La Sonora Ponceña — Festival Viva La Salsa, Lima, 2019

This filmed live concert captures Puerto Rican orchestra La Sonora Ponceña at the Festival Viva La Salsa, at the Jockey Club del Perú in Lima, on 14 September 2019, the year of its 65th anniversary. Founded in Ponce, this salsa institution remains, under pianist Papo Lucca’s direction, one of the most respected orchestras of the genre, renowned for its tight horn arrangements and recognisable montuno piano. The full set runs through classics of its repertoire such as Fuego en el 23, Remembranza, Como amantes and Yare, before a Peruvian audience devoted to salsa dura. On stage, the relentless machinery of the rhythm section and trumpets attests to a craft handed down over decades. The festival capture conveys the warmth of a salsa concert in Latin America, between dance and collective virtuosity. Representative of 2010s live Latin music, this filmed live concert is a valuable document on the longevity and excellence of one of the great orchestras in the history of salsa.