Nuyorican Jazz @ BronxArtSpace

Nuyorican Jazz

Price: FREE
Saturday, October 26th, 6:00 pm
BronxArtSpace
305 E 140th St, Bronx, NY 10454

An all-star band of Bronx Arts Ensemble teaching artists perform new arrangements of Nuyorican jazz legends such as Fort Apache, Eddie Palmieri, and Ray Barretto, as well as a few band originals. This concert honors the Bronx history of Latin Jazz, celebrating the songs that were turning points in the creation of the genre and the most important figures in the movement, all of whom had special ties to the Bronx. 

Performers:
Marcello Casagrandi, keyboard and arrangements
Mary Ann McSweeney, bass
Juan Perez, vocals
John Replogle, trumpet
Willy Rodriguez, percussion  
Luis Vasquez, percussion  

Program:  
“Anacaona” by Cheo Feliciano
“Bye-Ya” by Fort Apache based on Thelonious Monk 
“Earth Dance” by Fort Apache
“Eighty-One” by Fort Apache 
“Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum” by Fort Apache
“Nefertiti” by Fort Apache
“El Ratón” by Cheo Feliciano
“Noble Cruise” by Eddie Palmieri 
“Palmas” by Eddie Palmieri
“Obsesión” (Standard)
“Guararé” by Ray Barretto
“Vamanos pa’l Monte” by Eddie Palmieri

Born in Havana, Cuba, Marcello Casagrandi is a multicultural artist, with roots in Cuba and Italy. He started his musical studies on the piano at the age of 8 at the Havana Music Conservatory. He has collaborated with Eguie Castrillo, Tim Mayer, Rick Di Muzio, John Lockwood, Francisco Mela, Miguel Zenon, Pedrito Martinez, Melissa Aldana, Godwin Louis, and Fernando Huergo, among others, and been part of such projects as the Joaquin Pozo Afrocuban Band, Project Grand Slam, FunkJunkies, Willy Rodriguez Latin Jazz Band, HellHound, El Pueblo, etc. Since 2010 Casagrandi has been a teaching artist with the Bronx Arts Ensemble. He says, “I am very grateful that my knowledge, coaching, and bringing new generations to the art of music can increase the well-being of the community.”