Friday night was for the dancers, and Saturday night was for the people.
Queen Street East was a sea of people Saturday night as the balmy weather beckoned hundreds of thousands of people to enjoy music, food, drink and themselves.
Getting from one end of this musical feast was virtually impossible, so the salsa band Daniel Huezo & La Clave Guanaca was the place to rest.
Daniel Huezo & La Clave Guanaca are a group of Cuban and Central American musicians that include people from Dominican Republic and San Salvadore. They explore Cuban music and use the pan flute and the quena, which are South American folk music instruments.
With songs such as El condor Pasa and Guatanamera, their music is accessible to the mainstream.
With Borg & Bella across the street, alternating with Huezo's three sets, latin music continually played.
A supply of espresso at the Timothy's right across the street made this the perfect place to take in the people, the music, the coffee, and the salsa.
Traffic held up the conga player, a Cuban who was replacing Picollino for the evening. So, the clave and the timbales really carried the tune and gave a very different sound to the first two songs.
Playing to the crowd, a number of pieces were the old Cuban songs that "Buena Vista Social Club" popularized with their first album. The only twist was the salsa, not the son arrangment. Everybody seemed to know the tunes and sang along with the band.
With the crowd standing virtually on top of the musicians, any heavy duty dancing was out of the question. Those who could move and turn on the spot carried the day.
A fire was burning this evening, and it was not Tula's apartment...
