Biography

Avenida B's bandleader David Frankel was born and raised in Alphabet City in New York's Lower Manhattan, a neighborhood rich in the traditions and cultures that helped to create the Latin-American sounds of the 1950's through the 1980's and beyond. David's late father, Daniel "El Mago Del Organo" Franklin, was a Latin pianist during these times, and had several salsa bands that played throughout the tri-state area and Las Villas, and rehearsed weekly at his home on Avenue B. David grew up going to these rehearsals, and gigs, it was in this environment that he nurtured a love and passion for Latin music. David remembered Mago's words, that "salsa is meant for dancing," and the truth is, salsa is a lot more fun if you can dance to it! During this learning process, David at once fell in love with that "old school sound" and the swing of a Latin percussion section, particularly with "Salsa Dura" and the music of Eddie Palmieri and Ray Perez. David also noticed that he, and other dancers as well, tended to generally like songs at a certain pace, with a certain duration, with a certain swing... With these ingredients in mind, David formed "Avenida B" in 2011 to recreate, and to create, live Salsa Dura for the dance community. Our mission is to reconnect salsa dancers, musicians and DJ's in a meaningful way, and to inspire the perpetuity and evolution of Salsa Dura and its singular energy and swing. Thank you for your support!