[ Salsa music playing ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Woman singing in Spanish ] ♪♪ ♪♪ Edgar: My name is Jacob Edgar.

I'm an explorer, but I don't search for lost cities or ancient ruins.

I'm on the quest for a different kind of treasure -- music.

[ Man singing in Spanish ] ♪♪ As an ethnomusicologist and world music record producer, I travel the globe hunting for the best songs the world has to offer, and I suffer through some of the worst so you don't have to.

♪♪ I've got a backstage pass to the world's music and I won't stop until I've heard it all.

♪♪ [ Up-tempo music plays ] I'm in Cali, Colombia, which is a city of just under 3 million people near the Pacific coast of Colombia.

And I am so excited to be here for one reason.

Cali is known around the world as the capital of salsa.

[ Salsa music playing ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ Santiago de Cali, or Cali for short, is Colombia's third largest city and the main city of Colombia's Pacific region.

The Afro-Colombian music of the Pacific is very unique, but the sound that has made Cali a popular destination for music lovers around the world is salsa, the upbeat tropical dance music that can be heard in nightclubs from New York to Puerto Rico to right here in Colombia's salsa epicenter.

[ Singing in Spanish ] ♪♪ Salsa wasn't born here, but it's been embraced by the people of the city as part of their own cultural heritage.

And you can hear salsa music blaring out of every taxi cab, every storefront -- It's everywhere.

Some of the biggest groups in salsa are from right here in Cali, like Orquesta Guayacán, Grupo Niche, Son De Cali, and many, many others.

Salsa is really part of the fabric of life in this city, so I can't wait to explore it, dance, play some trumpet, just get into the salsa scene here in Cali, Colombia.

It's going to be incredible, incredible fun.

♪♪ People often ask me, what is salsa?

And it isn't a very easy question to answer because salsa is actually a mix of different rhythms and styles.

The roots of salsa can be found in Cuba, where African and European rhythms and instruments were blended to create an enticing, irresistible sound that has had a huge influence on music around the globe.

My first stop is to meet with a band that has produced some of the most memorable salsa hits and one that has paid tribute to its native city in many of its songs, especially the classic tune "Cali Pachanguero," which loosely translates as "Cali, a party town."

Well, I'm about to put that claim to the test.

[ Men singing in Spanish ] Grupo Niche is one of the most famous salsa bands in the world, and they're based right here in Cali.

Now, if they were playing in Los Angeles or New York, there'd be thousands of people going out to see them.

But here in Cali, this is just their hometown and they're just another local band, albeit a very respected and revered one.

So I'm standing outside of their nightclub and I see that the band is just hanging out at the café next door to the entrance.

And so I thought I'd just go over there, introduce myself and chat with them a bit.

[ Men singing in Spanish ] [ Laughter ] Gracias.

[ Man singing in Spanish ] Hola.

So, they have their recording studio inside the building next door, so they've recorded six of their last albums right here next door.

♪♪ I share a few words with Jairo Varela, who co-founded the band in 1978 and still acts as the group's main songwriter, arranger and creative force.

[ Men singing in Spanish ] ♪♪ [ "Cali Pachanguero" plays ] ♪ Cali pachanguero ♪ ♪ Cali luz de un nuevo cielo ♪ ♪ Cali pachanguero ♪ ♪ Cali luz de un nuevo cielo ♪ ♪ De romántica luna ♪ ♪ El lucero que es lelo ♪ ♪ De mirar en tu valle ♪ ♪ La mujer que yo quiero ♪ ♪ Y el jilguero que canta ♪ ♪ Calles que se levantan ♪ ♪ Carnaval en Juanchito ♪ ♪ Todo un pueblo que inspira ♪ ♪ Cali pachanguero ♪ ♪ Cali luz de un nuevo cielo ♪ ♪ Cali pachanguero ♪ ♪ Cali luz de un nuevo cielo ♪ ♪ Es por eso que espero ♪ ♪ Que los días que lejos ♪ ♪ Cuando dure mi ausencia ♪ ♪ Sabes bien que me muero ♪ ♪ Todos los caminos conducen a ti ♪ ♪ Si supieras la pena que un día sentí ♪ ♪ Cuando en frente de mí tus montañas no vi ♪ ♪ Que todo, que todo, que todo, que todo, ¿qué?

