Put on your salsa shoes: LPT headlines District Live for Cinco de Mayo

Though Cinco de Mayo traditionally represents Mexico’s against-all-odds victory over French forces in 1862, the date is now synonymous with celebrations of Mexican culture across North America, and more broadly, of Latin American culture around the world. Fun fact: in Japan, the cities of Osaka and Tokyo celebrate the day with vast Cinco de Mayo festivities.

Get your dancing shoes and get ready to move this Friday when District Live offers its homage to Cinco de Mayo. LPT, a 10-piece Afro-Cuban orchestra, lights up the Hostess City for an evening of high energy, horn-centered salsa music.

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What started in Jacksonville, Florida, as a way to meet people and share musical roots, evolved into the Southeast’s pre-eminent salsa combo. In a small coffee shop, a group of players and friends came together to share traditional music. When they outgrew the coffee shop, a larger local venue booked them for a regular monthly gig. And when they outgrew that, the band members of LPT knew it was time to take it on the road.

“Our first tour in 2019, we were surprised by the audiences and their reception,” replied Josue Cruz, lead singer and founding member of the group. “It’s like people really want to hear and let this music inspire them. The road was challenging, we knew it was going to be in tight spaces. Believe me, it’s not easy moving a band of ten people with all our equipment. But everyone was absolutely dedicated, and that made things really flow. Thanks to a 15-passenger van, a trailer and positive attitudes, that first tour was a success and opened more doors in new cities.”

For the last four years, they’ve been on an expanding circuit that includes Jacksonville, New Orleans, Atlanta, Charlotte and Savannah, opening for artists like Santana and Trombone Shorty.

In January 2020 the band released its first album of originals, “Sin Parar.” Keys player, Angel Garcia, along with Cruz, are primary songwriters, with other members contributing arrangements and solo lines. With solid keys, layers of horns, upbeat percussion and smooth, yet piercingly delivered Spanish lyrics, “Sin Parar” was poised to go far.

Except that a couple months after its release, everything came to a halt during the pandemic. And like so many musicians, LPT saw their tour and promotions schedule evaporate over night.

“It was the worst timing, but we did see some silver linings,” smiled Garcia. “We got some great airplay in Colombia, one of the most salsa music-loving countries in the world. And “Sin Para” won best Latin album in the 18th Annual Independent Music Awards for 2019/ 2020. So, it wasn’t all bad.”

Cruz and Garcia were particularly steeled by these achievements and committed to writing another album in late summer 2020. They rented a house near Townsend, Georgia, for a week and returned to Jacksonville with 75% of the album finished. Their second album, “Se Quema El Mundo,” was the result.

“We really enjoy the Georgia coast; it’s peaceful, thoughtful, and that week was cathartic,” recalled Cruz. “Se quema el mundo translates as “the world is burning,” and we wrote and wrote that week through the difficult time. We took breaks and ate and got drinks at this place, The Fish Dock, that added perspective, gave us space between songs and writing.”

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Released in 2021, “Se Quema El Mundo” flows with rich Latin rhythms, edgy horn arrangements and harmonies. And it moves. Layers of percussion and precise piano melodies inspire motion beyond foot tapping—it commands a full body-shaking groove.

Cinco de Mayo marks the forth time the LPT crew have played at Plant Riverside but the first playing at District Live. They joke about having “graduated from outside to inside” and are excited to play the state-of-the-art stage.

“It’s an artist’s venue,” emphasized Garcia. “And it’s well thought and presented, it will be an honor to have all of us on that stage sharing music, people dancing.

I love bringing this music to folks, especially to people who may never have thought they would see it because it’s pretty hard to move a full machine of ten musicians from city to city to make it happen. But it all comes down to the music. The music has it’s own energy when it’s live, so different from listening to a recording. We’re hoping people will catch the celebration vibe and dance the night away with us.”

If You Go >>

What: LPT, Cinco de Mayo Celebration

Where: District Live, 400 West River St.

When: 8 p.m., May 5

Info: plantriverside.com/district-live/

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Ten-piece Afro-Cuban orchestra LPT lights up District Live for Cinco de Mayo