NEW EVENTS

OSCAR D'LEON
El Sonero Mayor “The Great Improviser
Sat 12th July 8:30 pm
Oscar D’Leon is without doubt one of the giants in the history of salsa - and he yields the stage to no one. The huge dancefloor at the Roundhouse gives the salseros the perfect opportunity to swivel their hips so the night also includes 2 of the UK’s top salsa DJs:  DJ Lubi, album compiler for the legendary Fania Records of New York; and Julian Mr M, London's Latin communities DJ of choice, who will be making sure the evening is caliente from start to finish!
Oscar Emilio Leon Simoza, better known as Oscar D’Leon (b. July 11, 1943) is a Venezuelan musician who became internationally famous for his salsa music. In Spanish, he is known as El Sonero del Mundo (“the Improviser of the World”). His most famous song is perhaps “Lloraras,” which he recorded in 1975 with his group La Dimension Latina.
Oscar combines the classic Cuban music of masters such as Beny More, La Sonora Matancera, and Orquesta Aragon with the New York salsa of the late 60s and early 70s, particularly Eddie Palmieri and the Fania generation and, if Oscar plays his version of More’s “Que Bueno Baila Usted” the Roundhouse will surely levitate.

The Videos

BOOK TICKETS

Ticket Prices:
£25 in advance – more on the door.
Available from the venue and SEE Tickets, Ticketmaster and Ticketweb
Box Office 0844 482 8008
Also available without commission at face value for cash purchases at:
Sabor Latino – Elephant & Castle Shopping Centre SE1
Las Americas – Brixton Market SW9

www.roundhouse.org.uk
www.comono.co.uk

BOOK TICKETS

THE VENUE

Roundhouse
Chalk Farm Road
London
NW1 8EH

DIRECTIONS - GETTING TO THE ROUNDHOUSE

We don't recommend driving to the Roundhouse as we have no parking available for general public use and Camden Council has a strict policy across the borough for street parking.

By Tube
Chalk Farm tube station (Northern Line, Edgware Branch). Turn left out of the station and take a right at Chalk Farm Road and the Roundhouse is on the right hand side (2 minute walk).
Camden Town tube station (Northern Line, Edgware or High Barnet Branch). Turn right out of the station onto Chalk Farm Road, continue straight, pass under the railway bridge, the Roundhouse is on your left (10 minute walk).
By Bus
Bus Routes to Chalk Farm
The 31 and 168 stop at Chalk Farm tube
The 24, 27, 46 and 393 stop within walking distance
Bus Routes to Camden
24, 27, 29, 31, 134, 135, 168, 214, 253, 274, C2
To plan your journey on public transport visit the Transport For London website or call London Transport on 020 7222 1234.
By Rail
The closest rail station is Kentish Town West (Silverlink) on Dalby Street. Turn right out of the station. Turn right at Prince of Wales Road and continue straight on. Turn left down Crogsland Road then left at Chalk Farm Road — you will see the main entrance to the Roundhouse ahead of you on the opposite side of the road.

Oscar D’Leon
Biography

Oscar D’Leon was born in Caracas on July 11, 1943. A long-time resident of the Parroquia Antimano section of the city, he took interest in bass guitar early on, and would alternate in jobs as an auto mechanic (during the day) and bass player (at night) for local conjuntos. As he acquired a reputation for being a solid bass player, clever improviser (he would improvise entire songs on the spot) and dynamic singer (he used to dance with a double bass onstage while singing, a not-so-subtle physical feat), he founded orchestras such as La Golden Star and music groups such as Los Psicodelicos. Together with percussionist Jose Rodriguez and trombone players Cesar Monge and Jose Antonio Rojas, he formed La Dimension Latina in 1972.
Four years later, D’Leon quit the group and created La Salsa Mayor. With La Salsa Mayor he recorded merengue standard “Juanita Morell” as a guaracha, a version that became a huge radio hit in Puerto Rico. He later founded La Critica in 1978 in memory of the legends of Cuban rumba, such as Miguelito Valdes. For a while, D’Leon would alternate singing with both orchestras, giving him enough flexibility to stay working constantly.
During the 1980s, D’Leon achieved success in salsa music, and is now one of the great singers of Caribbean music. Meanwhile, he got tired of carrying around his double bass, “and opening the case at baggage claim on the airport only to find it reduced down to toothpicks”; therefore, he gave up playing a bass guitar on stage. He also started shaving his head regularly, as to not bother with alopecia any longer.