♪ ♪ Que todo el mundo te cante ♪ ♪ Que todo el mundo te mime ♪ ♪ Celoso estoy pa' que mires ♪ ♪ No me voy más ni por miles ♪ [ Men singing in Spanish ] Was that fun enough?

I've got one Saturday night in Cali.

This is one of the biggest party towns in the world, so I am going to make the absolute most of it.

I'm going to hook up with my friends from Superlitio that I met in Bogotá.

This is their hometown.

And then I'm going to head over to Juanchito, which is the neighborhood where all of the hot salsa clubs are.

Pedro Rovetto and Pipe Bravo are founding members of the Bogotá-based rock band Superlitio, and they happen to be back in their native Cali to present their side project No Deejays, which blends Latin grooves and cutting-edge electronic beats.

I was able to see you guys in Bogotá, but now I'm able to see you in your hometown in Cali.

Yes.

Which I'm loving.

I've been here not quite 24 hours, but I haven't stopped smiling since I got off the plane because I'm obviously a huge salsa fan and it's great to be in a salsa city.

But you guys, I mean, you know, salsa is in your blood, but it's not what -- you know, you're not following the same musical trends as many other bands in this city.

Yes, very true.

♪♪ Alright.

So tonight, we're in this neighborhood.

We're in Granada because you guys are doing another side project.

-Yes.

-What is the side project?

Bravo: It's called No Deejays because we're not deejays at all.

Rovetto: We like electronic music a lot, but we like live-act kind of performances from bands like Chemical Brothers.

Underworld, Daft Punk, something like that.

So we decided to take that format, but to mix it with salsa and boogaloo and, like, Latin percussion and everything.

♪♪ Edgar: One group that we didn't -- we weren't able to see on this trip because they're not in the country, although we really wanted them to be a part of this program, is ChocQuibTown, which comes from Chocó.

I don't know.

Have you heard ChocQuibTown?

We're friends with "Tostao."

We've been friends with them.

And he's the lead singer of the group?

Yes.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Men singing in Spanish ] ♪♪ Juanchito is known around the world for being the hot spot for salsa nightclubs.

So I'm standing outside of one right now.

I'm going to go check it out, and the only thing I have left to do is find myself a dance partner.

♪♪ ♪♪ While recent torrential rains have flooded some of the clubs I really hope to visit, a little rain isn't going to stop me from having a good time.

♪♪ ♪♪ When daylight arrives, it's time to do some exploring.

So I head up into the nearby hills for some great views and to taste some delicacies from the local roadside food stands.

[ Man singing in Spanish ] ♪♪ We're just above the city of Cali, not far from Cali, drove up the mountainside, saw this beautiful roadside asadero, a grill place where they're grilling fish, pork, chicken, all kinds of meat.

♪♪ ♪♪ One of the great things about street food is the aesthetics of it, you know?

For some reason it makes the food taste even better.

♪♪ Man: Check this out, man.

That is the funkiest piece I've ever seen anywhere.

[ Laughter ] It is truly -- It's a saddle, man.

That is folk art right there.

Yeah, it's a saddle.

Now, can you put it on a horse?

You may be wondering what this contraption is.

Have you ever wanted to turn your donkey into a mobile disco?

Of course you have.

And now you can with the burroteca, a saddle-shaped boombox extraordinaire that can be slung over the back of the nearest mule.

And voilà.

Now, that's what I call an ass-kicking sound system.

So, salsa's not only for listening to.

Salsa is music for dancing, and Cali has some of the best.

