Dorance Lorza & Sexteto Cafe

Nelson Rodriguez’s 2012 TOP TEN CDs

1. Eddie Montalvo / Desde Nueva York A Puerto Rico / Marcha
2. Dorance Lorza y Sexteto Café / Rumbero De Corazon / DLR
3. Ralph Irizarry y los Viejos de la Salsa / Viejos Pero Sabrosos / BKS
4. Chico Alvarez & Palomonte Afro Cuban Big Band / El Montunero / Mafimba
5. La Excelencia / Ecos Del Barrio / Handle With Care
6. Pacific Mambo Orchestra / PMO / PMO
7. Tromboranga- Tromboranga Salsa Dura / Bloque 53
8. Marlow Rosado Y La Riqueña / Retro / Pink Chaos
9. Wilson 'Chembo' Corniel / Afro Blue Monk / American Showplace Music
10. Ralphy Santi / Homenaje A Los Bailadores / Muzik
- From Latin Beat Magazine Online Contributors Dec 2012

Aloha New Gen Salsa Peeps!
Every salsa aficionado has his or her favorite sextet. The Joe Cuba Sextet and New Swing Sextet quickly come to my mind. The combination of catchy lyrics, the celestial overtones of the vibraphone and a heavy dose of percussion combine for an irresistible urge to find a spot on the dance floor.
Led by Colombian vibraphonist bandleader Dorance Lorza, Sexteto Café is a rising name on the international salsa scene.
His sextet has proven via various recordings that you don’t have a large orchestra to be successful. Whether they are playing salsa or latin jazz one thing is for certain, they have the signature swing that has made all of their sextet predecessor’s legends in the Latin music genre.
Sexteto Café’s debut album Café Salsa smokes. Other recordings like Salsa Pa Ti and 10 years of Salsa are also must haves in your musical library.
What I enjoy most of this sextet is that there are no filler cuts in their recordings. Each track swings in it’s own way with balanced vocals and instrumentation. That, in my opinion, is a perfect recipe for recordings that eventually become classics.
Take a listen to his latest single release “Rumbero de Corazon” and you be the judge.

posted by: Ray Cruz on Jul 15 2012 - Ray Cruz Sabor Tropical Hawaii Public Radio Honolulu, Hawai

Dorance Lorza & Sexteto Cafe (Colombia)

Single handedly responsible for reviving interest
in the ‘salsa vibes’ sound with the release of their
debut album in the mid 1990’s, Sexteto Café is
the brainchild of much in demand Latin
composer and vibra-harpist Dorance Lorza.
His seven piece combo deliver high energy
reworkings of original compositions and classic
salsa songs, making Sexteto Café a dancefloor
favourite for those who love their latin grooves packed with power and passion. - Bray Jazz Festival

I knew Colombian vibe player Dorance Lorza very well. I booked his group Sexteto Café regularly for my Wednesday nights at a club called Cuba in the ’90s. I always liked his classic salsa sound that had that all-important tough swing. The vibraphone is not as popular an instrument these days so it’s crucial to support the musicians persevering with it. Seeing him so often we became a bit blasé about his talents, but a new release from him, Ten Years of Salsa (SLIC010), is a wake-up call to remind us just how good a bandleader and musician he is. His contribution to music is considerable— in Cali he worked on many releases from top Colombian bands like Los Niches, Los Del Caney and Fruko.

Ten Years of Salsa is comprised of tracks off two cds he made, Café Salsa (1997) and Salsa Pa’ Ti (2004). The remaining tracks are from a “lost” 2000 album called Latin DNA. It is superb music, crafted from the best ideas and carved into dance-friendly slices. It is time to give Dorance his due for being a very talented musician, allround good bloke and a top player on the Cali and London musical scenes - by Dave Hucker, from The Beat, Vol. 27, No. 3, 2008

I knew Colombian vibe player Dorance Lorza very well. I booked his group Sexteto Café regularly for my Wednesday nights at a club called Cuba in the ’90s. I always liked his classic salsa sound that had that all-important tough swing. The vibraphone is not as popular an instrument these days so it’s crucial to support the musicians persevering with it. Seeing him so often we became a bit blasé about his talents, but a new release from him, Ten Years of Salsa (SLIC010), is a wake-up call to remind us just how good a bandleader and musician he is. His contribution to music is considerable— in Cali he worked on many releases from top Colombian bands like Los Niches, Los Del Caney and Fruko.

Ten Years of Salsa is comprised of tracks off two cds he made, Café Salsa (1997) and Salsa Pa’ Ti (2004). The remaining tracks are from a “lost” 2000 album called Latin DNA. It is superb music, crafted from the best ideas and carved into dance-friendly slices. It is time to give Dorance his due for being a very talented musician, allround good bloke and a top player on the Cali and London musical scenes - by Dave Hucker, from The Beat, Vol. 27, No. 3, 2008

Salsa Pa' Ti
Released 2004;
Editor's Pick:
Now here’s one made especially for the dancers -- a terrific new release by vibraphonist Dorance Lorza, who comes to us from Calí by way of the UK. In the style of, say, Joe Cuba or Son Boricua, Mr. Lorza decided to forget the metal section in lieu of the inviting, seductive grooves of the vibe. And it works perfectly. If you have any doubts about how hard a vibes based band can rock, you shouldn’t. Listen to the smoking Louie Ramirez signature “El Titere,” with Alberto Gutierrez just about setting his timbales ablaze.
Zero filler here, folks, just 100% pure dance salsa. There’s a maturity and intelligence that is woven into the fabric of these arrangements. Even the fuzz-toned electric guitar (Hugo Elizade) on “Salsa Pa’ Ti” is dished with perfect moderation. The concise solos taken by Mr. Gutierrez, and then by bongocero Julio Alarcon are framed with elegance and sophistication.
Mr. Lorza states in his liners that he purposefully kept solos down to a minimum so as not to interfere with the dancers. Salsa Pa’ Tí is so damned well considered and conceived that you would think that it was brought down from a mountain by some bizarre sect of salsa monks. The instrumentation and vocals are that well balanced here. And speaking of vocals, they are superbly furnished by by Fernando Alvares who has a near Rubén Blades moment on “Sabroso.”
An eventual classic. A must-have.
Very Highly Recommended. (BP, 2011-04-01) - Descarga.com

