Orchestra Mambo International

Orchestra Mambo International is a 13-piece Latin big band playing at Band On The Wall in Manchester's Northern Quarter. The group's musicians come from several countries and play mambo, salsa and Afro-Cuban jazz.

The ensemble was founded in late 2022 by the salsa DJ Lubi Jovanovic, known as DJ Lubi, and by the trombonist and composer Jonny Enright, who leads Grupo X. Its thirteen players are drawn from Venezuela, Colombia, Cuba, Spain, Brazil and the United Kingdom. The repertoire revisits mambo, salsa dura and Afro-Cuban jazz with a contemporary sound.

The band takes its inspiration from Tito Puente, Machito, Eddie Palmieri, Celia Cruz, Ray Barretto and Tito Rodriguez. Since forming, it has played Glastonbury, Leeds Jazz Festival and Musicport, and it recorded a BBC 6 Music session for Cerys Matthews at Maida Vale Studios. Individual members have performed with Joe Bataan, Jimmy Sabater, Tito Allen, Adalberto Santiago, Elbow, Gregory Isaacs, Corinne Bailey-Rae, The New Mastersounds, Julian Lennon and Fairground Attraction.

Band On The Wall is a concert and performance venue on Swan Street in the Northern Quarter, and the group has previously sold out there. The evening will suit listeners who follow Latin big band music, salsa and jazz.