MAS Magazine / 6 - 22 - 2007

MÁS

Presorted Standard US Postage Paid Mercado Nuevo

June 22, 2007 Volume 2, Issue 41

www.masbakersfield.com P.0. BOX 2344, Bakersfield, Ca 93303

C U LT U R E • P R I D E • C O M M U N I T Y

Puerto Rican pride sound

By Matt Muñoz

Salsa Solution spices up music scene More shout-outs for those graduates

MÁS

Contents COVER STORY Got a problema?

Salsa Solution can help

12-13

MÁS ON THE WEB

5

EDUCATION SERIES

6

What’s new on ‘More MÁS,’ plus Editor’s Pick and our new poll

The role of community colleges as stepping stones to universities

GRADS

8-9

GENTE

14

Celebrating those graduates from the Class of 2007

On the scene at a local citizen police awards banquet

June 22, 2007

14

18

12-13

15 ENTERTAINMENT 17 ENTERTAINMENT 18 CLASSIFIEDS 19-22 VIDA

‘Ay Mujer’ tells it like it is

In the Mixx with Noe G.

8-9

Calendar of events

Buy, sell and hire

Did You Know?

General Manager

Delia Carson dcarson@masbakersfield.com 716-8632

The quiet, but powerful, Boricua comunidad

Managing Editor

Olivia Garcia

Kern County population, Hispanics, as a whole, vs. number of local Puerto Ricans:

ogarcia@masbakersfield.com 395-7487

350000 300000 250000 200000

Hispanics: 321,831

Cover photo: Roger Hornback

150000 100000 50000

Puerto Ricans: 3,351

0 Source: U.S. Census, 2005 American Community Survey

04

June 22, 2007

MÁS

Editorial / Advertising 716-8640

Más is a new weekly magazine focused on Hispanic people, style, culture and issues in Kern County. Más is a publication of Mercado Nuevo, LLC, a subsidiary of The Bakersfield Californian.The Más name and logo design are trademarks of Mercado Nuevo and cannot be used without the company’s permission. For questions or for more information about Más or other publications of Mercado Nuevo, contact us: Mercado Nuevo LLC P.O. Box 2344 Bakersfield, CA 93303; (661) 716-8640 www.mercadonuevocorp.com or masbakersfield.com

C OV E R

STO RY

Pour

PHOTO BY ROGER HORNBACK

Salsa Solution, which will perform at the local El Dia de San Juan festival, is made up of different ethnicities, all in sync with their salsa style of music.

it on

Salsa Solution to spice things up with upbeat sound at local El Dia de San Juan Boricua fest

By Matt Muñoz

G

■

MÁS staff

ot a problem?

Salsa Solution has the remedy.

As Bakersfield’s premiere full-fledged salsa music orchestra, Salsa Solution has been bringing local dancers to their feet with a heavy brand of old school style salsa music for a little more than a year.

They will perform Sunday, June 24, at the annual El Dia de San Juan Festival in Bakersfield.

Organized by Boricuas Unidos de California, the event will be held from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Kern County Picnic Grounds, located at the Kern River Golf Course in Bakersfield.

Hundreds of music fans and dancers alike will get a chance to see what all the rage is about when the group takes the stage to headline the annual “Day of the Boricua,” also known as “El Dia de San Juan,” the yearly music and food festival started in Puerto Rico to celebrate St. John the Baptist, patron saint of the one-time Spanish colony.

Even more, El Dia de San Juan in Bakersfield will give local Puerto Ricans a chance to express Boricua pride.

Members of Salsa Solution make up different ethnicities, including Puerto Ricans.

Founded in Bakersfield in 2006 by classically-trained violinist and pianist Darius Johnson, 25, Salsa Solution began as a dream project of Johnson’s, after becoming enamored with the culture and infectious music as a professional salsa dance instructor.

Describing their music as “salsa dura,” or “hard salsa,” similar to that of the ‘70s New York street style of groups like the legendary Fania All-Stars and Sonora Continued on page 13

12

June 22, 2007

MÁS

PHOTO BY ROGER HORNBACK

PHOTO BY ROGER HORNBACK

Salsa Solution’s horn section, from left, Aaron Mitchell, Steve Eisen, Ken Bausano and Joe Vazquez jam during a recent band practice.

Continued from page 12 Ponceña, the sound and lyrical content is largely devoid of the heavy romantic overtones of today’s Latinpop style salsa music.

“We play authentic salsa and chacha dance music,” said Johnson via telephone from his current home in Oakland. “The way Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, Ray Barretto, and Eddie Palmieri did in the ‘60s and ‘70s. We don’t play slow songs.”

