Last Saturday night, I went out looking for some Latin music, a little Spanish banter at the bar, a bit of sweat on an otherwise frosty night.
Oh, sure, there are plenty of places that offer a good Latin beat on a Tuesday or Wednesday night (often complete with dance lessons a few hours before the crowds arrive, just in case anybody needs a warm-up). These are often clubs that don’t cater to Latin music lovers the rest of the week, just on that one night. Prices and attitudes often reflect the club’s weeklong personality, not necessarily the Latin night makeover.
But I was looking for something a little more intimate, a little more in the ‘hood (even if it was North Side), something manageable without three tiers of activity, deejays with MTV names and a mania for merengue. I wound up on North Lincoln Avenue, at a place whose name I’ll spare us all because, you never know, it might still become something. But last Saturday, while the bass boomed and echoed in the otherwise empty club, the only life in the place were the handful of guys serving as security at the door.
There was a time, finding a cool Latin music place on the spur of the moment wasn’t that hard. Sure, for serious dancing I still wound up at a lot of those once-a-week joints (especially the old Cairo). But you could still be spontaneous on a weekend and get some variety.
There was, for example, the Lumuri, up on Division, that featured old-style Puerto Rican dance music alongside some delightfully kitschy political memorabilia. And there was Tania’s — the old Tania’s, the one in the back of the bodega — where they were doing Buena Vista Social Club back in the early ’80s.
And until recently, Milwaukee Avenue had Tropicana, which was so slimy in so many ways, what with all the strutting boys, especially on boxing Tuesdays, but could still get you cranked up with some heavy salsa.
What’s left for the weekends?
– Rancho Luna (3357 W. Peterson Ave., 773-509-9332) is a cozy place that relocated from its even smaller storefront on Foster a few years back. Now there’s music pretty much every night, recorded or live or in combo, and though it can get pretty nostalgic on occasion, there are surprises. On a recent night, the mix included Van Van, Paulito F.G. and Orishas. The house band, on weekends only, is high camp.
– Hollywood East (5650 N. Broadway, 773-271-4711) features West Indian music much more than Latin music, but it’s been giving Fridays over to Angel D’Cuba and His Sugarcanes for a while. D’Cuba is a veteran of Mezcla, one of Cuba’s most experimental bands, but his Sugarcanes are more of the smooth variety, with plenty of spice without going off the deep end. And Hollywood East has always been a terrific place to go dancing, with lots of room, respect and rhythm.
– Zafire (1529 W. Armitage Ave., 773-463-6100) is a funky little place that can be a lot of fun. The deejays tend to play old-school salsa, though they gladly honor requests. Dancers here can be quite wonderful, especially the older folks. What’s really a hoot are the occasional live shows, like the mambo line dancers not long ago.
– Of course, there’s always the restaurant Nacional 27 (325 W. Huron St., 312-664-0256). In a weird way, it’s become the substitute for Tania’s, hosting community fundraisers, stepping in as the elegant place to be. It is much more upscale and much more expensive than Tania’s ever was. And the sheer scope of the food menu — from the tip of Texas to Tierra del Fuego — is in a class by itself.
Unfortunately, the music menu isn’t quite as diverse. At Nacional 27, it’s pretty straight-up salsa, with doses of merengue and hopped-up rhythm tracks. It can get a little funky, it can get a little trippy, but not in its Latin offerings, only when it mixes it up. But the atmosphere, in spite of the potential for snootiness, remains relatively warm and loose.
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Local promoter BJ Murray is hosting a Grammy nomination celebration for local deejay Maurice Johnson at 9 p.m. Wednesday at Le Passage restaurant. Johnson recently received Grammy nominations for remixing ‘N Sync’s “It’s Gonna Be Me,” as well as “Independent Woman” and “Say My Name” for Destiny’s Child, who are scheduled to attend the party and possibly perform. Le Passage is at 937 N. Rush St. Tickets are $20 at the door. Enter through the alley.
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The line-up at House of Blues for Feb. 13 is a bit of a smorgasbord. First, there’s Enanitos Verdes, a pioneering Argentine rock en espanol ensemble. Together nearly 20 years, this group plays a straightforward rock style with intelligent, often political, lyrics. Then there’s Juanes — not the 16th Century Spanish painter, of course, but a teen heartthrob Colombian pop singer. His stuff is pretty, frothy, not unlike his promo pix. And last but certainly not least, Orishas rounds out the bill. Orishas, a Paris-based Cuban rap group, made their Chicago debut last November at HotHouse and pretty much blew everybody away. They’re the reason to go to the show, and since they’re the opener, go early. Show time is 9 p.m., tickets are $20, and House of Blues is at 329 N. Dearborn St. Call 312-527-2583.afterhours
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