Artist of the month: Salsa Celtica
Salsa Celtica
Womex 2006
Salsa Celtica wowed the crowds at Womex in Seville, Spain in October.
Salsa Celtica formed in 1995 and over the years have become a Scottish institution. Their fusion of Latin and Celtic sounds was an immediate hit with locals and the newly arrived Hispanic community in Edinburgh and Glasgow, and they have since performed for audiences all over the world.
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Following the recording of their debut album, Monstruos y Demonios (Monstors and Demons), Salsa Celtica toured the whole of Scotland before heading to Cuba. |
There they soaked up the sounds of Havana and Santiago de Cuba, hanging out with other salsa groups, gathering new tastes and skills, and were invited to join in at musical/religious bembe gatherings. After returning to Scotland they were signed to Edinburgh-based label Greentrax and released two albums, The Great Scottish Latin Adventure and El Agua De La Vida. El Agua was later released in the US on Compass Records, and went to number 5 on World Music Chart Europe.
Since 2004, Salsa Celtica’s profile has risen immensely. In that year alone, they performed at BBC Radio 3’s World Music Day and to an audience of 40,000 at BBC Proms in the Park, at music festivals such as Celtic Connections, Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival, Dublin’s Temple Bar Festival, Northern Ireland’s Celtic Fusion Festival and the National Theatre's Watch This Space Festival. They were also broadcast on BBC Four television and performed sessions on Mike Harding's show on BBC Radio 2 and Andy Kershaw's programme on BBC Radio 3. Their first English tour included a sold-out show at London South Bank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall as part of the La Linea Festival. Another English tour and a tour of Canada followed in 2005, as well as appearances at Scottish festivals.
A busy year
In March 2006, Salsa Celtica’s fourth album, El Camino, was released on Discos Leon and in the same month went to number 1 on the UK’s iTunes World Music chart. Excellent reviews followed in significant world music magazines such as Songlines and Mondomix. The band undertook their most extensive UK tour to date, including another appearance in London at the La Linea Festival. Summer saw them at WOMAD Reading, Cambridge Folk Festival, the Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival and performances in Spain and Portugal. Salsa Celtica also performed at the Famous Spiegeltent on the Edinburgh Fringe, to coincide with the Edinburgh Film Festival launch of Driving Lessons, as three Salsa Celtica songs appear on the soundtrack, including their unique take on Auld Lang Syne. 2006 is due to end with a performance at Edinburgh’s spectacular Hogmanay celebrations, and they will see in the spring of 2007 with a UK tour, including an appearance at the Oxford Folk Festival.
Womex is the annual World Music Expo that takes place each October. This year it was held in Seville, Spain. Salsa Celtica was the only UK band to be selected by Womex to perform at the showcases that take place each night of the expo. The crowd of delegates from all over the world were given an exhilarating performance. Michael McGoldrick, who performed at Womex 2005, made a guest appearance on pipes and flute.
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For more information on the band, visit the Salsa Celtica website. | |