By Liz Otero
In the heart of Albuquerque, where soulful rhythms blend seamlessly with the city’s vibrant culture, local Latin singer Ivón Ulibarrí sets the stage on fire with her fierce energy and distinctive raspy voice.
Known by her stage name, Ivón, the award-winning artist, singer, and songwriter from Albuquerque takes a step forward in her musical journey by releasing her third CD, “Con Más Salsa Que Guacamole” (More Spices Than Just Avocado).
As the leader of Café Mocha, a band renowned for its eclectic mix of Latin genres, Ulibarrí and her group have built a reputation for delivering powerful and authentic performances. The band’s name, Café Mocha, symbolizes a blend of cultures and musical styles. With their dynamic fusion of salsa, cumbia, merengue, and other Latin rhythms, each member adds a unique flair, creating a vibrant sound reflecting their heritage’s warmth and richness.
Ulibarrí’s music is deeply rooted in her passion for Latin rhythms, including salsa, cumbia, merengue, cha cha, and other styles within the Latin music diaspora.
“While that might technically make me a salsa artist, I see myself more as a student of these rich traditions. My journey with salsa and Latin music has been one of continuous learning,” Ulibarrí said. “I have been performing professionally since 1977, when I first arrived in Albuquerque from Tucumcari to make a name for myself in music – and I did.”
Ulibarrí’s influences go back to her childhood in the 1970s, when she was captivated by artists like Carlos Santana.
“His music blew my mind,” she said. “The fact that Santana’s songs were in Spanish and English felt like a sign from the universe that there was a place for me in the music world. To make it even more personal, my mother’s first name is Santana, spelled just like his, which made the connection feel destined. The rhythms, the instrumentation, and the power of the coro-pregón (call-and-response) drew me in.”
The coro-pregón reminds her of Motown, she said: It’s in this section of music that the lead singer presents the song’s idea, the chorus responds, and when combined with the rhythm, piano montuno, bass, and horn arrangements, “it creates a blissful explosion of sound. That’s salsa!”
This blend of soul and Latin influences continues to shape her music today. A graduate of the University of New Mexico with a degree in modern and classical languages (Spanish) and endorsements in bilingual education and language arts, Ulibarrí made a significant impact early in her career. She worked with at-risk youth through Youth Development Inc., where she used music to connect with the children. While balancing her teaching career with Albuquerque Public Schools, she continued performing with Café Mocha. Now retired from APS, she’s fully dedicated to music, focusing on recording, songwriting, and performing.
For decades, Ivón Ulibarrí & Café Mocha have been a beloved fixture in Albuquerque’s music scene. They released three CDs, starting with their debut album, Café Mocha, in 1993, which earned six awards from the New Mexico Hispanic Music Association. Their second release, Ivón Ulibarrí & Café Mocha Live, was recorded at Route 66 Casino’s Thunder Road Steakhouse and features 16 tracks. Most recently, they released Con Más Salsa Que Guacamole this summer, debuting at the New Mexico Jazz Workshop’s Salsa Under the Stars event at the Albuquerque Museum Amphitheater.
“Con Más Salsa Que Guacamole features just five songs because it was a grant-funded project we started during COVID,” Ulibarrí said. “Budget constraints limited us to recording and producing five tracks.”
Title track “Se Bambolean,” a word coined by Ulibarrí to depict a jam session, was awarded the 2024 Latin Song of the Year by the New Mexico Music Awards, a significant honor for this original composition.
The album’s title, Con Más Salsa Que Guacamole, was a playful phrase coined by Ulibarrí’s musical director and pianist, Luis Rodriguez, a native of Puerto Rico.
“Luis, beyond being an exceptional musician, is also a talented singer and composer known for his skill as a pregonero (the lead singer in the call-and-response section of a song),” Ulibarrí said. “He wrote the pregones (calls) in the coro-pregón section of “Volver Volver” and has always described our music as Con Más Salsa Que Guacamole because it combines so many influences from Caribbean, Chicana-Latina, Mexican American, New Mexican, and Spanish traditions. It’s a perfect way to capture the diversity in my work. We’ve even coined a term for this unique mix—salsariachi—a blend of salsa and mariachi.”
Ivón Ulibarrí & Café Mocha’s music is available on a variety of streaming platforms, including Amazon Music, Apple Music, MediaNet, iTunes, iHeartRadio, Claro Música, YouTube, Instagram/Facebook, Pandora, Spotify, TikTok, and other ByteDance stores.
