by CongaCaja » Thu Nov 18, 2004 6:50 pm
GP,
I would imagine that the Conga Kings play in many types of venues in many cities. Depending on the location and the culture of local population, I could imagine many different "atmospheres".
This particular concert was presented as part of the San Francisco Jazz Festival (although the theater was actually located in Oakland...just across the bay). SF Jazz Festival events are generally indoor events at nice theaters with 2 groups scheduled for each evening. These are generally "sit down and listen" kind of events, but then there are latin jazz groups playing, many people feel compelled to get on their feet and dance...sort of "go with the flow".
The people of the SF area generally dress however they want... and its all acceptable. Some people come out with a nice suit or dress and others come in the jeans and guayabera (cuban shirt). They are fun events and very bi-lingual. The MC and performers will speak in Spanish and/or English.
That said, this was just one concert. The Conga Kings might perform at other venues such as an outdoor concert where the atmosphere could be very casual. For example, I saw both Ray Barretto, Pete Escovedo and John Santos at the San jose Jazz Festival (an outdoor festival) and it was *very* different than SF, but still lots of fun.
cjk