SALSA CELTICA – A DAZZLING HYBRID AT GENTING INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL

There is music you merely listen to; and there is music you twitch your hips, tap your toes and shake your head to. Bringing the latter to Genting is a dynamic band with their own brand of Latin Cuban jazz fused with Celtic reels and pipes.

Imagine the sizzling sounds of gyration-inducing salsa married with the lilting, lively ceilidhs of Scotland – and you have Salsa Celtica.

The ingenious and boldly inventive big band, conceived in 1995, dared to mix these two explosive elements together to form a hybrid of music not heard before. The US Boston Globe described them as “Cuban jazz with a Celtic accent”.

Four albums later plus numerous awards and nominations, massive international tours, and countless aisles of concert halls packed with dancing fans, this band continues to compose and experiment with greater panache than ever.

It is a long way to travel, but the 11 musicians, all virtuoso jazz and folk performers in their own right, will be in Malaysia in April to close the Friday night show at the 2-day Genting International Jazz Festival.

On paper, the concept of charangas, congas and bongos going hand in hand with bagpipes and traditional Highland flutes and whistles – overlaid with a solid brass section – is mind-boggling. But this band does it seamlessly.

Salsa Celtica slips from salsa into a Scottish reel and then back again without missing a beat. More importantly, neither does the dancing audience!

The band is led by trumpet player Toby Shippey. There have been a few changes in musicians since they started as an 8-piece band. And they invite different guest artistes in to play in some of their shows.

Early in their career, the band went to Cuba to soak up the atmosphere and colours of the music there. Within a short time, they discovered that they could hold their own and received enthusiastic response from the Cuban music scene.

The Genting International Jazz Festival started last year with an eclectic mix of different jazz styles by 10 bands over 2 nights.

It aims to keep this broad spectrum of jazz genres as its identity.

For 2008, there is another exciting set of bands – every one different from the last.

There will be blues, Caribbean jazz, contemporary global jazz, New Orleans swing, African jazz, Latin salsa, vocal a capella jazz – all united under one music umbrella with no reservations.

The Genting International Jazz Festival will encompass horizons beyond expectations. Audiences are invited to come with an open mind and an open heart.

Shows will run on April 4th and 5th over a Friday and Saturday weekend.

Tickets are priced at RM100 for 1 day, and RM150 for a 2-day pass.

Check out the website www.gentingjazz.com for packages, tickets and audio and visual previews of the bands. You can also call  03-2718 1118 for more information.

Salsa Celtica’s music on CD is dynamite, but that is only a fraction of the energy and bubbling joy that they exude onstage. Don’t miss this breathtaking, one-of-a-kind band.

Yeoh Jun Lin
Artistic Director  
Genting International Jazz Festival