La Excelencia, an 11-piece salsa orchestra, knew they had a unique sound to offer when they first performed in London two years ago. While playing songs off their 2009 album "Mi Tumbao Social" the group was able to coax the Londoners to their feet with their powerful salsa, Jose Vasquez-Cofresi, conga player and co-founder of the band, said in an interview with The Dartmouth.
"We were told that when [playing] in London people are not used to standing up and dancing," Vasquez-Cofresi said. "When everyone started dancing in the Barbican Theatre, we knew that was an amazing moment."
The event was broadcast by the BBC as part of a documentary on modern salsa dura, which differs from the more familiar salsa romantica, according to Vasquez-Confresi. Salsa diverged from other Latin musical styles in the 1960s and 1970s, and arrived in New York with immigrants from Puerto Rico, Cuba and the Dominican Republic, he said. Salsa dura is actually more similar to the original incarnation of salsa than the better-known salsa romantica, according to Vasquez-Confresi.
"Salsa began to get commercialized," he said. "It started to lose its roots, its personality."
One of La Excelencia's goals is to return salsa to its more forceful and energetic form. The 11-member band features congas, bass, trumpets, trombones, bongos, timbales, guitar and piano, which together provide a full and multi-layered sound. The band was formed partly to fill a void they perceived in modern salsa, according to Vasques-Confresi.
The band's current roster was first formed in 2005 by Vasquez-Cofresi and Julian Silva. Vasquez-Confresi was originally invited to work on a separate project four years earlier, but when the record label went out of business, Vasquez-Confresi and a group of musicians from the Bronx decided to establish their own group, according to Vasquez-Confresi.
La Excelencia released their first record, "Salsa Con Conciencia," in 2006, and although they were mostly rooted in urban New York culture, they gained international notice, according to Vasquez-Confresi. In Europe, the group's songs became popular first in Italy and Germany before spreading to the rest of the continent, and in North America, their popularity spread from Canada to the United States, he said.
Part of their international appeal may stem from a more open-minded European outlook toward music, according to Vasquez-Confresi.
"I'm listening to the radio in Belgium," he said. "I don't know what the guy's saying, but I hear rock music, then African music, then salsa. They don't put everything in a box."
Besides their intense rhythmic beats, La Excelencia breaks boundaries with their lyrics. While traditional salsa lyrics tend to be limited to love and relationships, La Excelencia differentiates itself by singing about social issues and politics.
"We're not going to pretend to you," lead vocalist Edwin Perez said.
La Excelencia begins writing songs with a concept or message in mind and then composes the music to fit the lyrics.
"We are a band that has something to say," Perez said. "You have to hear this band, which is kind of in your face."
The band's audience is attracted to their down-to-earth attitude and less polished style, according to Perez. La Excelencia often addresses the audience and encourages audience members to dance.
"I was really surprised how everyone received us," he said. "Wherever we went, the love and recognition has been humbling. People just want to talk to you, to hang out with you. It's such a beautiful thing."
La Excelencia also has a strong following among the Zumba community. Zumba enthusiasts, who perform exercise routines that incorporate elements of Latin dance, were drawn to the music's high energy, according to Vasquez-Confresi. The band's music was also featured on the popular Wii game "Zumba Fitness," released in 2010, he said. La Excelencia attributes their success with Zumba to the band's usual danceable music. Unlike some other commercial salsa groups, La Excelencia composes their songs with dances in mind, according to Vasquez-Confresi.
One of the most impressive things about La Exclencia is their ability to be embraced by many different groups, from music aficionados to salsa dancers to exercise buffs. The band has not been surprised by their wide range of listeners.
"Salsa music is not one person's music," Vasquez-Confresi said. "You don't need to understand what they're saying to feel it. You don't need to know how to dance to dance."
While the language barrier may at first seem challenging to listeners not fluent in Spanish or unfamiliar with salsa music, the band is confident that their strong sound and dynamic rhythms will get their message across to everyone, according to Vasquez-Confresi.
Along with their performance on the Spaulding Auditorium stage, the band will also host a post-performance discussion and meet with students at the Latin American, Latino and Caribbean Studies House.
La Excelencia believes that salsa has a great ability to bring people together and spread a message, but above all the goal of salsa is to connect with the music and celebrate life, according to Perez.
"Bring your dancing shoes," he said. "It's going to be a party."
