Six HOT bands will perform at the Oxnard Salsa Festival in 2018!
Saturday
Melena
11:00 AM
Melena's Afro-Cuban sound is a conversation of melodies which she plays with fierce passion. Melena is a multi-talented percussionist who plays Congas, Timbales, Bata Drums, and Shekere. She is an artist who exemplifies the sound of legendary players from the past, to the modern sounds of today. Learn More
Community Dance Showcase
1:00 PM
Fausto Cuevas y La Moderna
2:00 PM
Fausto Cuevas is a native of Brownsville, Texas, where he began playing drums at the age of 11. He continued throughout grade and high school, making his way to Boston’s Berklee College of Music, where he discovered his love for percussion and studied with Giovanni Hidalgo and Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez. Learn More
Janeen Puente
4:45 PM
The Janeen Puente Orchestra developed when she moved to LA and met Eddie Del Rios- an accomplished percussionist who has played all over the world, with some of the biggest names in salsa. The band’s origins based itself on tributing the female icons of salsa, from La Lupe to La India, but from there Janeen’s own voice and style, backed with the straight forward swinging music, propelled the band to becoming a local favorite. Learn More
Sunday
Charangoa
11:00 AM
Orquesta Charangoa was created in 1997 when flutist/leader Fay Roberts went to Cuba twice to study with the legendary flutist and composer from Orquesta Aragon, Richard Egues. Orquesta Charangoa has carried the legacy of Richards music, while including new compositions as well as Cuban classics. It is the only authentic Cuban Charanga in Los Angeles, using flute, multiple violins, piano, double bass, timbales, congas and guiro. Learn More
Dancing With Our Community Stars
1:00 PM
In a Salsa-twist to the hit TV show, local celebrities are paired with the area's best dance instructors for a salsa showdown. The 2017 line up will take to the dance floor to raise much-needed funds for their charity of choice. Learn More
Ricardo Lemvo & Makina Loca
2:00 PM
Ricardo Lemvo and Makina Loca’s mix of Cuban salsa and African rumba has been described by the Los Angeles Times as “seamless and infectious.” Since forming his band in 1990, Ricardo Lemvo has refined his craft and vision, raising his joyous voice with strength, and inspiring his audiences to let loose and dance away their worries. Learn More
Orquesta Tabaco y Ron
4:45 PM
Orquesta Tabaco Y Ron’s is a 12 piece “Big-Band” orchestra, composed of musicians from all over Latin America including Puerto Rico, Cuba, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Peru, Colombia and Mexico. OTR’s high-energy, hard-edged brand of salsa music has appealed to devoted salsa dancers and Latin music DJ’s worldwide. OTR’s contagious rhythms produce an energy that revives the almost extinct salsa sound of generations past. Learn More
