The Pulse, the Passion, the Art of the Salsa

It’s barely half past 9 at the Martini Lounge, just a half-hour after opening, but patrons well-versed in the art of salsa dancing are already moving with a wild unabashedness that’s usually reserved for the heat of the night.

“What’sa matter, don’t you like the music?� playfully chides a black-vested waiter, accosting a lone patron sitting at the bar. “You should dance!�

That pretty much sums up the attitude at the Martini Lounge on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, when the rhythmic, brassy sound of salsa reverberates against everything in this establishment, from the carved steel bar to the thick, black leather booths surrounding the dance floor.

During the week the lounge takes on several different incarnations, from a hip-hop club on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday to alternative college radio music on Thursdays. The variety is in a roundabout way in keeping with the history of the Martini Lounge’s location.

Before Glyn Samuel and partner Steve Edleson turned it into the Martini Lounge two years ago, the property was home to the Grandia Palace, Club Brass and, most recently, the plush restaurant known as the Tea Room.

But on no nights at the Martini Lounge--or in any of the previous clubs housed in its location--has the site attracted as diverse a crowd as on the perennially popular Salsa nights.

There are baby boomers, pre-baby boomers and Generation X-ers, clad in everything from denim to diamonds, cowboy boots to stiletto heels and, in most cases, plenty of hair spray.

Generally, on Salsa nights, the music is recorded, but it seems to make no difference to the dancers. “We flutter back and forth on live music,� says Samuel.

When music isn’t live, DJ duties are handed over to some of the most venerable Latin music disc jockeys on the West Coast. On this recent night, Chuy Martinez is admirably attempting to feed the insatiable musical appetites of the crowd on the dance floor.

“I’m having a great time. I could stay here all night--if I had $1,000,� says Mike Rosenfeld, a Los Angeles artist who came to the club on the recommendation of friends.

The prices here aren’t exactly bargain basement--there is a $10 cover charge on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, and the cheapest drink at the full bar is $4. On salsa nights, a limited (and frequently changing) menu of empanadas and other Latin favorites are also available upon request.

To many lovers of salsa dancing and music, money is no object. “Salsa is an art,� says patron Joe Perez, “and this is the place to do it.�

*

Where: The Martini Lounge on Melrose, 5657 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles (213) 467-4068.

When: Salsa nights are 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Cost: $10 cover on salsa nights; drinks $4-$7; food items vary depending on selection.