NY Scrapbook: Part 2:
The clubs, the music and more!
There is no lack of venues for dancing and listening to music in NYC, and I mean seven nights a week! Some clubs are small and personal and a few very large and a bit cold. Do remember that in NYC, 'arriving early' at most clubs is 11 PM! Though some finish at midnight, most are open as late as 6 AM. Take a nap until midnight and you still have an entire evening (or morning) to dance. If you are at one of the venues that closes at midnight, don't fret: head out to the after hour clubs. For the most part, I was in the Manhattan clubs, with a few trips out to Queens and Brooklyn. I didn't make it up to the Bronx and missed out on hearing Gilberto Santa Rosa at Jimmy's Bronx Cafe.
Monday
night, unlike here in the Bay Area, where a salsera/o has a
night of rest, NYC is just starting to roll. Head out to SOB's
(Sounds of Brazil) in SoHo. They feature top Latin dance and
jazz bands. It is a small club, so arriving early, even by
9:30 PM, is advisable if you want to sit and eat. One evening
I heard Manny Oquendo and Libre. That night, there
were four trombone players, including one tune with guest Reynaldo
Jorge! I also heard a cut from Jimmy Bosch's then
soon-to-be released CD that same evening.
The following Monday I heard Orquesta Broadway. Eddie
Zervigon, leader and flautist of this legendary charanga
band, told me he is out on the Internet for a few hours each
day.
Tuesday night one needs to make some choices. The Copacabana, infamous in NYC over the decades, features a free six PM buffet (club owners take note!) with live music by 10 PM or so. Cover charge is always higher for men, so get there before 10 PM. The Copa, as it is called, features many big name acts. The club has a seating area, large dance floor and bar and gets packed full. There is a second room where a DJ spins Latin House and merengue, so you have a choice. I heard a disappointing Grupo Niche one night. The Copa's dress code is strict for men. A man in standing in line in front of me was turned away for not wearing dress shoes and another for not being in a suit and tie. Tuesday night the music will go as late at people are there, which can be from 2-4 AM. After all, it is a workday.
I enjoyed going out to Bayamo,
a restaurant on Broadway near NY University. Cover is $8 and
includes tickets to use for $8 worth of food or drink. Though
the floor is small, it has a cozy atmosphere, with tables to
sit and eat at. The house band is Cruz Control, who
finally, after 5 years just released a CD. They play great
Palladium era mambo. Regular members of the band include Louis
Bauzo, Herman Olivera, Luis Ayala.........
A lot of musicians base themselves in NYC so you never know
who might drop by. One night, Louis Kahn, trombone
player and violinist currently playing with Tito Puente,
showed up. Not to play, just to say hello. Another Tuesday,
sonero Andy Montañez from Puerto Rico was in town and
at first was dancing and then sang a few tunes. 
Bayamo closes at midnight. So
for those who aren't quite ready to call it quits, you can
head uptown to the Copa or, walk about 5 blocks to the
infamous CBGB's (birthplace of punk rock) for more
music. Here, in this underground basement club, with couches
and an uneven cement floor to dance on, smaller bands play. I
loved hearing a group called Mo' Guajiro, playing
classic Cuban son and guajiro. 
One Tuesday, I took a detour before going out
and made it to a rehearsal with Tito Puente. Also
there to rehearse for an upcoming performance was 'La
Reina de la Salsa', Celia Cruz. Always s a treat to hear
this great ensemble of musicians.
Wednesday, that mid-week
hump, arrives . Les Maganet, a restaurant in the
Financial area, hosts a free buffet for the after work crowd
and a live band. The dance floor is small, plenty of seating
and great company. Again, I heard Orquesta Broadway. I
also had the honor of meeting Jose Farjado, 
legendary Cuban band leader and flautist. This
scene also ends early, around midnight.
Gonzales y Gonzales, just down the street from Bayamo on Broadway, has no cover charge and features house band Los Jovenes del Barrio, playing original charanga music. Johnny Alemandra leads this band. They play on a raised stage and the dance area is compact. It is definitely more of a Cuban scene and again, a great atmosphere. Gonzales also closes early, at midnight. So, off to Izzy Bar, over on 1st Ave between 9th & 10th Streets. Here, this great bar with a wonderful wooden floor and couches to sit on, plays prime salsa tapes. You can dance or just relax. No cover charge here.Bayamo features various bands on Wednesday nights too.
