Orquesta Universal is a veteran San Francisco Bay Area Salsa band led by Danilo Páiz. Páiz, who hails from Nicaragua, understands the importance of playing for the dancers. He provides a varied menu that makes it hard to get bored given the musical surprises he offers with diverse beats and textures. Orquesta Universal has added the sensual voice of Olga Vinnik, a newcomer to the salsa scene from Latvia (a former republic of the Soviet Union). She is one of the lead singers of the band and her harmonies and duet parts will keep your ears open and your feet moving.

As a percussionist, Páiz is a first-class musician who has played with Dizzy Gillespie, Rubén Blades, Benny Velarde and many others. As a bandleader, he has always led ensembles made up of high-caliber musicians assigned to perform his compositions and covers. In his extensive musical career, Páiz has played with extraordinary, internationally-known musicians such as Ray Baretto, Mary Wilson (of The Supremes), Andy Narell, Ray Obiedo, Dave Valentin, Dizzy Gillespie and Cal Tjader just to name a few. He demonstrates some of his best work on bongo and vocals on Rubén Blades' album, Rubén Blades y Son del Solar...Live!

(AAH-VAAN-CEH) v. Ahead of contemporary thought; the act or process of moving forward.

This is just one of many descriptions used to define this 13-piece salsa ensemble people have come to know as Avance. Avance originates and consists of the hottest and newest talents the San Francisco Bay Area has come to know.  Four electrifying bilingual singers, a sizzling horn section and one of the best rhythm sections on the West Coast. You put this all together and you get a new and unique sound that crosses the language barrier: Spanish and English.  Leading the group is Carlos Santana percussionist/musical director, Karl Perazzo, and co-founder/vocalist, Armando Cordoba. From Central America, Jeff Cordoba, Jimmy Flores and Armando Cordoba, bring to the table each, his own style of vocals; enriching each song with its own personality. Delivering rich vocals and an exhilarating dance show, these singers leave all audiences wanting more! Avance's musical productions combine and fuse all the different styles of Salsa: Puerto Rican, Cuban, New York and Colombian. Add to the mix R&B/pop, then you’ve got yourself a group with diversity and innovation; yet they are always familiar to the ear and, more importantly, to the soul. 

Avance's ultimate goal is to spread their music and inspire all over the world.

When you see and hear Avance you're guaranteed three things: sizzle, style and most of all swing!

Avance: on the cutting edge of excellence.

Pacific Mambo Orchestra has taken the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond by storm since its inception in 2010. Pacific Mambo Orchestra (PMO) has created quite a buzz recently. The orchestra established itself within just months as one of the most exciting live acts in the Bay Area by featuring some of Northern California’s finest musicians. Trumpeter Steffen Kuehn and pianist Christian Tumalan, both experienced bandleaders in their own right, formed this Latin Salsa Big Band to bring back and build upon the great Latin Big Band sounds of the 1940s through 1960s.

PMO plays the music of Latin giants, such as Machito, Tito Puente and Celia Cruz, and includes those rich traditions with their own contemporary and original arrangements. PMO is currently the only Latin Big Band on the West Coast that plays regularly; the orchestra performs in San Francisco on Monday nights at Café Cocomo (voted third best Salsa Club in the country by USA Today).

PMO's instrumentation consists of four trumpets, four trombones, five saxophones, piano, bass, timbales, congas, bongos and the female lead singer, Alexis Guillen.

The orchestra's members have performed and/or recorded with the industries' biggest names like Carlos Santana, Ray de la Paz, José Lugo Guasábara Orchestra, Los Adolescentes, Isaac Delgado, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Tito Rojas, La India, Victor Manuelle and many others.

Born in Nicaragua, DJ Super Chino's love for music was first inspired from family parties where he was known by friends and family as "Chino Jackson". In 2001, he made his debut as a DJ in the San Francisco Bay Area. Known for his versatility to play different genres of music, DJ Super Chino has made the rounds playing at clubs throughout the Bay Area. His knowledge of the history of music, background as a salsa dancer/performer, and extensive collection of rare music have made him one of the most beloved Latin DJs in the Bay Area.

DJ Super Chino is currently a resident DJ at several clubs in the Bay Area including the Grand, ShBoom Nightclub, and Pura. In addition to the San Francisco Salsa Festival, where he will be one of our returning guest DJs, DJ Super Chino is invited regularly to DJ at other major salsa and bachata events such as the San Francisco Bay Area International Salsa Congress, Reno International Bachata Festival and US Salsa Open.

DJ Hong is a salsa music DJ based in the San Francisco Bay Area. He specializes in salsa dura (hard salsa) of the 60's and 70's along with Palladium-era mambo and danceable Latin jazz, but is a fan of all types of salsa music, from romantica to timba to Colombian.

In 2002, Hong attended his first salsa class and was instantly hooked by the complex polyrhythmic music. After attending several months of class, he was invited to join the Latin Symbolics, under the direction of dance champion Ava Apple and future champions Junior and Emily Alabi. Eventually Hong assumed the role of co-director of the dance company and co-founded the semi-professional dance troupe Symbolic Mambo. Hong and the Latin Symbolics performed on stages in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Miami. During this time he competed in various competitions, winning 1st place in the Pro-Am division of the 2005 International Hustle and Salsa Competition in Miami (with Emily Alabi) and winning or placing in various "Jack and Jill" and solo footwork competitions. In 2006, Hong amicably parted ways with the Latin Symbolics to focus on social dancing and collecting salsa music.

In 2009, DJ Hong became one of the resident salsa DJs of the Rockit Room in San Francisco, which has become one of the largest weekly salsa parties in the Bay Area. After DJing at the Rockit Room for one year, DJ Hong took over weekly duties at Latin Wednesdays at El Valenciano, hosted by Gabriel Romero (director of Mambo Romero Latin Dance Theater). Recently DJ Hong has become of the resident DJs at Cafe Cocomo, one of the largest and best known salsa clubs in the country. In addition to his club duties, DJ Hong has spun at events such as the Hawaii Salsa Festival, the San Francisco Bachata Festival, and at out-of-town venues like Ryles Jazz Club in Boston.