Tito Puente Latin Music Series Returns with Free Outdoor Concerts, Dancing

Taking place Thursdays in July and August at outdoor locations across Boston, the six-concert Tito Puente Latin Music Series presents a soundscape of live Latin music, with a strong salsa influence, in parks around the city. Performers include Berklee faculty, students, alumni, and world-renowned artists. Audiences should bring their dancing shoes to the July and August performances; the MetaMovements Latin Dance Company will provide free salsa lessons for one hour before performances on July 24, July 31, and August 7.

The series kicks off on July 10 at O'Day Park in South End, then moves to the East Boston Greenway on July 17, the Mission Hill Playground on July 24, O'Day Park in South End on July 31 and August 7, and Mozart Park in Jamaica Plain on August 14.

All concerts are at 7:00 p.m., and all locations are wheelchair accessible. The O'Day Park concerts will move inside to Villa Victoria Center for the Arts in the event of inclement weather, and the East Boston concert will move to ZUMIX at 260 Sumner Street, East Boston. All others will be canceled with no rain dates. For more information on this series and other Berklee Summer in the City events, presented by Natixis Global Asset Management, visit berklee.edu/events/summer.

The Tito Puente Latin Music Series is presented by Berklee College of Music; IBA-Inquilinos Boricuas en Acci n; and the City of Boston Parks and Recreation Department.

July 10 at O'Day Park in South End Paulo Stagnaro Quintet

Berklee alumnus Paulo Stagnaro, a rising percussionist and producer, is establishing a reputation on the evolving New York music scene. As an integral part of multi Grammy Award-winning Paquito D'Rivera's Sextet, he has traveled Europe, Latin America, and the U.S. for performances and master classes.

July 17 at the East Boston Greenway Eguie Castrillo and Mar del Norte

Berklee professor Eguie Castrillo is a Grammy Award winner (Arturo Sandoval's Latin Jazz 1998 record of the year) and an engaging showman who performs year-round along with his mambo/Latin jazz/salsa bands in concerts, festivals, parties, and clubs all around the United States.

July 24 at the Mission Hill Playground Bernardo Hernandez and La Tradicion

*features free dance lessons from MetaMovements

Berklee alumnus and professor Bernardo Hernandez was born in Caracas, Venezuela and started playing the Venezuelan cuatro at the age of 8. He switched to harp and eventually to the classical guitar, and by the age of 15 he was working regularly, appearing on TV shows and touring the Caribbean and Latin America, receiving valuable experience at an unusually young age. In 1977 Bernardo moved to Spain to continue his guitar studies, and in 1980 he moved to the United States and graduated from Berklee College of Music in Jazz Composition and arranging.

* July 31 at O'Day Park The Pedrito Martinez Group

The Pedrito Martinez Group has its roots planted firmly in the Afro-Cuban rumba tradition and in the bata rhythms and vocal chants of the music of Yoruba and Santeria. Ben Ratliff summed it up aptly for the New York Times in 2010, calling it complex, blenderized Africa-to-the-New-World funk. Pedro Pablo Pedrito Martinez was born in Havana, where he began his musical career at the age of 11 as a vocalist and percussionist. The Pedrito Martinez Group also includes percussionist Jhair Sala from Peru; electric bassist and Berklee alumnus Alvaro Benavides from Venezuela; and keyboard player/vocalist Araicne Trujillo from Cuba.

* August 7 at O'Day Park Frankie Rodriguez

Puerto Rican percussionist Frankie Rodr guez has been a mainstay in the New England music scene as the go-to bandleader whenever salsa superstars are performing in the region. Some of the artists he has performed with include the legendary Ismael Miranda, Larry Harlow, Lalo Rodr guez, Cheo Feliciano, and many, many more. His band, Homenaje a la Salsa, joins forces with some of the most talented performers from the region and offers an exciting blend of salsa hits from the 70s, 80s, 90s, and today.

August 14 at Mozart Park Edwin Pabon

Edwin Pabon is a salsa music singer and instructor whose band has performed with some of the top Latin music icons, including Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, Tito Nieves, Giovanni Hidalgo, Eddie Palmieri and many more.

*features free dance lessons from MetaMovements

Liz Lupton is a publicist in the Office of Media Relations. Media inquiries: llupton@berklee.edu.

LINK:	http://www.berklee.edu/news/tito-puente-latin-music-series-returns-fre...
	See more stories from berklee

Most recent headlines