Thursday, you can
return to Gonzales y Gonzales for Latin Jazz. I heard
the Joe Vargas Group, featuring Papo Pepin,
conguero, who regularly plays with Willie Colon and
many others. Another night was timabalero Ralph Irizarry
and his band Timbale. Great sounds and a treat to
watch him play. Once Gonzalez closes, hop into a cab
and head uptown to Broadway at W. 96th for the Latin
Quarter. A large dance floor, seating area and a bar, the
Latin Quarter hosts many well known bands.
You could also start your night here. Showing up at midnight
doesn't seem to be a problem, though. Rey Ruiz was
singing, along with Casanova . Many younger vocalists
got on stage, including Michael Stuart and Miles
PeŇa.
As Friday
brings on the weekend, every borough has something to offer.
One Friday I went to Bistro Latino, an uptown
restaurant with a live dinner band. Playing that night was
famed Cuban conguero Patato. Acompaning him was
bassist Joe Santiago, flautist/saxophone player Enrique
Hernandez and visiting sonero Orlando Watusi. This
is an intimate dinner place, not really a dance scene.
Latin Quarter, El Flamingo, Les Poulets and The
Copa in Manhattan, all feature famous acts. At the Copa,
I heard the swinging music of El Gran Combo and Pete
'El Conde' Rodriguez on the same night! It was so packed
I mostly stood, listened and danced in place.
Another Friday I ventured
out to Diamonds, a new club in Brooklyn. Larry
Harlow and the Latin Legends were playing. Unfortunately,
the club had done very little advertising, so there were not
very many people. In fact, during a cha cha ch· the band
played, Imo and sonero Adalberto Santiago
jumped down from the stage to dance with myself and a friend!
We left and headed for Latin Quarter and caught
Miles PeŇa. Miles is a great vocalist but what a
killer band! Ralph Irrizary played and that made my
night. Also open, though I never got a chance to go, was the
Roxy in the Village. While I was in town, La India
performed there.
Saturday, again, clubs all over have live
music. As I discovered, this is really the night to do
something other than dance. Most places are very crowded. I
headed out to Club Broadway in Queens a few times. I
arrived at 10 PM and the place was empty! NYC is definitely a
late night town. Ray de la Paz and his band played one
night. Another time was the 'Mambo Showdown', featuring dance
groups from the various dance studios. Fun to watch all the
effort everyone put into their routines.
At the Copa, I just missed hearing Tito Nieves
and Ray Sepulveda. Their calendar while I was there
included Jose'El Canario' Alberto and Wilfredo
Vargas, Johnny Pacheco and Casanova and
others. Many, many choices!
Sunday ends the weekend with more music and
dancing. El Flamingo, at W. 31st in Manhattan,
features a free buffet at 6 PM, with a great DJ and a live
band until 1 AM. Dining is upstairs and the dance floor
downstairs is of medium size with a slippery, wooden floor. I
had the pleasure of hearing Larry Harlow and the Latin
Legends again. While I was in NYC, the famed Side
Street Cafe in the Bronx, another Sunday hot spot,
had its final party.
Most people, and of all ages, dance 'mambo' in NYC, more so
then in any other city in the world. This is 'dancing on the
'2' as it has been called. Plenty of people dance only on the
1, so as a visitor you would have no problem. But to really
'dance with the people', I advise taking lessons with one of
the many mambo instructors in NYC.
If you are planning to visit the Big Apple, don't bank on
sleeping at night. You have all day to do that or when you
return home. Take advantage of NYC to see and hear musicians
and bands we only see once a year or once in awhile.
By the way, people are very friendly in NYC,
contrary to popular folklore. Some of the best dancing was
with various people I met over the period of time I was
there. More photos of friends and acquaintances in
NYC Part 3: Mambo, dance classes and more!
Photos and article © 1998 by Julia
Sewell. 