Lehman Center for the Performing Arts is excited to kick off their 38th ANNIVERSARY SEASON with A TRIBUTE TO THE MUSIC OF THE PALLADIUM ERA featuring the legendary MAMBO LEGENDS ORCHESTRA with specially invited guest singer GILBERTO SANTA ROSA on Saturday, September 22nd, 2018 at 8 pm.
Produced by Lehman Center and Robert Sancho. The famous Palladium Ballroom highlighted the Big Band Latin Orchestras in the late 1940’s, 50’s and 60’s and the creation of mambo and cha-cha. The former musicians of the Tito Puente Orchestra have come together as the MAMBO LEGENDS ORCHESTRA to present the music of which they have been the masters of for over 30 years. Special guest, six-time Grammy ® Award-winning vocalist GILBERTO SANTA ROSA, will join the Mambo Legends for this momentous concert. Gilberto Santa Rosa - Conteo Regresivo https://youtu.be/Zc13NAc7dvM
Lehman Center for the Performing Arts is on the campus of Lehman College/CUNY at 250 Bedford Park Boulevard West, Bronx, NY 10468. Tickets for of MAMBO LEGENDS ORCHESTRA on Saturday, September 22nd, 2018 at 8 pm are VIP $125, $85, $65, and $45, and can be purchased by calling the Lehman Center box office at 718-960-8833 (Monday through Thursday, 10am–5pm, and beginning at 4pm on the day of the concert), or through online access at www.LehmanCenter.org. *VIP Reception: The Havana Café, Goya Foods, and Lehman Center special VIP pre-concert wine & hors d’oeuvres reception will start at 6:30 pm. VIP tickets include the reception and the best seats in the house. Sponsored by Havana Café Restaurant and Goya Foods. Lehman Center is accessible by #4 or D train to Bedford Park Blvd. and is off the Saw Mill River Parkway and the Major Deegan Expressway. Low-cost on-site parking available for $5.
The MAMBO LEGENDS ORCHESTRA plays the music of the Palladium Era: Machito, Tito Puente, and Tito Rodriguez and was created in 2000 by former members of the Tito Puente Orchestra, led by John “Dandy” Rodriquez, Mitch Frohman and musical director Jose Madera. Famed bongo-player John “Dandy” Rodriguez began performing as a teenager with Tito Rodriguez and played with Ray Barretto and Típica ’73 in the ‘70s before beginning his 27-year stint playing bongos in Tito Puente’s band. Bronx native Mitch Frohman was the sax and flute soloist with the Tito Puente Orchestra for 25 years and has also played and recorded with such famed Latin artists Eddie and Charlie Palmieri, Paquito D’Rivera, Chico O’Farrill and the Grammy-winning Spanish Harlem Orchestra. Musical director, timbalero and arranger Jose Madera started playing timbales with Machito as a teenager and became the first musical director for the Machito Orchestra. He was Tito Puente’s conguero for 30 years, his musical director for ten years, the staff arranger at Fania records since the 1970’s and has performed on over 100 recordings by Latin, pop, R&B and jazz artists. The Mambo Legends Orchestra is dedicated to keeping the ‘50s and ‘60s Palladium-era sound alive as it explores new musical concepts. Their latest release, Watch Out! ¡Ten Cuidao! (2011) was nominated for the Latin Grammy Award for Best Salsa Album and they are featured in the 2013 documentary film “For the Love of the Mambo.”
GILBERTO SANTA ROSA, known as El Caballero de la Salsa, is a six-time Grammy ® Award salsa and bolero sonero that was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico. As a teenager, he attended La Escuela Libre de Musica de San Juan, P. R., and made his recording debut in 1976 as a backup singer with the Mario Ortiz Orchestra. He then joined La Grande Orchestra for two years as well as performing with local groups. In the 1980’s Santa Rosa recorded with the Puerto Rican All-Stars Homenaje to Eddie Palmieri and the Tommy Olivencia Orchestra. In 1981 he joined the Willie Rosario Orchestra, recording hits like “Lluvia” and “Botaron la Pelota”. In 1986, he formed his own band and recorded a string of hits that included “Good Vibrations”, “De Amor y Salsa”, “Punto de Vista”, Vivir Sin Ella”, and “Perspectiva”. In 1995, Gilberto Santa Rosa was the first salsa singer to have a concert at Carnegie Hall in New York City, which was recorded as an album (En Vivo Desde Carnegie Hall and includes his song “Perdoname”, which is now considered a classic. One of the greatest salsa singers ever, he has a unique style of improvisation that is successful in both tropical and romantic musical styles. In 2016, he set a Guinness World Record for the Most No. 1s on the Billboard Tropical Albums Chart with is album Necesito Un Bolero (2015), which also won two Grammy Awards: One Latin Grammy and also the Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.
This concert marks the completion of the first phase of renovations at the Lehman Center for Performing Arts. Concert-goers will find that the lobbies have been upgraded for ADA compliance with new ramps and carpeting, and the interior of the theatre will have new seating, carpeted aisles, and finished flooring as well. The $15.4 million refurbishments of the Center, which is expected to be completed by mid-2019, will also include 5,400 square feet of enlarged space, with a new main entrance and a redesigned box office, plus new administrative offices and restrooms. Funding for the project is being provided by the Office of the Governor, New York State Legislature, Bronx delegation of the New York City Council and the Office of the Bronx Borough President. Additional funding is being raised with a seat naming initiative, which allows community members to make a personal connection with one of New York City’s most important not-for-profit entertainment venues.
The Mambo Legends performs Funny https://youtu.be/-GJsCWNoQ5E
Lehman Center for the Performing Arts, Inc. is supported, in part, with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the New York City Council. The 2018-2019 Season is also made possible through the sponsorships by Goya Foods, TD Bank, Con Edison, the New Yankee Stadium Community Benefits Fund, the Rudin Foundation, the Hyde and Watson Foundation, Havana Café, and the Friends of Lehman Center.