 4th Annual San Diego Salsa Bachata Festival 2010 is September 16 – 20 and Ritmo Bello is giving away a full access VIP pass!   The Full access VIP event pass will give you access to all evening and day shows, competitions, and social dancing including the pre-party Thursday September 16th.  The passes are normally $200 but here is your chance to get one FREE.  This year we are doing something a little different to determine who will win the VIP pass and we’ll be using YouTube to help make that decision.

To be considered for the full event pass simply:

1.  Create a  2 minute or less YouTube video
2.  that explains why you choose to dance and why you would love to attend the Festival, all at no cost to you
3.   and makes mention of Ritmo Bello in the video submission.

The winner will be chosen based on:

1.  Creativity

2.  Message clarity and relevance

3.  Motivation and inspiration

4.  Overall impact

To be eligible for the contest please submit your YouTube video link to bello_jf@ritmobello.com by Friday, August 20th, 2010. The winner will be announced on RitmoBello.com Monday, August 23rd, 2010.

Good luck to all of you and don’t forget to submit your YouTube videos by the deadline!

John

@RitmoBello

Here is a nice video clip of Flamenco Guitarist Malamaña performing live at the Cafe Sevilla Yacht Party here in San Diego, CA last month. It is a nice break from the usual salsa, bachata, merengue and other Latin music we are all accustomed to hearing.  Enjoy!

John

@RitmoBello

That’s Right!  The Pete Escovedo Orchestra will once again be playing this Friday July 9th at Anthology in Little Italy and they are bringing some of the best Latin Jazz there is today.  Pete Escovedo, along with his kids Juan, Peter Michael, and Sheila-E will be celebrating his 75th birthday during a fun night of music and dancing.

If you haven’t heard the Pete Escovedo Orchestra in action check out the video above courtesy of David Moye at Anthology San Diego.  Tickets are still available directly from Anthology on their website, but make sure to get them soon as this show is sure to sell out!

See you all at Anthology for the Pete Escovedo Orchestra July 9th!

John

@RitmoBello