In fact, it has the best dancers in the world.

So I've invited some dancers from the Pioneros del Ritmo, the Pioneers of Rhythm Dance School.

Hi, guys.

Hola.

-Hi.

-Hi.

And they're going to show us some of their incredible dance moves, including the patented super-fast Cali feet.

♪♪ ♪♪ [ Man singing in Spanish ] ♪♪ ♪♪ They tried to teach me a few steps.

♪♪ And I managed to hold my own for a couple of beats.

But if you want the real moves, you've got to leave it to the pros.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Applause ] Cali isn't the only place in Colombia with great salsa, but bands from other parts of the country consider Cali to be the ultimate arbiter of greatness.

Getting cheers from audiences in Cali is like a blues guitarist getting the approval of people from the Mississippi Delta.

If they like it, you know it's the real deal.

[ Man singing in Spanish ] One salsa band I met up with in Bogotá was a little concerned that their unique approach to salsa might not be accepted in Cali.

La-33 is fast becoming one of the best-known salsa bands from Colombia today, and they've gotten attention by stepping outside of the norms of what can be a pretty conservative genre.

♪♪ [ Singing in Spanish ] I had some time when I was in Bogotá to discuss the history and mission of La-33 with band member Santiago Mejía.

♪♪ [ Men singing in Spanish ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ I'm a bit worn out from all that dancing, so now it's time to take it down a notch to check out some of the traditional Afro-Pacific music that's native to Cali and the surrounding region.

[ Men singing in Spanish ] ♪♪ One of the leading performers of this rich folklore is Grupo Bahía, which was founded in 1992 by Hugo Candelario.

♪♪ ♪♪ Cultivated in the humid jungles of the Pacific coast, Afro-Pacific music's signature instrument is the marimba, whose mesmerizing sound blends magically with the rhythms of the guaza, a traditional shaker, and the bombo and cununo drums.

♪♪ ♪♪ I'm here with Hugo Candelario, who is one of the pioneers of revitalizing Afro-Pacific music in Colombia.

♪♪ [ Marimba notes playing ] Hugo gives me a quick lesson on how to play the currulao rhythm on the marimba.

♪♪ Concentrate.

Concentrate.

Hugo, stay in time, won't you?

You're throwing me off, man.

♪♪ Muy bien, muy bien.

Gracias.

This is something I love.

You can get it all over Latin America -- guarapo de caña, sugarcane juice.

You make it from fresh sugarcane and you run it through this machine here.

Now, you want to be careful not to put your hand in there too much because -- aaah!

Just kidding.

♪♪ Another young band that has started to make waves on the local scene is Herencia de Timbiqui or Heritage of Timbiqui, a town on the coast that's rich with tradition.

We didn't know until the very last minute that we were going to be able to have them on the program, but we managed to squeeze in a quick session right before leaving Cali.

We've got about an hour before we're leaving on our flight to Medellín.

We're supposed to be recording Herencia de Timbiqui.

And it's total madness.

Our original location was an old church, but there's a wedding going on, so we couldn't play there.

We've gone around the corner.

We've blocked out this beautiful old street.

We've got cops covering each side to keep it safe.

And it's going to be crazy.

It's going to be fun.

And actually, I'm really looking forward to it.

But I'm stressed as can be.

Always good to have cops, you know?

I recommend it.

How are you doing?

Pleasure to see you again.

♪♪ ♪♪ That's our set.

♪♪ ♪♪ Edgar: Herencia manages to respect tradition while giving it a modern, youthful energy, blending brassy salsa-style horns and rock and electric guitar with marimba and traditional percussion and melodies.

The result is funky, enticing, and a whole lot of fun.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ Cali, with its scorching salsa and fascinating local traditions, has left me with some great memories and musical experiences.

But it's time to head off to the next stop on my Colombian musical adventure.

♪♪ ♪♪ How do you say "nightmare" in Spanish?

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