Ricardo Lemvo & Makina Loca

Yerba Buena Salsa Nights kick off with a blast of African-Cuban funk from a longtime YBG Festival favorite. Known for his high-energy performances, Congolese-born vocalist Ricardo Lemvo has honed an irrepressibly grooving sound with his band Makina Loca, seamlessly blending salsa, Congolese rumba and soukous, and traditional Angolan semba and 1970s kizomba. Growing up in Kinshasa, he discovered Cuban music as a teenager in the wake of son sweeping across the continent. Since settling in L.A. some five decades ago he’s become a force for pan-rhythmic unity. Singing in more than half a dozen languages, including Spanish, Portuguese, Kimbundu, Lingala and Kikongo, Lemvo inspires audiences to dance, connect and celebrate life. He’s focusing on material from his new Makina Loca album Ayolele Mamá, created with his longtime Cuban producer El Niño Jesús (aka Jesús Alejandro Pérez), which launches an exciting new chapter for the singular salsero. A 30-minute beginner dance lesson with Rueda Con Ritmo starts at 5:30pm. No partner required! The dancers of Rueda Con Ritmo are also set to reprise their choreography to Issac Delgado’s rueda de casino classic “Mira Como Vengo (Somos Cuba),” recently performed at San Francisco Carnaval.