Bogota is well on its way to push Cali off Colombia’s number one spot as
city of salsa. The capital of Valle del Cauca obviously has the
history, but Bogota has a whole new breed of salsa groups, sweeping the
dance floors across the country. The latest salsa sensation from the
capital district is called Yorubá Orquesta.
The revival of the real “heavy” or “angry” salsa began with La 33’s first album in 2004. The Bogotá band ignored the widely popular romantic salsa and re-introduced the boogaloo and the salsa as it was played by Fania in the 1970’s. Within no-time it gained an underground following of those who like their salsa as it was intended by masters like Willie Colon, Hector Lavoe and Ruben Blades.
Colombia’s second largest city Medellin then followed with La Sonora 8, a band also playing salsa in a way similar to the rough form of La 33. Both bands now are considered Colombia’s most important salsa bands and are frequently invited to play abroad to show what Colombia’s real salsa is like.
Meanwhile, Cali did nothing. Its salsa clubs are still the most famous of Colombia and there is little doubt that the Caleños dance salsa better than anyone in Colombia, if not Latin America, but not one band was able to outgrow the city and find its way into the mountains or the northern beaches.
Yorubá Orquesta, a band that’s been around since 1999 already, now is presenting its first album and will join La 33 in the war on dance floors with a more latin-jazz kind of salsa. The band puts the Colombian capital now definitely on #1 when it comes to the finest of salsa. One would almost forget that Cali is the real capital of salsa, if it still is.
Yoruba Orquesta in concert
July 4, 9PM
Teatro Metro, Calle 34 #13-28