Salsa Dura
Hard-driving classics from the Fania era — the sound of Héctor Lavoe, Willie Colón and El Gran Combo, played loud, tight and made for dancers.
Winnipeg · Canadá · ¡Salsa!
Curubandé
All Stars
Nine musicians. One dance floor that never empties. Winnipeg's salsa orchestra brings salsa dura, salsa romántica and Latin dance classics to festivals, weddings and concert stages across Manitoba.
¡Bienvenidos!
Salsa the way it was meant to be played
Curubandé is a nine-piece salsa orchestra from Winnipeg, Canada, directed by pianist and vocalist Jaime Chinchilla Solano. Built from some of the city's finest Latin and jazz musicians, the band plays with the punch of the classic New York and Puerto Rican orchestras — blazing horn lines, a rhythm section that cooks, and singers who keep the party in Spanish and English all night.
From festival main stages to wedding dance floors and corporate galas, Curubandé turns every room into a fiesta — ¡a bailar!
Curubandé live at The Cube — Winnipeg Jazz Festival. Photo: Matt Duboff.
Salsa Romántica
The romantic side of salsa — lush ballads and sing-along hits in the style of Marc Anthony and Grupo Niche that fill the floor with couples.
Cumbia & Latin Classics
Cumbia and Latin dance favourites that get every generation on its feet — the bridge between the salsa set and a full-on Latin party.
Highlights
On stages across Manitoba
2025
Festival du Voyageur
Winnipeg's great winter festival — Curubandé brought the heat to the world's largest kitchen party.
Jazz
Winnipeg Jazz Festival
A full-orchestra set on The Cube stage in the Exchange District — the photos all over this site are from that night.
2026
West End Cultural Centre
Headlining one of Winnipeg's most beloved concert halls on December 12, 2026, with very special guests.
Upcoming Show
¡Gran noche de salsa!
Sáb · Sat
12
Dic · Dec
Curubandé en concierto
West End Cultural Centre
- Fecha · Date
- 12 de diciembre · December 12
- Lugar · Venue
- West End Cultural Centre
- Dirección · Address
- 586 Ellice Ave, Winnipeg
- Puertas · Doors
- 7:00 PM
- Show · Concierto
- 8:00 PM
- Invitados · Guests
- Fiesta Vocal Band y Matambú
No te pierdas nuestro próximo evento: una gran noche de salsa encabezada por Curubandé, con los invitados especiales Fiesta Vocal Band y Matambú.
Don’t miss our next event: a big night of salsa headlined by Curubandé, with special guests Fiesta Vocal Band and Matambú.
For Presenters · EPK
Booking & press
Short bio — Curubandé is a nine-piece salsa orchestra based in Winnipeg, Canada, directed by Jaime Chinchilla Solano (piano, vocals; Master of Music, Brandon University). The band performs salsa dura and salsa romántica alongside cumbia and Latin dance classics, and has appeared at Festival du Voyageur (2025) and the Winnipeg Jazz Festival. Curubandé headlines the West End Cultural Centre on December 12, 2026.
- 01Full nine-piece orchestraLead vocals, piano, bass, congas, timbales, bongó & campana, trumpets and trombone.
- 02Festival-readyFestival du Voyageur 2025 · Winnipeg Jazz Festival (The Cube) · WECC headliner Dec 12, 2026.
- 03For every kind of eventFestivals, weddings, corporate and private events, and concert stages.
- 04Press photosHigh-resolution live photos available in our Gallery — credit: Matt Duboff.
Live at The Cube, Winnipeg Jazz Festival. Photos: Matt Duboff. View the full gallery →
About Us
The Orchestra
Nine musicians, one shared obsession: keeping the dance floor full.
The full orchestra at The Cube — Winnipeg Jazz Festival. Photo: Matt Duboff.
Winnipeg's all-star salsa band
Curubandé brings together nine of Winnipeg's finest Latin and jazz musicians in a true salsa orchestra — the format the music was written for. Lead singers up front, a horn section that hits like a brass band, and a rhythm section built on congas, timbales, bongó and campana.
The repertoire moves from the raw energy of salsa dura to the romance of salsa romántica, with cumbia and Latin dance classics woven through the night, so dancers of every level — and every generation — stay on the floor.
