Salsa Celtica

Salsa Celtica was formed in 1995 by Scottish jazz and folk musicians. In 1997 they visited Cuba to study and absorb the musical culture and influences of the country. Inspired by the trip they released their debut album Monstruos y Demonios, (Monsters and Demons) that same year. It went on to receive critical and popular acclaim.

Since the release of their first album, Salsa Celtica have toured most of Scotland, including the Hebrides from Iona to Orkney, as well as the rest of the United Kingdom and Ireland. They have played at numerous festivals, including T in the Park, Celtic Connections, the Hebridean Celtic Festival, The Highland Festival, Glastonbury Festival, Cambridge Folk Festival, Milwaukee Irish Fest (Milwaukee, WI, USA), Trowbridge Folk Festival, Celtic Fusion Festival and the Aberdeen, Cork, Dundee, Edinburgh, and Glasgow Jazz Festivals.

In November 2006 the band were nominated for 2007 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards in the “Best Traditional Song” category for their rendition of the traditional English song “The Grey Cockerel” sung as “The Grey Gallito” by guest vocalist Eliza Carthy.

Members of Salsa Celtica and Rumba Caliente formed an 11-piece Latin soul orchestra, Grupo Magnético, including Toby Shippey, Angelica Lopez and Ricardo Fernandez Pompa. In 2018, they released an album, Positivo.