Oscar D’León — Velas Latinoamérica, Willemstad (Curaçao), 2018

This full concert features Oscar D’León during the closing festivities of Velas Latinoamérica Curaçao 2018, held at Brionplein square in Willemstad, the capital of Curaçao, in July 2018. A Venezuelan bassist, singer and bandleader, Oscar D’León is nicknamed ‘El Sonero del Mundo’ and ‘El León de la Salsa,’ and has been one of the major figures of salsa since the 1970s. This open-air live concert closed the international tall-ships regatta Velas Latinoamérica, a maritime event that gathered several sail-training vessels from Latin America and beyond in Curaçao; the local band ERA opened the evening before the performance by Oscar D’León and his orchestra. True to his stage style, the artist runs through rhythms of salsa dura and Cuban son, driven by a horn section, percussion and the bass playing that made him famous. Filmed by the seafront, this live recording documents a widely attended free concert that was also broadcast online at the time. It is a reference video for salsa enthusiasts wishing to experience the live energy of one of the greatest soneros in the Latin world.