Salsa del Soul at Lowertown Sounds, St Paul (July 31, 2025)

Midway through the show a guy standing next to me leaned in and said, “Perfect night.”

Mid 70’s, no humidity, it was a perfect night made by the fact that we have had so few this summer. Sure, there was smoke in the air thanks to Canadian forest fires, but it didn’t seem so bad in downtown St. Paul with Mears Park surrounded by tall buildings. It was by far the best night of the season for the Lowertown Sound Series. And the park was completely full as people came with their folding chairs or not for many came to dance.

Alma Andina opened the evening with their own brand of South American Andes music. Their name in Spanish means Andes Soul. Their leader, Vladimir Garrido, formed the band in 2007 with a cousin and uncle to play traditional Andes music. But when his relatives returned to his native Chile, he recruited Nicolas Munoz and Matthew Levin as well as local musicians to create a Latin American sound that also incorporates salsa and cumbia music.

The band kicked off their set with the traditional “El Condor Pasa” before kicking it into a cumbia to get everyone on the dance floor. Then as quickly as the song ended, Vladimir dashed off the stage and ran across the park in a full sprint. Not something you normally see at a concert, as if Vladimir had just remembered he left his iron on back home. But it all made sense when he dipped into a makeshift dressing room of a blue tarp stretched across two minivans with open hatches. And throughout the set, members of the band would change into elaborate costumes to highlight different folklore and customs of the Andes Mountains. It was by far the most colorful and fun opening act I’ve ever witnessed. If you get a chance to see them this summer, do yourself a favor and check them out.

With an extended changeover that involved fine-tuning the levels for nine musicians, there was plenty of time to take in the scene. And what I noticed is how diverse the crowd was. There were plenty of seniors sitting in chairs, drinking wine and eating brie. There were young families doing the same, but with children running about. There were also many from South and Central America, hugging and reconnecting and getting ready to dance. Then there were two women dressed in fire-engine red outfits, walking through the park on stilts as tall as some of the park’s trees. There was also a teenager dressed like he was headed to an Insane Clown Posse concert, a longboard skateboard at his feet, and a guy riding in on a mountain bike with a cat on his shoulder, which I found to quickly be a babe magnet.

When Salsa del Soul finally finished the sound check and started playing, the whole front of the stage started dancing. Actually, a young couple was already dancing during the sound check, as if practicing for the main event.

Like Alma Andina, Salsa del Soul highlights the musical genres of salsa and cumbia, but they mostly tilt to Cuban music with singers Gloria Rivera and Frank Rivery both from Havana. They were joined by singer Chryss Altamirano, Bryan Rossi on piano, Pat Smith on the upright bass, José “Freddy” Reyes on Congas & Bongos, Shai Hayo on timbales and Scott Agster and Keith Hilson on trombone. Everyone in the band is a professional musician and has many side gigs to this side gig. They also have a busy summer schedule considering every outdoor venue wants them to play for they bring an instant crowd of dedicated followers/dancers.

I last saw them at the Twin Cities Jazz Festival and I was surprised how quickly they engaged the crowd. Most bands have to “encourage” the crowd to come closer or move their arms and feet, but with Salsa del Soul, the good times start the minute they are done with their half hour sound check.