The Great Scottish Latin Adventure

Salsa Celtica; Photo: Latinthing.co.uk

Meet Salsa Celtica, a group made up of a diverse array of musicians that introduced a new genre of music fusing traditional Scottish instruments with salsa music, and a touch of folk and jazz.

There have been some stellar collaborations of music genres in the world, from Manu Chao’s mix of genres (rock, reggae, ska) and languages (Spanish, French, Arabic) to the Gypsy King’s pop-infused flamenco style (described as "Spanish flamenco and Romani rhapsody meet salsa funk"), but who would ever imagine a Scottish-Latin music fusion to be so good?

Salsa Celtica’s Toby Shippey did. He, along with several musicians stemming mostly from Scotland, Ireland and Latin America were inspired to combine their musical genres during their tequila-infused jamming sessions.

Was it the tequila that inspired the fusion? Maybe, but mostly it was a desire to make great music incorporating the different musical genres that were present during these sessions.

Shippey, a Scottish percussionist who had been playing salsa music in Edinburgh, Scotland for a number of years started to notice how many Celtic musicians showed up to the jamming sessions.

It was at that point that he had the idea to combine the two genres.

The group’s efforts did not go unnoticed; the crowds went crazy when the musicians introduced the fusion of the two distinct musical genres (even if they didn't know exactly how to dance to the music).

Since 1995, Salsa Celtica has taken the world by storm with their unique musical blend. The group has been continously playing for over 10 years now and has achieved tremendous success. Their albums have topped the New York and LA salsa charts as well as the European world music charts.

For more info:

-MySpace: Salsa Celtica  
-Salsa Celtica’s Home Page

Must Watch: 

Salsa Celtica Documentary