Orchestra Mambo International (UK)

Orchestra Mambo International is a UK-based mambo, salsa, and Afro-Cuban jazz orchestra founded in 2022 by Leeds-based DJ and promoter Lubi Jovanovic and trombonist Jonny Enright. Jovanovic has been a driving force in the UK Latin scene since 1982, when he began spinning mambo and Latin jazz records in Bradford, Yorkshire, later leading his own Latin jazz and salsa bands and running some of the earliest salsa nights outside London. The 12-piece lineup unites musicians from Venezuela, Colombia, Cuba, Brazil, Spain, and the UK, fronted by lead singer Carlos Peña, formerly of Oscar D’León’s band.

Featured Songs:

“Mi Mambo” (My Mambo), co-written by Enright with timbalero Jimmy Le Messurier and vocalist Carlos Peña, was released as a single in May 2025 and earned airplay on BBC 6 Music. It appears both on the band’s debut album ¡Apúntalo! (2026) and Putumayo's Cuban Connections, which moves through mambo, guaracha, pachanga, son montuno, bomba, and Latin jazz. A pure dance floor invitation driven by percussion, brass, vibes, and Peña’s veteran salsero delivery, the song wastes no time: “Come here, my mambo is for dancing / Get your dance partner now and hit the dance floor / Come, come, come and be happy / My mambo came to show off.”

The ¡Cumbia, Salsa, Son! track “Yenyere” was written and produced by Jonny Enright with Carlos Peña, and recorded at WRAudio in Manchester and Loft Studio in Bradford, UK. The title means “joy” or “goodness” in Afro-Latin linguistic tradition, and the song is a full-tilt party invitation built around call-and-response vocal lines known as pregones, and a driving salsa dura (hard salsa) groove. A lyric excerpt: “Come on, my friend, the Yenyere just kicked off / I’m telling you this is gonna hit / Light the rumba up tonight / I’m bringing you straight-up fire.”

Artist Website

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