Does anybody know who "Melena" is?
 

Hi,

Just returned from Miami and saw somebody hugely popular named Melana or Melena perform at Hoy Como Ayer.

(She was great, but we were a bit disappointed as our concierge had sent us to this club at our request for salsa dancing. There was no dancing that night, but a concert instead. Plus they charged us a cover fee that was supposed to be comp-ed through the hotel reservation... But that's another story! )

She actually sounded more Tejano to me, and sang lots of ballads, but one was a tribute to Havana, so I assume she is Cuban. She also sang a tribute to somebody named "Elena."

Can anybody here fill me in? Who did we see? Thanks for any info!

http://www.hoycomoayer.net/index.html

Thanks. My brain is still vacation-fogged. I was searching the internet for "Melena" without success - should have thought about looking up the club. The only problem is, everthing about her is in Spanish! At least now I have a last name to search on...
If anybody else knows of Malena Burke, please share!

She was born in Cuba, studied music and had a successful career as a cabaret singer in Cuba and Latin America. She came to the US in 1995, still tours the Spanish-speaking world as a star, and performs every Saturday at Hoy Como Ayer:

http://www.telemundo.com/cotorreando...80/detail.html

The website lists these as her recordings:

"Salseando", "Cuba on Fire", "Malena Burke", "Super Cuban All Stars", "Bolero Jazz: Misty", "A Solas Contigo" vol. I y II, y "Contigo en la Distancia".

Her mom was called Elena Burke, so that might be who the song "Elena" was dedicated to.

Hoy Como Ayer is a very popular venue here in Miami. It's a place where many Latin singers, particularly Cuban, perform. It's intimate, and the sets often end up as jam sessions where you can hear excellent musicians and singers in a relaxed atmosphere. It's real Cuban music, not a "show" exclusively for tourists. I hope you weren't too disappointed about the salsa dancing - you got to see some of the the Miami Cuban music scene up close!

No, not disappointed. Just really wanted to experience a real salsa dancing club, where we could get up and try as well!

We liked the club, and would have been more receptive if we had known it would be a show/concert... and if they had not charged us the cover ($80). We were told that the clubs in Miami have an arrangement with the concierges. They put your name "on the list" or reserve you a table, and if you show up before midnight, no cover charge - just drinks. Since we couldn't get in with out paying, we did so, thinking we'd be doing some primitive, and seeing some expert, latin dancing! Ah well, live and learn.

Does the name mean "today is like yesterday?" Carrying the nostalgia theme?

Thank you Amcc, I'm sure she was singing about her mother! Cool.

And there were many VIPs, I think, in the audience as well. Men and women, very attractive, introduced by name and spotlight to enthusiastic applause. I don't think it was birthdays! :) Other performers, maybe? We loved the crowed... A couple grey-haired ladies with canes to 30-something sequined divas! And some very handsome young men.

Amcc, since you live there are you familiar with the restaurant Mosaico? It was one of the most incredible dining experiences I've had in a while. Wow!

And you'll laugh... As we continued on our quest for salsa dancing, we were sent another night to Mangos. HA! Coyota Wild latino style. Ah well. The quest continues... I guess we'll have to go back!

Thanks again for the info.

If it was Tejano music, the tribute was probably to Selena, a hugely popular Tejano singer that was murdered 10 years ago. J.Lo did the movie.

Definitely not Selena...
I would have recognized her and her music!

From American Eagle Latitudes...

"Another nice spot is Hoy Como Ayer located in Little Havana. Saturday nights belong to Malena Burke, who sings mostly fílin, jazz-inflected Cuban ballads beginning at 10:30 p.m. On both Fridays and Saturdays, the salsa band Sarabanda takes the stage at around 1 a.m. and keeps the joint jumping until 3:30 a.m."

Did you stay until 1:00? Maybe the dancing started after the show....

We stayed from 11:15 pm until about 1:20 am. The showed started around midnight. Don't tell me we just missed it!

Do you WHAT "melena" is?