Los Angeles club Conga Room stages a comeback

By Ayala Ben-Yehuda

LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - Across the United States, only a handful of small venues are focused on Latin music. The reopening of the Conga Room in Los Angeles gives the genre's acts a glitzy stage within the city's new entertainment complex, L.A. Live.

The original Conga Room, in the Miracle Mile district, closed in 2006. It reopened in December in downtown Los Angeles as a 1,150-capacity, 15,000-square-foot performance space and restaurant.

Owned by Brad Gluckstein along with a host of celebrity investors (including the Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am, Jennifer Lopez, Paul Rodriguez and Sheila E.), the new Conga Room will showcase Latin and world music performers booked exclusively by AEG Live. The house band is led by Spanish Harlem Orchestra founder Oscar Hernandez. Acts that have played there include salsa diva Olga Tanon and the Gipsy Kings.

The room will provide residencies for emerging performers in addition to featuring headlining artists. First up is Javier Garcia, who recently kicked off a three-month, twice-weekly engagement. Residencies are "a platform for artists who wouldn't have anywhere to do that otherwise," said Rebeca Leon, vice president of Latin talent at AEG Live/Goldenvoice. She added that "if somebody is in town doing a show at the Nokia or Staples Center, they can go after the show and do a jam session."

Regional Mexican artists will appear regularly at Sunday mariachi brunches and dances that will bring in national acts once or twice per month. The Conga Room is equipped to handle live broadcasts.

Given the bleak economy, getting a new club off the ground will be a challenge. But Leon said the new Conga Room will "give people a bang for their buck."

Reuters/Billboard