Sultry, smooth grooves laced with upbeat, old-world klezmer melodies. Mambo and cumbia beats mixed with clarinet and synth lyrical lines. It’s the one-of-a-kind sound of Meshuganah Mambo, a new band born in New York City. The project invokes the spirit of a forgotten moment in 1950s American music when Yiddish and Latin bands shared stages in the “Borscht Belt” Catskills resorts and in New York’s famous dancehalls. Over time, old-world Yiddish melodies blended with Latin rhythm sections, creating a cultural crossover of mixed-genre artists including La Plata Sextette, Tito Puente, and Irving Fields with his classic “Bagels and Bongos.” Updated for today, with its timeless and new sounds, Meshuganah Mambo inspires crowds of all backgrounds to dance, groove, and enjoy familiar melodies in a playful manner that’s immediately engaging and deeply soulful.
Fronted by Mexican-born Javier Vazquez on guitar and vocals, Abraxas has been acclaimed as one of the most authentic and powerful tributes anywhere to the Latin-rock music of Santana. Dubbed as “The Canadian Carlos Santana” by the Toronto Sun, Vazquez leads the group through repertoire spanning Santana’s musical career, from the earliest anthems of the band’s Woodstock era (Soul Sacrifice, Evil Ways, Black Magic Woman) to its later-career megahits from the Supernatural album (Europa, Smooth, and Maria Maria). The band faithfully recreates the best of Santana’s music with a fierce rhythm section, soaring vocals and electrifying lead guitar.
