La Excelencia is an eleven piece salsa dura band from New York City founded in 2005 by percussionists Julian Silva and Jose Vazquez-Cofresi.
[1][2] The band's music has a salsa dura style, with themes incorporating immigration, poverty, and discrimination.
[3] La Excelencia recorded and released three albums in their first seven years.
The group disbanded in 2012, with Vazquez-Confresi and some of the membership reforming as Orquesta SCC.
[4] The band reunited in 2017 under the direction of Silva to start working on their 4th album, "Machete.