By EMILY SKEHAN Special to the Daily Press
SM PIER While tonight’s two acts share names with dangerous natural phenomena, music fans attending the latest Twilight Dance Series concert need not fear the musical onslaught, nor that involuntary shaking in their legs.
East African and Cuban rhythms will provide the soundtrack in and around the pier planks as the Samba Mapangala Orchestra Virunga and José Conde y Ola Fresca take to the stage for a free open-air concert.
Samba Mapangala, the leader of tonight’s headliners, was born in what is now the Congo, spending much of the 1970s playing with various East African groups. In 1981, he formed the Orchestra Virunga, named after a volcanic mountain range in Central Africa. Mapangala and Orchestra recorded the now famous Malako recording “Virunga Volcano” in Nairobi. The album became a worldwide hit in Europe in the mid-1980s and an instant favorite in the global music scene.
Virunga’s sound is lean with complex, interlocking guitar lines; rapid-fire bass; light, fast-paced percussion; and horn and sax overlays. Mapangala’s voice has been praised by critics as versatile and smoothly pleasing.
Tonight’s concert — the first time the band has played in Southern California is part of the group’s reunion tour. Orchestra Virunga hadn’t played together for more than a decade.
“The mood of the show will be pretty festive,” said band representative David Gaar, adding that the band was especially excited to play in the United States after barely clearing immigration.“Samba named the band after the volcanic range because he thinks they have a hot, eruptive sound.”
Tonight’s opener, Conde, was raised in Miami by Cuban-immigrant parents, from whom he gleaned an appreciation for spicy Latin music. After experimenting with jazz, rock, funk and blues, Conde formed Ola Fresca (which means “Fresh Wave” or “Hello Fresh”) a group that plays a fusion of Cuban roots and subtle influences from funk, jazz and electronica.
Ola Fresca’s self-produced “Ay! Que Rico” showcases the ensemble’s smooth, mamba/funk style.
The band has earned a reputation as a showstopper in top U.S. venues such as Hudson Riverfest, Manhattan River-to- River Festival, New York-Miami Latin Funk Festival, Long Island Music Festival and the prestigious JAS Labor Day Festival in Aspen, where they opened up for Bob Dylan and were proclaimed “the festival’s biggest surprise” by Dirty Linen Magazine.
“The show will be danceable and root-sy,” said Ola Fresca’s contact Mel Puljic, “but at the same time, a vibrant, funky take on traditional Latin music styles.”
The concert, located on the west lot of the Santa Monica Pier, begins at 7:30 p.m.
For more information on the Twilight Series, visit www.twilightdance.org, or call (310) 458-8900.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 19, 2007. Read the original PDF.