Taking place on Thursdays in July and August at outdoor locations across Boston, the six-concert Tito Puente Latin Music Series presents a soundscape of salsa, bolero, danzĂłn, Afro-Latin, Caribbean, and more. Performers include Berklee faculty, students, alumni, and world-renowned artists from Puerto Rico, Colombia, and Venezuela. Audiences should bring their dancing shoes; the MetaMovements Latin Dance Company will provide free salsa lessons during each concert.
The Tito Puente Latin Music Series kicks off on July 2 at O’Day Park in the South End, with additional performances there on July 16 and 30. The series will also feature performances at Mission Hill Playground on July 9, Mozart Park in Jamaica Plain on July 23, and the East Boston Greenway on August 6....
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Taking place on Thursdays in July and August at outdoor locations across Boston, the six-concert Tito Puente Latin Music Series presents a soundscape of salsa, bolero, danzĂłn, Afro-Latin, Caribbean, and more. Performers include Berklee faculty, students, alumni, and world-renowned artists from Puerto Rico, Colombia, and Venezuela. Audiences should bring their dancing shoes; the MetaMovements Latin Dance Company will provide free salsa lessons during each concert.
The Tito Puente Latin Music Series kicks off on July 2 at O’Day Park in the South End, with additional performances there on July 16 and 30. The series will also feature performances at Mission Hill Playground on July 9, Mozart Park in Jamaica Plain on July 23, and the East Boston Greenway on August 6.
All concerts are at 7:00 p.m. All locations are wheelchair accessible. In the event of inclement weather, the O’Day Park concerts will move inside to Villa Victoria Center for the Arts, and the East Boston concert will move inside to nearby Zumix. All others will be canceled with no rain dates. For more information on the Tito Puente Latin Music 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 Acción; and the City of Boston Parks and Recreation Department.
July 2 at O’Day Park in the South End – Rhythm of the Americas Project
The Rhythm of the Americas Project features Berklee professor Mark Walker’s original, modern compositions in various Latin American styles.
July 9 at Mission Hill Playground – Curubande
Curubande brings fresh energy with new compositions written by Manolo Mairena, a New England–based vocalist who originally hails from Costa Rica.
July 16 at O’Day Park in the South End – Folklore Urbano Orchestra
The Folklore Urbano Orchestra continues its trajectory of defining a truly new Colombian music by blending urban, contemporary sounds with such rhythms as Colombia’s cumbia, porro chocoano, bullerengue, joropo, and bambuco traditions. These rhythmic infusions bring energetic explosions from each member of the orchestra that will leave the audience on its feet.
July 23 at Mozart Park in Jamaica Plain – Sonatempo
Sonatempo will introduce and play music in a variety of Latin styles such as son, bolero, cha-cha-cha, and guaguancĂł. Their repertoire and arrangements are committed to preserving the tradition and roots of the music, captivating the listener while serving as exciting dance music.
July 30 at O’Day Park in the South End – Ola Fresca
Ola Fresca weaves musical bridges that connect Cuban son, salsa, timba, and funk. Under the direction and creative energy of Jose Conde, the band has evolved a swinging, fearless tropical sound directly from Brooklyn, New York.
August 6 at the East Boston Greenway – The Zahili Gonzalez Zamora Project
Zahili Gonzalez Zamora’s music is a fusion of different genres that sets its foundation in the deep traditions of Cuban music, bebop, funk, and soul while giving a nod to more current artists such as Michel Petrucciani and Erykah Badu. Although her heart resides in the smoky parlor of 1940s Minton’s alongside giants of American music such as Thelonius Monk and Miles Davis, Zamora’s ensemble nevertheless dances with D’Angelo and Paquito D’Rivera in the clubs of modern Los Angeles, embodying the new vision of a global music community.
About Berklee College of Music:
Berklee College of Music was founded on the revolutionary principle that the best way to prepare students for careers in music is through the study and practice of contemporary music. For more than half a century, the college has evolved to reflect the state of the art of music and the music business, leading the way with the world’s first baccalaureate studies in jazz, rock, electric guitar, film scoring, songwriting, turntables, electronic production, and more than a dozen other genres and fields of study. Berklee serves distance learners worldwide through its award- winning online extension school, Berklee Online. The college’s national afterschool music program for underserved teens, the Berklee City Music Network, is in 41 cities and counting. A new campus in Spain, Berklee in Valencia, began hosting the college’s first graduate programs in the fall of 2012. With a diverse and talented student body representing more than 80 countries, and alumni and faculty that have collectively won more than 250 Grammys and Latin Grammys, Berklee is the world’s premier learning lab for the music of today—and tomorrow.
About Berklee’s Office of Community Affairs and Campus Engagement:
Berklee’s Office of Community Affairs and Campus Engagement (CACE) cultivates and manages institutional relationships, partnerships, and programs that advance the college, mobilize musicians as leaders, and contribute to the cultural, educational, and artistic development of the Boston area and our society.
About IBA – Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción:
IBA – Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción empowers individuals through education, workforce development and arts programs, and creates vibrant affordable housing communities.
About the City of Boston Parks and Recreation Department:
The Boston Parks and Recreation Department offers residents and visitors the opportunity to enjoy free performances, workshops, and visual arts programs in parks throughout the city year-round. Tens of thousands of children and families enjoy Parks programming each year. Our special events and free programs bring free, safe quality activities to these spaces and help build community.
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