Dancing in the Aisles With Luna Rumba on the Paradise Stage Team Angels - Paradise Community Center
January 17, 2014

Luna Rumba opened last night to a full house at Paradise Community Center in Old Town Vallarta. If you missed their incredible performance, you still have five more opportunities this season to catch the show on the Paradise Stage.

Luna Rumba is an world music group featuring Cheko Ruiz on Vocals and guitar, George "Geo" Uhrich on Violin, Mandolin and Guitars, and Carlos Mancilla on drums and percussion.

Their music is a fusion of Gypsy, Latin, Celtic, Flamenco, Middle Eastern and Rock, all spiced up with hot Rumba and Cuban rhythms. From beautiful, romantic ballads to fiery dance pulsations, the group delights a diverse audience with its infectious sounds.

The audience was dancing in the aisles and the trio thrilled the crowd with encores as the dancing continued.

People are asking….Who is Luna Rumba??

When the Pacific wind blew a Canadian musician/sailor into the small port of Zihuatanejo and a new friend introduced him to a talented singer from Mexico City; the music itself was the only thing they had in common. After jamming one afternoon in Rick’s Bar, the pair played their newly formed songs and their own brand of covers to an enthusiastic and growing following. After only being together for a couple of weeks, they were asked to play for the International Guitar Festival musician’s welcome dinner. The season was shortly over and the pair went their separate ways… but not before they promised each other that they would play again together some day.

Three years later, Cheko Ruiz and Geo Uhrich got together in La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, Riviera Nayarit, and started writing and rehearsing songs for what was to become Luna Rumba. They also teamed up with other great musicians like Chas Eller on keyboards and percussion whiz Carlos Mancilla to round out the sound. The end result of this effort was a world-class CD with 11 original songs.

In March of 2013 they were notified that a song that Cheko wrote which Geo had submitted to the John Lennon Songwriting Contest won Finalist in the World Music Category! This was literally out of thousands of entrants!

Another song off the CD entitled ”Espiritu Amor,” written by Geo, was just awarded “Honorable Mention” in the USA International Songwriting Contest. This award is very special because it means that Geo’s song placed number two in the world in the instrumental category!

Luna Rumba thrills audiences with their sonic tapestry of Latin Pop, Spanish Flamenco, Arabic and East Indian melodies, Cuban rhythms, Celtic riffs and even Latin Jazz. Their shows are a celebration of musical fusion, human diversity, creativity, warmth and virtuosity. Fiery violins, rumba-flamenco guitar, hot riffs and cool bass ride on top of the unstoppable poly-rhythmic grooves created by the exotic percussion instruments and drums. If this weren’t enough, be prepared to hear vocals that will melt your heart and warm your soul.

Luna Rumba will be returning to the Paradise Stage on January 30, February 13, March 20, April 3 and 17. All performances begin at 8:00 pm. Even after a couple hours of great music, you'll go away wanting to hear more of Luna Rumba, so they will have CD's available for purchase.

General admission tickets are only 200 pesos. Tickets are available at the Paradise Community Center on Tuesday thru Saturday from 9:00 am until 4:00 pm, or purchase tickets online at Vallarta Tickets where you will see all the other great happenings on the Paradise Stage.

Come early. Doors open at 6:00 pm where you can enjoy a pre-show refreshment along with the amazing food court serving up everything from chicken to ribs to Thai food.

Paradise Community Center is located in Old Town Vallarta at 127 Pulpito.

Why do we say: "Good times. Good food. Good cause?" Because the Paradise Community Center is a gathering place for good times. Because, in our expansive kitchen, we serve only the tastiest morsels of good food. Because we exist mainly to generate funds for a good cause: the mission of CompassioNet Impact Mexico.

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