La Rumba’s Street Music Pays The Rent

Hearing music in the streets makes people happier.  It makes their days and nights in public spaces better – even if they don’t realise it. So says I anyway.

Melbourne buskers - www.beaveronthebeats.com

If it’s original music being played on the streets, even better.  The people in those streets are blessed with exposure to new music. It’s also a grass-roots way for artists to share their music with the world.  Successful Australian bands like Blue King Brown and Wild Marmalade made their way on to venue and festival stages from busking in the streets of Byron Bay.

Wild Marmalade - Busking in Byron Bay (2004) www.pbase.com

Wild Marmalade – Busking in Byron Bay (2004)
www.pbase.com

 

Wild Marmalade 2013

Wild Marmalade 2013
www.last.fm

 

 

For many artists, playing music in public spaces is a regular and sure income they can rely on to pay their rent.

The Papa Bear of Latin music in Melbourne, Leo Salvo, plays different gigs in venues around the city every week. When I spoke with him in Melbourne recently his gig count for that weekend was 6.

One group he plays with is La Rumba.

La Rumba - Melbourne - www.beaveronthebeats.com

La Rumba

Leo told me he makes more money playing a few short Saturday sets in the Bourke Street Mall than he gets paid for playing a whole week of gigs in Melbourne venues.  That money is made just from the band selling CD’s. No guitar case or hat to take donations. For Leo Salvo and the rest of La Rumba it is a sure and regular income to pay the bills.

La Rumba - Melbourne - www.beaveronthebeats.comLa Rumba - Melbourne - www.beaveronthebeats.comLa Rumba - Melbourne - www.beaveronthebeats.com

Here’s a video of La Rumba playing in Bourke St Mall…

Shame on the venues.

Good on the people in the streets of Melbourne for supporting the artists whose music makes their days and nights better.

Melbourne buskers - www.beaveronthebeats.comMelbourne buskers - www.beaveronthebeats.com

Melbourne Music Juggle 2 – Johnston St Fiesta 2013

I booked to go to Melbourne in mid-November for AWME.

Johnston St Fiesta - 2013 - www.beaveronthebeats.comJohnston St Fiesta - Melbourne - www.beaveronthebeats.comI’d forgotten that Johnston St Fiesta was on the same weekend…in my beloved Melbourne hood of Fitzroy.

 

So really, what was a poor time-limited Beaver to do but juggle some of its music, dance and food into her Melbourne days and nights too?

With AWME on (+ usual Melbourne just happening), I only caught some of the Fiesta gigs – but all of them, and the musicians who played them, were pretty great.

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Celebrating Las Culturas Latinas y Españolas

Johnston St Fiesta – called the Spanish Fiesta by many – and most formally called the Hispanic-Latin American Festival. It’s a celebration of Latin and Spanish cultures and language – all of which are well represented in multi-cultural Melbourne.

Johnston St Fiesta - 2013 - Melbourne - www.beaveronthebeats.com

One block of Johnston St closed to traffic, filled with many, many people – trying to move up and down the street amongst 2 lines of food stalls cooking traditional Latin and Spanish food delights. The Fiesta’s popularity outgrew its street space long ago.

The most quiet time

The calm before the storm of people

Music & Dance

Johnston St Fiesta - Melbourne- www.beaveronthebeats.com

The Fiesta has one stage for bands and DJs at night, and for teachers giving dance classes to the crowd throughout the day.  I was unlucky enough to be at the Fiesta during the only reggaeton class of the day.

I caught a great show by Melbourne’s salsa/cumbia big band Quarter Street Orchestra on my way to Ngaiire’s awesome AWME gig in the city on Saturday night :).

Quarter St Orchestra - Johnston St Fiesta -2013 - www.beaveronthebeats.comQuarter St Orchestra - Johnston St Fiesta -2013- www.beaveronthebeats.comQuarter St Orchestra - Johnston St Fiesta -2013- www.beaveronthebeats.com

 

 

 

 

 

 Video from the Quarter Street Orchestra show here… 

If you can find your way out of the main street crowd and into one of the usual Johnston St bars, there are other music and dance shows on offer.

Kanela Bar

My favourite one of those bars for quality music/dance experiences is the cosy, homely, family-run Kanela Flamenco Tapas Bar.

There you’ll find Australia’s best flamenco group, four-piece Arte Kanela performing a few times daily.

Arte Kanela

Arte Kanela

Go back to Kanela Bar later in the night for good Latin music gigs played by a mix of musicians from other Melbourne bands.

Sometimes at the gig, like the one I caught at the end of the Fiesta, you might find top Australian male flamenco dancer Johnny Tedesco, playing cajun in the band…with none of the solemness of flamenco and a big smile.

Oscar Jimenez & Johnny Tedesco - Kanela Bar -2013- www.beaveronthebeats.com

Johnny Tedesco

Sunday night’s gig was led by Oscar Jimenez (Watussi) before he left Australia to launch his Vibrating Planet project in South America – with Emiliano Beltzer (Funkalleros &  Santa Taranta) on bass, and Jose Nieto on vocals and harmonica.  Their music made me feel happy.

Oscar Jimenez

Oscar Jimenez

 

Emiliano Beltzer

Emiliano Beltzer

 

Jose Nieto

Jose Nieto

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Video from the Oscar Jimenez & Co. gig here…

Saturday night at Kanela Bar (on my way back from Ngaiire’s show) I caught Rumberos‘ band leader Leo Salvo and his ‘Band With No Name’…who I want to name.

Leo Salvo - Kanela Bar -2013- www.beaveronthebeats.com

Marcelo Salvo (Rumberos) on bass and hand percussion – Cristian Saavedra (Quarter Street Orchestra, Del Barrio & Latin hip-hop band LABJACD) on percussion – Jonothon Cohen (Del Barrio & Rumberos) on keys – with Elizabeth Obando (Del Barrio & Son3) on bass and vocals and Oscar Poncell (Son3 & Kunataki) on percussion in some songs.

Leo Salvo - Kanela Bar -2013 - www.beaveronthebeats.com

Marcelo Salvo - Kanela Bar -2013- www.beaveronthebeats.com

Leo Salvo - Kanela Bar -2013- www.beaveronthebeats.com

Check out some videos here…

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To battle, or not to battle Johnston St Fiesta crowds?

Melbourne has a huge number of talented musicians playing Latin music. If you’re in the city when the Fiesta is on, it’s worth trying to get through the crowds to hear them and other visiting musicians play.  If you don’t think so, don’t worry – you’ll find most of the Johnston St Fiesta musicians playing gigs somewhere else in Melbourne one or many nights in any other week :).

Johnston St Fiesta - Melbourne - www.beaveronthebeats.com

Leo Salvo on Fusion Music

An incredibly talented multi-instrumentalist and vocalist.  Has probably played in or led more Latin music gigs and groups (including institutional big band Rumberos) than most other living musicians in Melbourne.

Leo Salvo could just be the Papa Bear of Latin music in Melbourne. Leo Salvo - www.beaveronthebeats.com This is his take on fusion music

Nothing exists without fusion. From the moment a note came out of a voice and someone hit 2 rocks together, it was a form of fusion music.

Just like the first time and til the present day, we still find ourselves with only 2 types of music, no matter what we add or fuse with this or that…

The 2 types are Good and Shit!

Leo also told me he thinks the world’s best Latin fusion music is from Uruguay. I’m waiting for him to share some with me.