Bay Area Salsa Bands

Andy Orchestra Callao is a 10 member salsa music groups based in the SF Bay Area. The group was founded in 2004 by Andy Gutierrez, a singer from Peru who performed for Band Kache and Kalichin before starting his own group. Orquesta Callao is now a staple in the Bay Area salsa music scene, playing regularly in venues around the…

Fronted by red hot singers Armando Cordoba, Jeff Cordoba, Jimmy Flores, and Karl Perazzo, San Francisco’s Avance brings a unique twist to the salsa music scene. The group’s exciting live shows are punctuated by an original stable of songs that are each accompanied by fun choreographed dance routines by the band’s leads. Featuring regular guest appearances from top Bay Area…

Edgardo & Candela (better known simply as Candela) has been a fixture in the San Francisco Bay Area for over 26 years, making them one of the longest running Salsa bands in the state of California. Candela is a Latin big band that prides itself on maintaining the integrity of the musical genre known as Salsa, whether playing in full…

Edgardo Cambón y Su Conjunto LaTiDo is a Latin music group based out of Oakland, California. The group was founded in 2003 by Edgardo Cambón, a renowned vocalist and conga drummer who is also the director of another local salsa band by the name of Candela. The name “LaTiDo” is a play on words of the musical notes “La-Ti-Do” and…

Grupo Bakkan is salsa band from the San Francisco Bay Area founded in 2000. The group started as a local band by the name of “Toni Nieto y Su Orquestra”, and has since grown to become one of the most recognizable names in the Bay Area Latin music scene, and have produced 2 CDs– “A Escondidas” in 2002 and the…

Julio Bravo y su Orquesta Salsabor has been bringing hard hitting salsa to Bay Area salseros for nearly 20 years. Hailing from Peru, lead singer and band leader Julio Bravo brings together a talented group of musicians to create his own unique blend of energetic danceable salsa that has made them one of the Bay Area’s top salsa bands. Orquesta…

Louie Romero rose to prominence for his incredible percussion skills as the regular timbales player for legendary salsa musician “El Cantante” Hector Lavoe. Louie is also well known for his work with heavy hitters such as Willie Colon, Ruben Blades, Celia Cruz and others in his him town of New York. Today, Louie continues to share his musical talents under…

Headed up by Grammy winner Christian Tumalan (of Pacific Mambo Orchestra), Montuno Swing is a fresh West Coast salsa band with a Big Band sound. Montuno Swing features a top-tier collection of Latin Jazz musicians from across the United States and Latin America, weaving together a rich and diverse collection of sounds under one seamless banner. The band’s infectious rhythm…

Orquesta Borinquen is a powerhouse Salsa band from the San Francisco Bay Area, and one of the longest running Bay Area salsa bands today. The group features a mix of young talent backed by established musicians, playing a decidedly dancer friendly mix that covers a variety of genres. Depending on the crowd and night, Orquesta Borinquen plays an exciting live…

Orquesta la Moderna Tradición is a Cuban orchestra based in San Francisco. This 11-piece group plays timba, danzon, and other popular Cuban dance music in the style of traditional Afro-Cuban charanga orchestras, combining violins and woodwinds with vibrant Afro-Cuban rhythms. Founded in 1996, Orquesta la Moderna Tradición has traveled across the country, and has performed in venues such as the…

Orquesta Latin HEAT is a new salsa band based in San Jose, featuring a strong rhythm section, authentic Latin percussion, and a swinging horn section. Latin HEAT is a 10-piece Latin band that specializes in playing red hot salsa, sizzling Latin Jazz, cha cha cha, and more. For bookings, please contact Allyn “Rico” Johnson.

Headed up by standout band leader Roberto Arteaga, Orquesta N’Rumba Pa’gozar has earned a reputation as one of the most dynamic salsa bands in the San Francisco Bay Area. Hailing from Trujillo, Peru, Roberto leverages the talents of a child born to a family of musicians. Today, he regularly moonlights for a number of other Bay Area bands between headlining…

Neftali Rosado Jr y su Orquesta Pa’l Bailador is a salsa band based out of Oakland, with top musicians from around the SF Bay Area. Pa’l Bailador means “For The Dancer”, and the group is known for playing upbeat and energetic salsa music that gets dancers going on the dance floor. Directed by Neftali Rosado Jr (co-foundr of Temblor Productions),…

Pacho Orquesta Evolucion is a salsa band based in the East Bay formed by Pacho Carrasco in June, 2010. The group is known for their original salsa songs as well as covers of popular songs in the salsa, merengue, cumbia, and bachata genres. The band features a dynamic mix of diverse sounds, including powerful vocals and horn harmonies, combined with…

Proud to call the Bay Area it’s homebase, the Grammy winning Pacific Mambo Orchestra (PMO) is 19-piece big band that specializes in Salsa, Mambo, Cha Cha and Latin Jazz. Since it’s inception in 2010, Pacific Mambo Orchestra has quickly grown to acclaim in the San Francisco Bay Area, and is beloved by both the “hard-core” dancer crowd and music aficionados…

Pepe y su Orquesta is a salsa band based in the San Francisco Bay Area that has been entertaining audiences since the early 90s. Pepe y su Orquesta is known for their vocal talents, and the trio has shared the stage with many Latin music greats such as Frankie Ruiz, Orquesta Guayacan, Oscar d’Leon, Eddie Santiago, Willie Rivera, Jesus Enrique,…

Rumbaché has established themselves as one of the top salsa/timba bands in the Bay Area. Rumbaché (formerly known as “Quimbombo”) plays a wide repertoire of classic and contemporary Cuban and salsa music, as well as their own original songs which are a fusion of salsa, timba, bomba and other influences. The name of their band means “okra” which is the…

Hailing from the Monterey Bay, Salsón represents a blending of talent – upstart musicians from Monterey Bay share the stage with established names from the San Francisco Bay Area. A self styled “salsa band for salseros”, Salsón plays a dancer friendly mix of Salsa, Cha Cha, Latin Jazz and Merengue. The band’s sound is heavily influenced by the hard hitting…

Somos El Son is one of the Bay Area’s newest salsa orchestras. Founded in June 2013 by Braulio Barrera, the group specializes in playing music that is designed for dancers, both classic songs and original compositions. Braulio Barrera is the band leader of the band, and acts as and master percussionist and Peruvian singer for the group. The group is…

Headed up by long time salsa dancer and instructor Jake Jacobs (a 20 year fixture at Cafe Cocomo!), Conjunto VibraSÓN is one of the Bay Area’s newest Latin bands, coming together in September of 2013. The band is focused on playing salsa music by new and contemporary artists, as well as classic hits by Latin legends such as Joe Cuba….

The Wayne Wallace Latin Jazz Quintet is one of the top Latin Jazz bands in the San Francisco Bay Area. Directed by the 5-time Grammy nominated Wayne Wallace, the group performs at jazz festivals and musical events across the country. The band’s members include Wayne Wallace on trombone, Murray Low on piano, David Belove on bass, Colin Douglas on trap…

La Fuerza Gigante (LFG) was a Latin music orchestra based in the San Francisco Bay Area, that entertained audiences for over 10 years. The name of the band means “The Giant Force”, and LFG, led by band leader Jose Guaman, was known for their powerful and high energy Latin sound. La Guerza Gigante performed at salsa events and other special…