SALSA SERIES STRUGGLES TO HIT THE RIGHT NOTE

For years, the prospect of even one permanent salsa concert series featuring the hottest acts from New York and Puerto Rico seemed an impossible dream to local fans.

Though Los Angeles has long had its own salsa club circuit, visiting artists of the caliber of Celia Cruz--the Latino world’s Ella Fitzgerald--have usually been presented in sporadic, one-night stands at the Hollywood Palladium or other venues.

But that has changed--as illustrated by a recent performance of New York-based Ray Barreto and his orchestra at the Palace, where a formal, big-name salsa series has been under way since mid-June.

The brass blazed that evening. The lead vocalists belted out earthy soprano harmonies while the percussion section, with Barreto on congas, built driving son and rumba rhythms.

Barreto’s show represents a sophisticated, jazz-influenced side of salsa’s musical tradition with roots in the Afro-Cuban dance rhythms that are known as musica tipica . Salsa is an umbrella term for a spectrum of dance styles and rhythms associated with different regions in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The Palace is “bringing in groups a lot of us have been dying to see in L.A.,” said Kathy Diaz, an avid salsa fan and part-time deejay at the Palace. “It’s a beautiful place. It’s really a step up for us (fans).”

But the Hollywood club, which usually features rock and jazz, was nowhere near its 1,200-person capacity. Only 510 tickets were sold for Barreto’s show.

The turnout underscored salsa’s rocky start here. Though competitors, the Palace and the operators of the nearby John Anson Ford Theater had similar ideas: Launch a weekly salsa series to capitalize on the area’s Latino community of more than 2 million.

The problem: Neither the theater nor the nightclub has figured out a sales pitch with consistently positive results.

“I’m surprised (Barreto) didn’t bring in more people,” said a perplexed Scott Litdke, the Palace’s special promotions manager, the day after the show. “We need (to sell) 800 to 900 tickets to make it profitable.”

Some salseros , or fans, shared Litdke’s concern. Here was a stellar salsa figure receiving a decidely modest welcome from this city’s huge Latino community. Others at the concert saw a paradox. The Palace’s foray into this new market parallels an identity crisis for a music which must expand its appeal beyond its traditionally East Coast Cuban and Puerto Rican audiences to survive.

The secret of making salsa work in Los Angeles, according to some industry observers, is targeting the audience and then reaching that audience with heavy television and radio promotion by the artists themselves. (See accompanying story on how La Bamba Club in Hollywood has created its own salsa niche.)

Still, the Palace’s series began June 11 on a promising note. Sonora Poncena, Puerto Rico’s pioneering salsa sensation, and “Bronx bad boy” Willie Colon sold about 700 tickets each night. But cancellations earlier this month by two headliners evened the score, cutting ticket sales each time to 250 and fewer, Litdke said.

Palace owner Dennis Litdke--Scott’s father--said he believes the initial slow attendance is simply part of building a loyal Latino following: “The economics of what the Palace is doing isn’t that important. It’s the long-term thing, the people that come back again.

“You just can’t quit (with) the first negative experience you have,” he added. “We have a lot of proving to do to the Latino community. We’ll do it by being consistent.”

Just blocks away, in the hills above the Hollywood Freeway, the new operators of the John Anson Ford Theatre faced a similar dilemma when they canceled Aug. 16 and 23 performances by Orchestra Caliente and Justo Almario, respectively, due to poor advance ticket sales.

A well-attended, three-day salsa-Latin jazz fest in May featuring local jazz artist Poncho Sanchez, New York’s legendary Tito Puente and jazz flutist David Valentin convinced the private firm leasing the county-owned, 1,400-seat outdoor theater that the time was ripe for adding a summertime salsa series to its jazz, blues and Cajun schedule.

A string of setbacks followed, including a concert last month by Wilfredo Vargas and his orchestra which drew only 50 fans, said Troy Hassett, theater manager at the John Anson Ford. The theater’s final salsa concert (featuring Clare Fischer, backed by Orchestra Versatil) will be at 2 p.m. Sunday. Series losses so far, Hassett said, total $40,000.

“I think we’ll play it slow in the future,” he added, referring to the theater’s scaled-down commitment to salsa next year. “It’s hard to figure out. No one knows what’s going on out here.”

Nelson Enriquez, editor of Mundo Artistico, a local entertainment publication, said the crossover success of artists such as Panama’s Ruben Blades indicates that salsa must now compete for broader national audiences to survive: “There’s a crisis that reflects the inevitability of cultural crossovers. A new type of music is evolving, and to that extent, I say the crisis is good.”

Meanwhile, Litdke hopes to increase attendance at the Palace by giving himself more time to promote the Los Angeles debut of Oscar D’Leon--Venezuela’s premier salsero --Sept. 16-17.