Remembering The Legendary Concert of The Fania All Stars at The Cheetah Club

Forty years ago, the Cheetah Club in New York hosted one of its most special nights. On August 26, 1971 the legendary Salsa band Fania All Stars played at this venue delivering one of the most outstanding Salsa gigs in Latin music history.

Among the crowd, there was a film crew, led by Leon Gast, that captured the best moments of the show. That recording was the base for an experimental documentary dealing with Salsa and Latin culture: Our Latin Thing.

What started as an experiment ended up to be one of the most important visual documents ever produced in Latin music. Nuestra Cosa Latina, as it was known in Spanish, became the Woodstock of Salsa music.

The magic of the Cheetah celebrates its 40th anniversary. That concert not only gave birth to Our Latin Thing but also became a music production embraced by Salsa fans all over the world.

From that memorable concert, the songs "Descarga Fania" and "Quitate Tu" became anthems in the Salsa realm. Thanks to its amazing brass sections, percussion, and outstanding singers like Cheo Feliciano, Hector Lavoe and Ismael Miranda, The Fania All Stars changed the history of Salsa in one night.