Babalu at THE MIL

BABALU at THE MIL- Mechanics Institute Lawson. Saturday 7 November 2026-

Celebrating thirty years of salsa music in the Blue Mountains, the band Babalu will be partying at the Mechanics Institute Lawson [The MIL] on Saturday 7th. November at 8.00 pm. Doors 6.30pm.

 

Bring your dancing shoes and dress ‘Old Havana’ style. Salsa dance class at 6.30pm. We will be joined by local community dance group Dance-with-Altitude. They'll teach you easy latin dance steps to enrich your enjoyment of the night. Cuban food available to purchase.

 

Since their first Gig on 20/9/1996 , they have established an enviable reputation as an intensely exciting act synonymous with irresistible dancing .

 

Legendary performances at festivals and night clubs have produced for the 7-piece band , a style that bridges Australian and afro/Caribbean cultures. The editor of CNET’s Download.com described Babalu  as having,

“just the right amount of Cuban seasoning to ignite the spirit and soul of Latin American dance.”

 

But perhaps the biggest tribute to Babalu was paid by the Feria De Cali festival in Colombia , who chose their song RUMBA for radio promotion of their festival which is one of the biggest in South America.

Babalu personnel include Anne Crestani on vocals, Dave Crestani ,bass, Lindsay Smith, trumpet, Darren Thurling, trombone, Frank Corby, drums, John Stuart, congas and Neil Sagewood on keyboards.

 

Babalu, evolved out of the mid 90’s push by the NSW government to celebrate multiculturalism. Carnivale concerts statewide featured music and food from local migrant communities and were funded generously through local councils and community non-profit organisations. The Blue Mountains Migrant Resident Association sponsored a concert in Katoomba with a middle eastern band ‘DRUM ARABIC’ and newly formed ‘BABALU’. This was a great success and similarly sold-out concerts followed statewide featuring African , South American, Asian, Middle Eastern, Central European, and other cultures in NSW. Babalu played at many of these concerts and mini festivals and as a result, gigs at Sydney nightclubs followed climaxing with a performance at Darling Harbour for the Sydney ‘Bacardi Festival’ supporting top international bands.[ see video on neilsagewood.com]

 

Of course, the other influence helping Babalu was the global success of the BUENAVISTA PROJECT. Both the album and film sparked a wave of interest in Cuban music that continues today with over eight million albums sold.

Colombian vocalist Irma Monsalve founded the band Babalu in 1996 as an expression of her passion for Cuban music, her main influence being Celia Cruz, the queen of Cuban salsa. Irma fronted the band for ten years until returning to Colombia in 2008.

 

The ‘Multi, not Mono’ celebration continues 30 years on at The MIL.

ONE MORE ‘RUMBA’

Babalu – Mountain Music Network

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