Los Boleros – Soothes the nerves and fortifies the passion
Cyndi Caldwell, Entertainment writer, Pacifica Tribune, August 17th 2005
The Exceptionally generous crowd of mainly thirty somethings was especially appreciative of the easy stylings of the salsa band playing at El Valenciano Bar and Restaurant in San Francisco Saturday night; and who could blame them? Certainly not this critic, because the well blended sounds of Los Boleros deserves the attention it commands from the audience. The first set primarily embraces a sexy calm from the casual listener. Experiencing the deliciously charming vocals of co-lead singer Ivan Chancay is like taking a long, slow pull on your favorite libation. You could swing your baby to sleep on it, and I don’t mean the infant type. This group is such an easy blend of sensual grace that you almost forget that you’re experiencing a live performance. This is not a bad thing at all. The second set picked up the pace considerably, and nearly the entire house was on their feet, dancing away. It was an incredible experience, like an entire school of fish converging on one small morsel of food. The people really love these guys. Whether impressed by an incredible sax or flute solo by member David Somers, or enjoying the lovely vocals by co-lead singer Zareen (no last name please), you may just have the urge to jump up with your castanets and entice your favorite romantic interest. Oh, yes!
In the area of background, the group has an interesting and diverse history. Los Boleros began five years ago with only two members: front mand Rudy Furlan and Ivan Chancay. The duo began playing in coffee houses all over the Bay Area and then about a year and a half ago after advertising on Craigs’s List, the duo suddenly became a band that now consists of percussionist/vocalist Dominic Cabrera, (from the Philippines and currently Berkeley resident) percussionist Jake Lawlor, David Somers (Pacifica resident), who is brilliant on the sax and flute, vocalist Zareen (from Boston and about to go for Master’s Degree in Education), and of course Ivan Chancay on guitar and vocals (from Equador and current Pacifica resident) and Rudy Furlan (born in Guatemala and current Pacifica resident). Ivan Chancay comes from a musical family and began singing and studying guitar at a very young age. People cannot help but be taken by his charm, both on stage or off, not to mention that sexy vocal instrument of his. The newest member of the group is Daniel Fabricant on the upright bass, and I couldn’t believe it was only his second gig with the group. Amazing. Fabricant began playing at thirteen and at eighteen went to study Latin music in Cuba, and he certainly knows how to dance with that bass.
On another interesting note (no pun intended), front man Rudy Furlan shows an incredible amount of talent on his Tres Cubano guitar. In case one is wondering, precisely, what that is, the Tres Cubano is a guitar set with three sets of two strings that may be tuned in unison or octaves. Though quite lovely, this instrument appears to be quite difficult to play, and Furlan makes it look so effortless. In fact, Rudy Furlan has ppublished the the only current instructional book in English on how to play the Tres Cubano., and anyone interested can purchase the bool online at
Another exciting thing happening for the group is that they have recently been invited to play at La Peña Cultural Center in Berkeley, which is quite an honor for the band. They will be appearing there in Friday October 28. Can’t make the gig? Well. Have no fear, because they will also be playing at the Pacific Coast Fog Fest on Sunday Sept. 25. Either way, this groupd is fabulous and SHOULD NOT BE MISSED. For more informations about Los Boleros, you can visit their website at