Moving to Bakersfield to work as an IT consultant from Houston, Texas in December 2004, Johnson joined the string section of the Bakersfield Symphony six months later.

By getting to know local musician connections over time, Johnson met band co-founder, Cindy Hicks, a Rusty’s Pizza Parlor owner who was also the symphony’s percussionist.

“I had never heard salsa music before I joined the band,” said Hicks, 45, of her introduction to the Caribbean-based rhythms that called her to become the group’s vibraphonist. “Now I love it. You can’t help but be happy when you hear it.”

Hicks soon introduced Johnson to stand-up bassist and Bakersfield school teacher, Vincent Cardenas, who at the time was putting together a local rhythm and blues band.

Johnson made a mutual salsa fan connection with Cardenas, who also enjoyed the music, and it wasn’t long after that the three decided to make the transition from rhythm and blues to salsa, and the foundation for Salsa Solution was born.

“My dad was a musician, and I grew up listening to boleros, sones …

Cuban music,” said Cardenas, 48, who started out playing guitar as a teenager, but switched to bass just two years ago. “I’ve been a fan of salsa music for a while, and I like bringing this culture and art form to

Salsa Solution’s Vincent Cardenas

El Dia de San Juan Festival / Salsa Solution ■ Sunday, June 24 ■ 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

■ $5 per adult, kids 12 and under free ■ Kern County Picnic Grounds at Lake Ming Golf Course ■ Details, 327-0190

the city. For being a young band, I think we’ve done pretty well.”

With a full rhythm section almost in place, other musicians were sought and eventually added to complete the large ensemble — each with his own unique personality and daytime occupation: Edgar Rivera, 29, a familiar face on the local salsa dance circuit and teacher at Richland Junior High, keeps time as the band’s conguero.

Timbalero Steve Winn, 29, also a teacher for the Rosedale Union School district, is a recent self-taught drummer.

Saxophonist Aaron Mitchell, 24, who doubles as musical director for the band in the absence of Johnson, is a technical recruiter for Bolthouse Farms.

Lead-vocalist Tom Board, 30, is a dual-language teacher in Lamont.

Background vocalist Javier Valenzuela, 54, works for TJ Cross as a project engineer.

Trumpeter Steven Eisen, 49, is a retired U.S. Army Band member and founder of the Bakersfield Jazz Workshop.

Ken Bausano, 50, also on trumpet, is well known for his longtime involvement with a variety of local bands, including Chesterfield Kings and The Sultans of Swing.

Bongocero David Rodriguez, 44, a native of Ponce, Puerto Rico, works in the furniture sales business.

Rounding out the band is full-time Bakersfield trombonist Joe Vazquez, 37.

While they may sound like quite the motley crew of weekend warriors just doing it for kicks, it is hard to deny the musical sincerity and charm the band projects to draw its audience. Even during rehearsals, the goal is clear — to become the ultimate dance partner.

“As a dancer, I used to be disappointed with bands before, because we weren’t connecting from the stage to the dance floor,” said Johnson about frequent letdowns during live shows with other bands. “This band has completed my experience, since there are actual dancers in the band who also perform and understand the rhythm as it applies to the music.”

After a shaky debut outside a local Chevron company office in August 2006, the band began rehearsing incessantly, tightening their sound and show in the process. After a few smaller public shows, the band struck

Javier Valenzuela keeps a rhythm going.

a deal with the Bakersfield Doubletree Hotel, organizing monthly salsa dance parties inside the hotel’s club the following October.

“We generated a lot of interest in Bakersfield after the first party,” said Johnson. “But we needed more songs.”

After building a large enough repertoire to perform more than a couple of short sets, the band came out swinging, performing to larger and larger crowds on a bi-weekly basis. The overwhelming response surprised and energized the band.

“The Bakersfield salsa scene has grown leaps and bounds since I arrived here,” said Johnson. “Now it’s like a dream come true.”

But just as the band’s recognition began to grow, they were dealt a mild blow.

Johnson was given an offer to work in Oakland that he couldn’t refuse — an offer that could’ve potentially broken up the band for good.

But instead of calling it quits, Johnson commutes monthly to perform with the band.

He credits saxophonist Aaron Mitchell with keeping the direction of the band going when he’s gone, but admits there is not just one leader in the band.

“One thing I love about this band is that everyone takes on a leadership role,” Johnson said. “So even if one of us is not there, it’s OK. That’s why I keep coming down.”

Looking forward to his band’s appearance at the upcoming Puerto Rican festival, Salsa Solution percussionist David Rodriguez is confident the band will continue to be a hit because of the upbeat vibe the band strongly emotes.

“It’s a positive energy,” he said.

“There’s going to be a lot of people dancing.”

MÁS

June 22, 2007

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