Salsa Pa' Ti
Released 2004;
Editor's Pick:
Now here’s one made especially for the dancers -- a terrific new release by vibraphonist Dorance Lorza, who comes to us from Calí by way of the UK. In the style of, say, Joe Cuba or Son Boricua, Mr. Lorza decided to forget the metal section in lieu of the inviting, seductive grooves of the vibe. And it works perfectly. If you have any doubts about how hard a vibes based band can rock, you shouldn’t. Listen to the smoking Louie Ramirez signature “El Titere,” with Alberto Gutierrez just about setting his timbales ablaze.
Zero filler here, folks, just 100% pure dance salsa. There’s a maturity and intelligence that is woven into the fabric of these arrangements. Even the fuzz-toned electric guitar (Hugo Elizade) on “Salsa Pa’ Ti” is dished with perfect moderation. The concise solos taken by Mr. Gutierrez, and then by bongocero Julio Alarcon are framed with elegance and sophistication.
Mr. Lorza states in his liners that he purposefully kept solos down to a minimum so as not to interfere with the dancers. Salsa Pa’ Tí is so damned well considered and conceived that you would think that it was brought down from a mountain by some bizarre sect of salsa monks. The instrumentation and vocals are that well balanced here. And speaking of vocals, they are superbly furnished by by Fernando Alvares who has a near Rubén Blades moment on “Sabroso.”
An eventual classic. A must-have.
Very Highly Recommended. (BP, 2011-04-01) - Descarga.com

"As the year ended, great music continued to pour into the markets and at the top of the heap was vibist / tresero Dorance Lorza's Sexteto Café who released the scorching Salsa Pa' Ti with classics like Mango Mangüe, El Titere, El Negro Bembón and La Ruñidera."
LATIN BEAT MUSIC UPDATE by Nelson Rodríguez, NYC - LATIN BEAT MUSIC UPDATE by Nelson Rodríguez, NYC

"As the year ended, great music continued to pour into the markets and at the top of the heap was vibist / tresero Dorance Lorza's Sexteto Café who released the scorching Salsa Pa' Ti with classics like Mango Mangüe, El Titere, El Negro Bembón and La Ruñidera."
LATIN BEAT MUSIC UPDATE by Nelson Rodríguez, NYC - LATIN BEAT MUSIC UPDATE by Nelson Rodríguez, NYC

"...seductive pure salsa especially made for dancers. Sophisticated arrangements keep solos to a minimum throughout the production so as to not interfere with the flow of the dancers..."
Rudy Mangual - Latin Beat magazine - Rudy Mangual - Latin Beat magazine

London based Colombian Dorance Lorza and Sexteto Cafe rework several classic salsa dance tunes breathing new life into the tracks through intelligent arrangements and precision playing. Classic salsa done in a classic vibes led style these tunes now belong to Dorance Lorza and Sexteto Cafe.

Great music for the cross body floor. This cd was definitely arranged with the dancer in mind. - salsafever.co.uk

London based Colombian Dorance Lorza and Sexteto Cafe rework several classic salsa dance tunes breathing new life into the tracks through intelligent arrangements and precision playing. Classic salsa done in a classic vibes led style these tunes now belong to Dorance Lorza and Sexteto Cafe.

Great music for the cross body floor. This cd was definitely arranged with the dancer in mind. - salsafever.co.uk

WRITTEN BY TORQUEO
MONDAY, 30 JUNE 2008
From multi-intrumentalist Dorance Lorza, comes this 'best of', of Sexteto Cafe tracks released over the last 10 years, well from 1994 to 2003.
This is a highly danceable and accessible, vibes-led album. If you like the sounds of Grupo Latin Vibe or New Swing Sextet, then this could be well up your street.
The cd opens up with the first four tracks aimed straight at the dancefloor, with track 2, El Titere, being my particular favourite, and a bit of a dancefloor filler.
There are 16 tracks in total on the cd, with a large percentage suitable for the dj/dancefloor, but the cd also serves as a good listening experience due to the good selection of tempos.
Well worthy of a purchase!!
My personal favourites;
El Titere, Sabroso, and El Negro Bambon - Salsa-Central.com

WRITTEN BY TORQUEO
MONDAY, 30 JUNE 2008
From multi-intrumentalist Dorance Lorza, comes this 'best of', of Sexteto Cafe tracks released over the last 10 years, well from 1994 to 2003.
This is a highly danceable and accessible, vibes-led album. If you like the sounds of Grupo Latin Vibe or New Swing Sextet, then this could be well up your street.
The cd opens up with the first four tracks aimed straight at the dancefloor, with track 2, El Titere, being my particular favourite, and a bit of a dancefloor filler.
There are 16 tracks in total on the cd, with a large percentage suitable for the dj/dancefloor, but the cd also serves as a good listening experience due to the good selection of tempos.
Well worthy of a purchase!!
My personal favourites;
El Titere, Sabroso, and El Negro Bambon - Salsa-Central.com