15th Annual Latin Jazz Festival to move, groove Brown-town

Special to the Parade

Jazz FestivalThe Brownsville Society for the Performing Arts (BSPA) and the City of Brownsville will hold the 15th Annual Brownsville Latin Jazz Festival ‘Reunion’ Oct. 12-16 in Brownsville.

The Brownsville Latin Jazz Festival, inaugurated by the late, great Tito Puente in 1997, has become one of the most anticipated events in the cultural calendar, having hosted countless Latin Jazz artists of the highest caliber, advanced multi-cultural diversity, generated tourism, and improved quality of life in Brownsville and entertained thousands for 15 years. It is widely recognized as the premier Latin Jazz festival in Texas and one of the best in the USA!

Recognizing this achievement and consistent support from the city and our community, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has awarded BSPA with a prestigious and generous grant for the fourth year in a row. Once again, the Brownsville Latin Jazz Festival was the only NEA grant recipient in the entire Rio Grande Valley.

Despite uncertain times for cultural organizations throughout the nation, the Brownsville Latin Jazz Festival has survived and actually grown from four to five days. The theme for this year’s festival is “Reunion!” Dozens of world-class performers that have visited in the past will return to Brownsville to help celebrate the event’s 15th birthday during five straight nights of high-quality family entertainment.

Come stay in Brownsville during the festival and get discount rates from the event’s hotel partner, the Courtyard Marriott.

Free clinics on Salsa dancing, Latin jazz piano, percussion and vocals will be given by visiting artists.

This year, the Festival is honored to host Tiempo de Danzón, a fantastic collection of photographic prints by Cristina Kahlo, grand‐niece of iconic Mexican artist, Frida Kahlo, and a respected historian, lecturer and renowned photographer in her own right.

The theme of this exhibit is Danzón, the Mexican dance of Afro-Cuban origin that influenced many Latin dance styles, and consists of 50 large, high‐quality prints of photographs taken by her at vintage dance halls of Mexico City. The public is invited to meet and chat with Cristina Kahlo, the Festival’s Special Guest of Honor.

Permanent link to this article: https://www.portisabelsouthpadre.com/2011/10/13/15th-annual-latin-jazz-festival-to-move-groove-brown-town/

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

 

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.