Friday, October 18, 2024, 8pm on KPBS 2 / Stream now on the PBS app
“Mambo Legends: The Music Never Ends” introduces audiences to the New York City-based Mambo Legends Orchestra. The orchestra is dedicated to keeping the music of the great Afro-Cuban bandleaders Machito, Tito Puente, and Tito Rodriguez alive for their longtime fans. and future generations. Comprised of several former members of these legendary orchestras, Mambo Legends created the Machito Orchestra’s big band sound in popular music and a timeless musical genre beloved around the world in Africa, Cuba, and Puerto Rico. .
VOCES: Introducing Mambo Legend Orchestra
Latin music is one of the most diverse, influential, and exciting genres in music. Its roots come from traditional African music, which traveled with African people to Havana, New Orleans, and eventually New York City. In the 1940s and ’50s, great waves of Latin Americans moved to Brooklyn, the Bronx, and East Harlem, and with them a new sound began to take shape. This new music blended traditional Cuban rhythms with popular big band arrangements and was conducted by Machito and his Afro-Cuban Orchestra.
Latin music is essentially dance music, and from 1948 to 1966, the Palladium Ballroom on 53rd Street in New York City was the epicenter of the genre, hosting legendary bands and the national mambo It was famous for instigating the boom. Initially a dance studio with a racially restrictive policy, the Palladium eventually opened its doors to blacks and Latinos, and became home to the “Big Three” orchestras of Tito Puente, Tito Rodriguez, and Machito . Patrons included Marlon Brando (who was often seen playing his bongos), Marlene Dietrich, Sammy Davis Jr., and Frank Sinatra.
Jose Madera, Music Director of the Mambo Legend Orchestra.
The Mambo Legend Orchestra is comprised of many former members of the Tito Puente Orchestra, who have come together to bring their sound to the world and expand on the music they have been playing for over 40 years. The orchestra’s musical director is Jose Madera and is led by Johnny “Dandy” Rodriguez and Mitch Frohman, who each worked with Tito Puente for over 25 years.
Johnny “Dandy” Rodriguez Jr., percussionist with the Mambo Legends Orchestra.
While the Mambo legends have succeeded in keeping the “Big 3” sound alive, the reality is that many of these musicians are struggling more than ever to make a living. Without fair compensation at the peak of their music’s popularity, these pioneers are often forced to raise money to pay for medical bills, housing, and even funeral costs.
Carmen Lavoie is a baritone saxophonist and music educator.
Through candid interviews with orchestra members and exhilarating live performance footage, Mambo Legends: Music Never Ends tells the story of music through the musicians who helped create a timeless musical genre that remains popular around the world.
VOCES: Behind the scenes of the band
Watch on your schedule: VOCES “Mambo Legend: The Music Never Ends” is available to stream on all station-branded PBS platforms, including PBS.org and the PBS app, and on iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV. You can watch it. , Android TV, Samsung Smart TV, Chromecast, VIZIO.
Credits: Produced and directed by Mari Keiko Gonzalez, produced by Lorraine Galvis.