This year's Festival is dedicated to the legacy of the late great MONGO SANTAMARIA (1922-2003) who, like Tito Puente before him, was instrumental in forming the unmistakable sound of Latin Jazz as we know it today. Many consider Mongo Santamaria to have been the greatest conga drummer of the twentieth century.
Feel free to ask Poncho Sanchez, next time he's in town, who most inspired him to play the congas. Many of the top Latin jazz artists, and certainly most percussionists of the genre, owe Mongo a debt of gratitude. Today, his signature style of drumming can be heard throughout the world of Latin jazz.
We're all in for a treat this year. We have a truly fantastic lineup of musicians. Sure enough, they're going to play a lot of Mongo's original music but, more importantly, they're going to show us how they've added so much more to it, how they've integrated the old with the new and evolved it into what is the sound of the best Latin Jazz in the world today... beautiful, irresistable, grown so far beyond its roots, sophisticated, deeply Latin but so American as well. It is the ultimate blend of our cultures, the music they'll remember us by. We are so proud to bring it to Brownsville. Enjoy it... most of it is free! Click here for a printable flyer of the festival.
- See more at: http://artsinbrownsville.org/jazz.html#sthash.KIK391oS.dpuf
