The Steven Oquendo Latin Jazz Orchestra

Name: The Steven Oquendo Latin Jazz Orchestra
Start: 2024-07-05T18:30:00-04:00
Location: Josie Robertson Plaza

Schedule

Fri Jul 05 2024 at 06:30 pm

UTC-04:00

Location

Josie Robertson Plaza | Manhattan, NY

There are two ways to access this free event:
1. General Admission, first-come first-served. Just show up!
2. Fast Track, opening the Monday before the event at noon.
The Dance Floor opens with DJ set at 6:30 pm
Dance lesson at 7:00 pm
Live music at 7:30 pm
Silent Disco at 10:00 pm
Style: Salsa/Mambo
Dance Instructor: Talia Castro-Pozo
DJ: Cruz
As bandleader for his 19-person ensemble, the musician and educator Steven Oquendo’s powerful trumpet playing puts the "Big" in Big Band! At this highly danceable set of Afro-Cuban, salsa and mambo classics, Oquendo pays homage to the genre’s originators while simultaneously putting a fresh spin on tradition. Oquendo has performed on stage and in studio with legends like Celia Cruz, Rubén Blades and Eddie Palmieri. In his role as a community leader and educator, he is the music director for Pelham Preparatory Academy in the Bronx and assistant director of the All-City Latin Ensemble, where his work with students has earned him acclaim from Good Morning America as a 2022 Class Act teacher. His big band’s sophisticated use of free improvisation and creative arrangements ensures that the essence of the music continues to thrive. Prior to the concert, dance instructors will share some simple steps so that even newcomers to the Latin jazz scene will be able to keep up on The Dance Floor!