For his second Leeds Jazz Festival 2025 show, Leeds world music/global beats boss promoter Lubi Jovanovic is bringing the mambo and salsa fire to Belgrave Music Hall on Friday 23rd May. Live on stage, top 12 piece mambo/Afro-Cuban jazz/salsa ensemble Orchestra Mambo International. If you love the music of Latin legends Tito Puente, Ray Barretto and Eddie Palmieri, you will love this band.
Orchestra Mambo International is a 12 piece UK ensemble founded and co-led by DJ Lubi and salsa/Latin jazz trombonist Jonny Enright (Grupo X). They play classic salsa, mambo, Afro-Cuban jazz, Cuban son and cha cha cha inspired by Latin music legends like Tito Puente, Machito, Eddie Palmieri, Ray Barretto, Tito Rodriguez and the Fania All Stars.
They feature musicians and singers from Venezuela, Colombia, Cuba, Spain, Brazil and the UK who are based across the country - London, Yorkshire, Manchester, London and Scotland. Musicians who have played with salsa, jazz, funk and soul artists such as Joe Bataan, Tito Allen, The New Mastersounds, Oscar D’Leon, Matthew Halsall, Snowboy & The Latin Section, The Sorcerers, Bobby Matos, Malcolm Strachan, Larry Harlow, Dave Valentin, Grupo X, Salsa Celtica, The Mantecas and The Haggis Horns.
They released two successful singles in 2024, ‘Mambo Te Llama’ and ‘Baila Mi Cha Cha’, through top UK analogue music label ATA Records (based in Leeds), and are currently writing their debut album for release in autumn 2025. Both singles had huge radio support worldwide from the likes of Gilles Peterson, Huey Morgan, Craig Charles, Jamz Supernova, Cerys Matthew (BBC 6 Music), Jamie Cullum (BBC Radio 2), Soweto Kinch (BBC Radio 3), Tony Minvielle, Helen Mayhew, Chris Philps, Jez Nelson (Jazz FM), Coco Maria (NTS), Bandcamp Radio, World Salsa Radio (LA) and dozens more great shows, stations and DJs from Colombia to Japan and all points in between.
A great 2024 culminated in a live session, playing all original songs, at the legendary Maida Vale Studios in West London for the Cerys Matthews BBC 6 Music Christmas Special. An original Christmas salsa song from the session was then played by Craig Charles on his BBC 6 Music weekday daytime show.
They've played great live shows in the UK at top venues such as Blues Kitchen Manchester, Brudenell Social Club Leeds, The Forge Camden, MusicPort Festival Whitby, Band On The Wall Manchester, Halifax Piece Hall, 229 The Venue London and Howard Assembly Room Leeds . Tonight, they make their Belgrave Music Hall debut for Leeds Jazz Festival. Once again, they will invite top London salsa singer Juanita Euka to join them onstage to perform the songs of Cuban salsa legend Celia Cruz.
The band's friends from Sabroso Dance Company of Leeds, the north's premier mambo dance company, will be performing a show and jamming with the band, as they've done at shows throughout 2024. DJ Lubi will be spinning classic salsa and mambo before, between and after two live sets by the band until the early hours of the morning. Guest DJ tbc.
Doors 8pm. Live sets 9pm and 10.15pm. Salsa/Latin DJ clubnight 11.15pm-2am.
