Noon | Claudia Cassidy Theater
2:30 PM The Other Side of the Water (about DJA-Rara)
3 PM | Humboldt Park Boathouse
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La Excelencia The members of this killer 11-piece New York band come from all over South and Central America, from Argentina to Cuba, and though they play salsa dura (“hard salsa”)—the classic brass-driven sound epitomized by LPs on New York labels like Fania, Tico, and Alegre in the 60s and 70s—they blend in related elements of traditions like Puerto Rican bomba and Colombian cumbia. La Excelencia reject the showbiz accoutrements of contemporary salsa, dispensing with cheesy synths and saccharine romantic ballads and wearing street clothes instead of matching glitzy outfits; they operate as a collective, without a glad-handing front man, which keeps the focus on the band’s fiery, high-spirited interplay. The title of their second album, 2009’s Mi Tumbao Social (on their own Handle With Care imprint), means “My Social Drumbeat,” and the band’s original songs address the racism and poverty faced by Latin American immigrants. But even if you’re a gringo like me and can’t follow the lyrics, you’ll feel the joyous, infectious pull of La Excelencia’s propulsive music. —PM
Rana Santacruz
6:30 PM | Edgewater Gralley Festival | $10 suggested donation
Liz Knowles
Introduction
Thursday, September 23
Friday, September 24
Sunday, September 26
Monday, September 27
Tuesday, September 28
Wednesday, September 29
Thursday, September 30
