Spanish Harlem Orchestra: Salsa Navidad

Spanish Harlem Orchestra, the three-time Grammy® Award-winning salsa and Latin jazz ensemble, sets the gold standard for authentic New York-style salsa dura. Whether performing in a concert hall or at an outdoor jazz festival, the band delivers high-energy performances from start to finish. Their electrifying stage presence, rich sound, and musical precision leave audiences captivated until the final note.

Now celebrating 25 years of excellence, Spanish Harlem Orchestra (SHO) remains deeply rooted in the sounds of the barrio — Spanish Harlem, NYC. With unwavering respect for the music’s storied history, the ensemble’s thirteen world-class musicians and vocalists bring the raw, organic, and vintage sound that defines classic salsa dura while continuing to push the genre forward for new generations of listeners.

With nine albums and six Grammy nominations, SHO continues to raise the bar artistically. Their 2024 release, Swing Forever, further solidifies the group’s reputation as the true sound of the barrio and “the leading light of the salsa reconstruction movement” (Newsday). Featuring six-time Grammy® Award-winning Puerto Rican sonero Gilberto Santa Rosa, the album continues to expand Spanish Harlem Orchestra’s legacy in the history of salsa music.

The band has performed on prestigious stages around the world, including Sydney Opera House, Carnegie Hall, the Newport Jazz Festival, the North Sea Jazz Festival, and the Monterey Jazz Festival. Their 2018 release, Anniversary, won the 2019 Grammy® Award for Best Tropical Latin Album, and in 2022 the band received another Grammy nomination for Imágenes Latinas.