"One, two, three, five, six, seven", I counted as I moved my feet for a pretty lady I met backstage.
"Are you trying to pick up my mother?" her daughter laughed as she saw her mom and me moving our feet to time.
Her granddaughter, all of seven years old and watching my feet very intently, asked, "where is the four and where is the eight?"
"You get to rest on the four and the eight, " I replied as I counted and moved my feet again.
One, two, three, rest on four, five, six, seven, rest on eight."
"Salsa is easy, you get to rest on two whole beats out of eight."
Off she went, counting, "One, two, three, rest on four, five, six, seven, rest on eight."
"She loves to dance and just picks things up naturally," my pretty lady continued as I continued showing her the basic footwork.
Salsa lovers waited until Sunday, as they did last year for D'Talle, to get their musical feast - Son Ache.
Fresh from opening for Oscar D'Leon's Massey Hall date, Son Ache has been burning up venues all over Ontario. A little tired but not worse for wear from a date in Barrie, Son Ache took the Kew Beach Main Stage Sunday afternoon.
Refining their established Cuban guajiro tradition of guitars, percussion and voice with a strong trumpet, Son Ache's sound is unique, very danceable and instantly recognizable.
Currently Son Ache's nine musicians are:
Cristian Saldivia on guitar, back vocals, musical director, composer;
Jay Danley on tres guitar, back vocals, composer;
Angel Luis with lead vocals, composer;
Alberto Alberto with lead vocals, composer;
Rufino Maciero on trumpet, composer;
Chendy Leon Sr. on bongos;
Chendy Leon Arocha Jr. on timbales, back vocals;
Johan Aguirre on congas;
Ricky Franco on bass, back vocals, composer.
Whether playina at the intimate College Street Brazilian club Cervejaria, or Massey Hall or Bamboo Caraban during the Harbourfront's Ritmo Y Color Hispanic festival, Son Ache has no problem connecting with the people spread about the Kew Beach Amphitheatre.
Latin bands are very informal with their audiences and Son Ache is no exception, as the fence between the crowd and the band seemed to melt away as the set continued.
With a little girl working lower stage left and centre throughout the set, Son Ache's infectious rhythm got people dancing salsa and casino rueda.
Close to the end of their set, an elder Cuban man with a younger woman took to the stage and danced some very relaxed salsa to Son Ache's delight and to the delight of the crowd.
Salsa was not the only item on Sunday's Menu. Artistic Director Bill King and his Saturday Night Fish Fry with Shakura S'Aida preceeded Son Ache. Local guitarist Neil Chapman wowed the crowd both with his strong guitar and his antics with Shakura. A devoted father he played to his daughter who was right at the fence taking pictures her dad.
Artistic director Bill King must have one of the best jobs on the planet. Not only does he love jazz, he gets to organize the world's biggest free jazz festival, mingle with musicians from all over the world, take pictures that most music magazines would die for and even got to play keyboard in his own band on the Main Stage.
"I was out last night taking some great night shots," he enthused, eyes shining with excitement. What better organizer of this musical feast than a true afficionado!
And, we spectators and dancers enjoy the fruits of his labours.
Why Salsa at a Jazz Festival?
Jazz and salsa are dialects that originate from the same place, Africa. Depending where one lives, the music evolved differently, but never forgot its roots. And, once in a while it pays to listen to some jazz in order to reconnect with those roots.
If one listens very carefully for the beat - not only through the drums, but through all of the instruments, the beat that begat salsa and swing, rhumba and chachacha and rock and roll comes through.
While New York, Miami, Havana or Puerto Rico, Columbia, San Salvador or Chile determines the language of the music, and the instruments come from what is available - guitar, button accordion, keyboard, drum kit, timbales, congas or Vallelato Caja - the sound and the feelings the music evokes are the same.
The spirit of the music is universal and the smiles of the listeners and the dancers will be just as broad in New York, Toronto or Frankfurt.
