Salsa Céltica 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. They have toured Europe and North America as well as parts of South-East Asia. In 1998, Salsa Celtica performed at Edinburgh's
Hogmanay celebrations in front of 40,000 people: this was broadcast live on UK television. In 1999 the band returned to Cuba after being invited to appear in
Havana and
Santiago to work with Conjunto Folklorico de Cutumba. In 2003, the band's third album
El Agua De La Vida reached number 5 on the World Music Chart of Europe and number 24 in the end of year round-up 2003 World Music Chart for Europe. In 2004 the band toured the UK for the first time, including a headline performance at
Queen Elizabeth Hall on London's
South Bank. Salsa Celtica have appeared on
BBC Radio 2's folk programme
The Mike Harding Show and
BBC Radio 3's
Andy Kershaw Show. The release of
El Agua De La Vida in 2004 was also met with critical acclaim, including in the
Evening Standard. Salsa Celtica played in and on the soundtrack of the film
Driving Lessons (2006), written and directed by Jeremy Brock, a coming-of-age story starring
Rupert Grint,
Laura Linney and
Julie Walters. 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. , 2019 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. In June 2019, they played at the
Glastonbury Festival. ==Current members==