16 JULY 2021 | FRIDAY | 8.00PM

“You can view the music of MUCHO MAMBO in different ways - cultural, social, historical - but most of all, it's quite simply great FUN. When the band hits its stride, I defy anyone to remain seated. MUCHO MAMBO has something for your head and something for your feet.” 

- Music Forum magazine - Australia Arts Council

“A 14-piece congregation skimmed from the cream of the Australian Latin and Jazz scenes, MUCHO MAMBO really sets up a roar of love. Up front, ‘El Martillo’ conducts, sings and exhorts the dancers. It’s never long before the dance floor is packed with swaying bodies as the band runs through classic Mambos and Cha-Cha-Chas that twist and surprise. The groove could go on for hours!” 

- Diaspora Magazine

Since their brilliant debut at The Basement in 2002, the MUCHO MAMBO Orchestra has been blowing audiences away with their tight arrangements, brilliant musicianship and unique retro-visual element. 

The band’s distinctive arrangements are influenced by those classic 1950s and ‘60s Cuban orchestras such as those led by Benny More, Julio Cueva, Miguelito Valdes, Tito Gomez, Machito, Mario Bauza and Perez Prado. Their style also echoes the New York ‘Mambo Movement’ of that time, popularised by artists such as Tito Rodriguez and Tito Puente. 

MUCH MAMBO has wowed audiences at Sydney’s Global Village Festival on New Year’s Eve, the Lord Mayor’s Ball at the Sydney Opera House, SBS TV, Global Carnival Bellingen, Manly International Jazz Festival, Peats Ridge Festival, the National Multicultural Festival in Canberra, Flametree Festival, Kiama Jazz Festival,  Big Band Bash in Port Macquarie, ​Latin Fiesta Darling Harbour and Star Casino. 

The MUCHO MAMBO experience is one of a kind in today’s music world - a truly authentic and timeless Latin Big Band that transports their audience back to the golden era of Latin and Jazz in the 1950s and ‘60s. The orchestra’s world class arrangements fuse Latin rhythms - Mambo, Cha Cha Cha, Salsa, Conga and Bolero - with Jazz harmonies and ​orchestration, reinventing them with a unique funky modern edge. This is a completely irresistible spectacle that needs to be experienced to be believed!

Check out MUCHO MAMBO

Dancing is HUGE in Cuba, intimately connected with this Caribbean island’s culture. A vital part of everyday life, it's an expression of joy and sensuality, offering locals a release from the daily grind. 

The slow and elegant Danzón is the official dance of Cuba while the Guaguancó is a rumba that has all sorts of sensual undercurrents. Salsa is a quick, smooth, and seductive dance between partners, while the Mambo was developed in Cuba, originating from the son style of music. Created in 1938, it gradually made its way into the U.S. in the 1950s, where it gained widespread popularity. 

To introduce this special night at Eastern Lounge, MUCHO MAMBO’s skilled and fluid dancing coristas will teach us how to move artfully across the dance floor so we’re well and truly warmed up for the main event when the full Orchestra hits the stage. 

So after sipping a Caribbean cocktail at the bar to provide you with a dose of Cuban courage, brave the floor and learn how to twist and dip and unleash some seriously smooth moves as all the while, the rhythm will continue to beat a rapid, dynamic pulse. (Disclaimer: couples may end up in some rather intimate and suggestive poses.) 

On July 16, Eastern Lounge will feel just like a Friday in Havana at the famed Hotel Nacional or the Hotel Riviera’s Copa Room. You’re guaranteed to enjoy the experience of ‘A Night Out in Cuba’.