The 5th Annual Tito Puente Latin Music Series | July 9th-30th, 2009

From
merengue and salsa to Afro-Cuban and Latin jazz, the fifth-annual Tito
Puente Latin Music Series promises to heat-up two of Boston’s
neighborhood public parks in July with danceable rhythms. The series —
presented by Berklee College of Music; Villa Victoria Center for the
Arts; and ParkARTS — features Berklee faculty, students, and guest
artists hailing from various parts of Latin America, including the
Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, and Mexico.

The
free music series takes place on four Thursday evenings—July 9, 16, 23,
and 30—outdoors in two locations in the city. The concert July 9
happens at Mozart Park, 10 Mozart St., in Jamaica Plain, MA, accessible
by the Jackson Square T stop on the orange line. The concerts July 16,
23, and 30 take place at O’Day Park, next door to Villa Victoria Center
for the Arts, 85 West Newton Street, in Boston’s South End.

All
concerts are from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. For more information, call
617-927-1717, email [email protected], or visit
berklee.edu/events/summer. The parks are wheelchair accessible.

This year’s program:

July 9 – Orquesta Bacharengue at Mozart Park

In collaboration with the Hyde Square Task Force

Orquesta
Bacharengue, led by Berklee faculty member Ricardo Monzón, was inspired
by the enthusiasm that grew around the formation of the Berklee
Merengue Ensemble in 2008. Drawing on a wealth of connections between
students, faculty, and Boston area musicians, the group brings talented
musicians together to perform two popular genres developed in the
Dominican Republic: bachata and merengue, hence the name Bacharengue.
The energy and dynamism of this combination will surely get the
audience dancing. Joining Orquesta Bacharengue for this concert will be
special guest Henry Jiménez, composer, pianist, producer, and arranger
for Grammy-winner Olga Tañón, and Latin Grammy-winners Johnny Ventura
and Milly Quezada.

July 16 – Javier Arroyo and the Salsa Night Band at O’Day Park

Javier
Arroyo, a Cape Cod resident, has deep roots in music. As a boy in
Puerto Rico, his father and uncles would gather in the evenings,
bringing their guitars along with the Puerto Rican cuatro, and sing old
boleros, guarachas, rancheras, and decimas. They would give him nickels
and quarters for singing the songs they especially liked. Arroyo loved
the way the sounds intermixed and soon developed his singing skills in
tone with them. He has performed with such artists as Willie Colon,
Luisito Ayala, Puerto Rican Power, and El Gran Combo. Javier Arroyo and
the Salsa Night Band, a 12-piece group featuring some of the best
musicians in the Northeast, debuted at Boston’s Puerto Rican Festival
in 2002 and just released its first CD.

July 23 – Obbini Tumbao at O’Day Park

Cacao
Música recording artists and winners of the 2006 Boston Phoenix poll
for Best World Music Act, Obbini Tumbao deliver high-energy dance
music. Rebecca Cline, a Berklee faculty pianist from Athens, Georgia,
joins forces with Anita Quinto, a percussionist from Caracas,
Venezuela, to produce a compelling new sound for fans of the infectious
grooves associated with artists like Buena Vista Social Club. The
band’s powerful horn section is supported by an ebullient rhythm
section of congas, timbales, bongos, piano, and bass. In five short
years, Obbini Tumbao has gained the loyal affection of the Boston-area
salsa-music-loving public. The group performs regularly to sold-out
audiences at the Regattabar, Scullers, and Ryles.

July 30 – Victor Mendoza at O’Day Park

Mexico-born
vibraphonist and composer Victor Mendoza is considered to be one of
today’s finest Latin jazz artists. At this concert he will perform a
newly developed dance music repertoire. Recordings and performances
with Mendoza’s own group and with artists such as Paquito D’Rivera,
Danilo Pérez, Michel Camilo, Claudio Roditi, and Antonio Sánchez, have
earned him the respect of critics and fans around the globe. Black Bean
Blues, his most recent CD, was named one of the best Latin jazz albums
of the year by Modern Drummer. The Smithsonian included the album in
Latin Jazz: The Perfect Combination, its first major exhibit about the
genre. Mendoza, a Berklee professor with a reputation as a top
educator, regularly conducts master classes around the world. He is
releasing an educational DVD this fall.

Now in its 13th year,
ParkARTS began as Mayor Thomas M. Menino’s initiative to present a
yearlong program of arts- and culture-related programs and events in
Boston’s park system. ParkARTS, the Boston Parks and Recreation
Department’s multifaceted arts program incorporates the visual,
performing, and participatory arts. The 2009 ParkARTS performing arts
program, sponsored by Bank of America, will present concerts in Boston
neighborhood parks that range from jazz to symphonic music.