The band has brought that sound to Festival du Voyageur 2025 and the Winnipeg Jazz Festival, and headlines the West End Cultural Centre on December 12, 2026. Curubandé is also currently writing original salsa compositions — a new chapter the band is developing for upcoming concerts and touring.
The line-up
A classic salsa orchestra formation — every chair covered, every coro sung.
Lead VocalsFront singers leading the coros and the call-and-response with the crowd.
PianoMontunos that drive the whole band — and the director's chair.
BassThe tumbao underneath it all, locked with the rhythm section.
CongasThe heartbeat of the salsa rhythm section.
TimbalesCáscara, abaneo and the fills that lift every mambo.
Bongó & CampanaMartillo patterns and the bell that keeps dancers on the one.
TrumpetsBright, punchy lines on top of the mambos.
TromboneThe weight and swagger of the classic salsa horn section.
The Director
Jaime Chinchilla Solano
Pianist, vocalist and bandleader Jaime Chinchilla Solano directs Curubandé from the piano. He holds a Master of Music from Brandon University and has spent his career moving between the concert hall and the dance floor — as a performer, arranger and director of Latin ensembles in Winnipeg.
Under his direction, Curubandé has grown into a festival-stage orchestra, and is now writing original material with longtime collaborators — music rooted in the classic salsa tradition and made in Manitoba.
“Salsa is a conversation between the band and the dancers. Our job is simple: nobody sits down.”
Repertoire
What We Play
A sample of the salsa classics in the band's book — the songs that built the genre, played the Curubandé way.
Salsa Dura
The Fania-era classics
- Quítate Tú made famous by Héctor Lavoe
- El Cantante made famous by Héctor Lavoe
- Periódico de Ayer made famous by Héctor Lavoe
- Calle Luna, Calle Sol made famous by Willie Colón & Héctor Lavoe
- El Malo made famous by Willie Colón
- Anacaona made famous by Cheo Feliciano / Fania All-Stars
- Llorarás made famous by Oscar D'León
- La Rebelión made famous by Joe Arroyo
Salsa Romántica
For the lovers & slow dancers
- Idilio made famous by Willie Colón
- Y Hubo Alguien made famous by Marc Anthony
- Vivir lo Nuestro made famous by Marc Anthony & La India
- Cali Pachanguero made famous by Grupo Niche
- Una Aventura made famous by Grupo Niche
- Pedro Navaja made famous by Rubén Blades
- Decisiones made famous by Rubén Blades
- Quimbara made famous by Celia Cruz
Cumbia & Party
Latin dance favourites
- Oye Cómo Va made famous by Tito Puente / Santana
- La Vida es un Carnaval made famous by Celia Cruz
- El Cuarto de Tula made famous by Buena Vista Social Club
- Nunca es Suficiente cumbia favourite, made famous by Los Ángeles Azules
- La Pollera Colorá classic cumbia
- El Año Viejo Latin party classic
- Suavecito Latin dance favourite
- Bamboleo made famous by Gipsy Kings
This is a sample repertoire list and grows with every season — the band also takes requests in advance for weddings and private events, and is currently adding original compositions. Planning something special? Tell us about your event and we'll build the set around it.
Gallery
Live at The Cube
Curubandé on stage at the Winnipeg Jazz Festival — The Cube, Old Market Square, Winnipeg.
Photo credit: All photographs on this page were taken by Matt Duboff at the Winnipeg Jazz Festival (The Cube stage). Presenters and media: these images may be used to promote Curubandé performances — please keep the credit line. For bookings and press, contact Jaime Chinchilla.
Contact
Contact for booking information
Festivals, weddings, corporate and private events, and concert stages — write to us about your event, and we'll take it from there.
Email us about your event
Tell us the date, the venue and the kind of party you're planning. When we reply, we'll send availability, pricing for your event, and the booking contract form.
Email us Or copy our email address curubandemusic@gmail.comBooking contact: Jaime Chinchilla, director
Perfect for
- Festivals & outdoor concert series
- Weddings & quinceañeras
- Corporate galas & holiday parties
- Private parties & Latin nights
- Theatre & concert-hall stages