Pellejo Seco
I am always looking for interesting music to dance to. Might be heavy dancehall or even Banda, and I am really feeling Cumbia Sonidera lately. I will dance to run-of-the-mill salsa (you could probably play the clave on popsicle sticks and I would start moving) but in the Bay Area, next to Louie Romero’s brilliant orquesta Mazacote, I’ll always come out for Ivan Camblor Allende’s Pellejo Seco and Pasion Habanera.
I saw Pellejo Seco (which means ‘dried shell’, as in the shell of a fruit or nut) at the cool but way too small to move in Cigar Bar in San Francisco, and loved it. Founded in the East Bay in 2004 by Ivan Camblor, Pellejo Seco’s guitar-led Latin music is 90% Cuban Son, warmly played, with 10% modern Timba structures and arrangements mixed in. Fully bailable. The musicians are excellent , and lead singer Sulkary Valverde (a native of Cuba as is Ivan) has a beautiful, clear voice. Some time later I saw Pasion Habanera at Oaklandish’s Salsa By the Lake, an excellent event (great for families, salsa in the sun!)at the edge of Lake Merritt in Oakland that will probably start up again when the weather warms up. Essentially a spinoff of Pellejo Seco, Pasion Habanera is a stripped down Son outfit with the addition of a beautifully played Clarinet (might be a Soprano Saxophone). When the band got swinging, especially on some pensive, minor key song, it reminded me of some of the heavier Colombian tracks I have heard from the ‘60s with sax and accordion – pure soul. There is something about the way this band plays that creates a beautiful little pocket to groove in.
For more info about the band, please check out their site
Pellejo Seco is playing Yoshi’s in Oakland on 1/12 and Cigar Bar in SF on 1/15 – come out and see why this band puts people to smiling and dancing from the first note to the last. Chevere!
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