Jazz at Lincoln Center announces Carlos Henriquez: The South Bronx Story, a world premiere concert by Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra bassist and composer Carlos Henriquez taking place in The Appel Room, November 16–17 at 7pm and 9:30pm each night. The South Bronx Story is a retrospective of the social history of the South Bronx, and draws from Henriquez’s personal Puerto Rican heritage. Joining Henriquez for these special concert events will be trombonist Marshall Gilkes, pianist Robert Rodriguez, drummer Obed Calvaire, and trumpeters Michael Rodriguez and Terrell Stafford.
The 10-movement suite will reference significant people and events that created the diverse culture of New York’s South Bronx. Movements include “Black Benji,” a piece inspired by a figure credited for promoting peace among the gangs in the Bronx; “Mama Lorraine” about the life and work of activist Lorraine Montenegro who, with Evelin Lopez Antonetty, founded United Bronx Parents but tragically died in Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria; “Borough of Fire” for the devastating burnings of low income buildings during the 1970s; and “Moses and the Cross” about the divisive legacy of Robert Moses and the construction of the Cross Bronx Expressway. Henriquez will also reminisce on happier times with “Hydrants Love All,” about summer in the city when adults and children alike, regardless of race and politics, play in the water when the hydrants are open.
“For my new project, I am using my music, experience, and heritage as a Puerto Rican growing up in the Bronx to tell a story that looks back and forward. Jazz is American, born out of the melting pot of our Afro-American experience. And in the American spirit, jazz has adapted with different cultures, cities, people, and places and become an expression of one’s identity,” says Henriquez. “The South Bronx Story represents just that–the tragedy, violence, and history isn’t over, but there is hope in the future. Music, dance, the arts can bring that all together and transcend to showcase a common humanity.”
Henriquez, a Bronx native, has been a phenomenon since high school, joining the JLCO when he was only 19 years old and named “the most important Latin jazz artist in New York City today, the heir to the legacy of Tito Puente” by New York Latin Culture. Henriquez has played with greats like Puente, Eddie Palmieri, and Celia Cruz, and he is now emerging as one of Latin jazz’s most compelling composers, bandleaders, and music directors. He is one of the first truly bilingual musicians, noted as a virtuoso in both jazz and Afro-Latin traditions. This is his second project, following his critically acclaimed debut as a leader and his first Blue Engine Records album, The Bronx Pyramid, which also explored Henriquez’s Afro-Cuban heritage by way of the Bronx. On October 19, Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Blue Engine Records will release Una Noche con Rubén Blades featuring the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis and Rubén Blades. Music-directed by Carlos Henriquez, this extraordinary release features the worlds of salsa and swing colliding to what the New York Times called a “radically beautiful” result.
Carlos Henriquez: The South Bronx Story will take place in The Appel Room in Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center, located on Broadway at 60th Street in New York City. For additional information and to purchase tickets, visit jazz.org.
Ticket Information
Rose Theater ticket prices are $40 and up, dependent upon seating section.
The Appel Room ticket prices are $60 and up, dependent on seating section for the 7pm sets, and $45 and up, dependent on seating section for the 9:30pm sets.
All single tickets for The Appel Room and Rose Theater can be purchased through jazz.org 24 hours a day or through CenterCharge at 212-721-6500, open daily from 10am to 9pm. Tickets can also be purchased at the Jazz at Lincoln Center Box Office, located on Broadway at 60th Street, ground floor. Note: Hot Seats–$10 seats for each Rose Theater performance (excluding Jazz for Young People® concerts and other performances as specified) and select performances in The Appel Room (excluding Jazz & Popular Song concerts) – are available for purchase by the general public on the Wednesday prior to each performance. Tickets are subject to availability; please call 212-258-9800 for available Hot Seats performance dates.
Many of Jazz at Lincoln Center’s concerts stream live in high-definition audio and video for free to a global audience. The concerts will also be available on Livestream’s mobile and TV-connected applications with real-time DVR, chat, photos and other materials available to fans worldwide at jazz.org/live.
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