Ricardo Lemvo: Africando Tribute
Sun, 3 May, 7:30 PM PDT
Doors open
6:00 PM PDT
Catalina Jazz Club
6725 W. Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, CA 90028
Description
Ricardo Lemvo and Africando represent two powerful expressions of the same transatlantic musical conversation, each tracing the deep-rooted parallels between African rhythms and Afro-Caribbean salsa. Lemvo, a Congolese-born artist based in Los Angeles, has built his career blending soukous and Cuban son, highlighting how Central African guitar patterns and rhythms naturally align with the structure of salsa. Similarly, Africando—formed by a collective of West African vocalists and New York-based Latin musicians—reconnects salsa to its African origins by reinterpreting classic Cuban styles through Wolof, Manding, and other African musical traditions.
Both Lemvo and Africando underscore a circular cultural journey: rhythms that traveled from Africa to the Caribbean during the slave trade return reimagined, yet familiar, proving that salsa is not just a Latin genre but a diasporic dialogue rooted in shared heritage, musical phrasing, and rhythmic DNA.
Catalina Jazz Club
6725 West Sunset Blvd.
Hollywood, CA 90028
*Tickets purchased online receive priority seating.
*Single Entree or Drink minimums apply for all tickets
Event Information
Age Limit
All Ages
Contemporary Jazz
Catalina Jazz Club
Catalina Jazz Club
Contemporary Jazz
The American dream came true for Catalina Popescu in October of 1986 when she and her husband Bob created a supper club devoted to serving an experience of superb eats and the shared magic of live performance. That grand experience began at the door where every night her mother Maria would greet each guest as family and share in their love of music. Housed in Hollywood and decked out in a timeless charm, the club offers a cozy ambience under sparkling stage lights garnished with its signature concoction — Jazz. The first artist to grace the stage was the masterful flutist and saxophonist Buddy Collette, and ever since then, over the past 36 years, the Catalina Jazz Club has hosted the most illustrious legends of all time — from the powerful puffers of Dizzy Gillespie to the electrified fingers of McCoy Tyner, the bubbly belt of Dee Dee Bridgewater and Lynda Carter, the flirtatious saxophone of Joshua Redman, the slick strumming of Kenny Burrell, the insane drum clinic of Steve Gadd, the romance of Steve Tyrell, and the masterclass of Mike Stern.
For Catalina, Jazz is our way of life. It breathes pain. It knows love. It dreams hope. It bleeds courage. Whether we’re showcasing Broadway, Soul, R&B, or stand-up comedy, the lesson learned from all the greats who have serenaded our spirits is how to connect to one another. And that’s why the Catalina Jazz Club will always have a table ready for you.
The Catalina Jazz Club has been honored by A.S.M.A.C., California Jazz Foundation, Los Angeles Jazz Society, and a City of Los Angeles Certificate of Appreciation on their 25th Anniversary, which was awarded by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the LA City Council which included then City Council member and current Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti.