OCTOBER 2011 -15TH BROWNSVILLE LATIN JAZZ FESTIVAL

Press Release:
15TH BROWNSVILLE LATIN JAZZ FESTIVAL

The Brownsville Latin Festival, inaugurated by the late great Tito Puente in 1997, has become one of the most anticipated events in our cultural calendar, having hosted countless Latin Jazz artists of the highest caliber, advanced our multi-cultural diversity, generated tourism, improved our quality of life in Brownsville andentertained thousands for fifteen years. It is widely recognized as the premier Latin Jazz festival in Texas and one of the best of its kind in the USA! Recognizing this achievement, consistent support from the City of Brownsville 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 RGV!

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 us in the past will return to Brownsville to help us celebrate our fifteenth birthday during five straight nights of high-quality family entertainment. 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 free exhibit is Danzón, the Mexican dance of Afro-Cuban origin that influenced many Latin dance styles, and consists of 50 large format, 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!

The 2011 Festival program is as follows:

The Official Kickoff for the 15th Annual Brownsville Latin Jazz Festival will be a very special and somewhat elegant affair. The evening starts at 6:30 PM with a reception and welcoming ceremony for Cristina Kahlo and her Tiempo de Danzón photographic exhibit, on display at the Lobby of the spectacular, one year oldUTB/TSC Arts Center. Immediately following, at 7:30 PM, inside the music hall, will be the UTB Signature Series Concert by the internationally acclaimed jazz singer and pianist Carol Welsman whose dynamic stage presence has captivated audiences around the world. Come early!


Downtown Entertainment District on Adams St., between 12th and 13th. It’s a FREE Outdoor Concert with the award winning UTB One O’clock Jazz Band, the Frontera Jazz Quartet & Guests in a Tribute to Chic Corea, the influential Jazz fusion pianist, then the smooth jazz sounds of the Charles Hearn Sextet. Starting at 7 PM, social media organization Brownsville Living hosts the Cristina Kahlo Exhibit upstairs at the Historic Fernandez Bldg.. Outdoor music starts at 8 PM and ends around 12 AM.


Shenanigans, headlined by Cuban piano virtuoso, Grammy Nominee and Festival favorite, Chuchito Valdes Jr., backed by local artists of the highest caliber. Opening for Chuchito is the fabulous Marimbalacrán and our brand-new Brownsville Samba School. Outdoor music starts at 8 PM and ends around midnight but you can stay for the after-show indoor session! Great burgers and beverages by our host, Shenanigans Irish Pub, located at 2451 Pablo Kisel, right across from Best Buy in north Brownville.


It’s our headline Tropical Gala in the ambiance of a classic Latin dance club, featuring Grammy Winner Henry Brun & the Latin Playerz hosting a REUNION OF FESTIVAL VETERANS including ‘Master of the Tumbadoras’ Chembo Corniel, legendary vocalist Frankie Vazquez with José Dávila on trombone, the charismatic singer Rosalía de Cuba and Latin jazz piano genius Chuchito Valdes Jr.! This REUNION will deliver a memorable session, maybe the most incredible ‘descarga’ in Festival history! Enjoy showcases by international Salsa Champions, tropical arts & crafts by Imágenes Studio & Friends and the fantastic Tiempo de Danzón photo exhibit by Cristina Kahlo. Delicious food and drinks by Cobblehead’s Bar & Grill. Doors open at 7 PM at the Jacob Brown Auditorium, 600 International Blvd.. Tickets are $30 and Reserved Tables for Six are $300.

It’s the Latin Jazz Festival's most popular FREE OUTDOOR CONCERT! A day of excellent music, dance, art, good food and wholesome fun for the entire family from 2 PM to 10 PM, right in front of the Capitol Theatre on the corner of 11th & E. Levee in Historic Downtown Brownsville, featuring the UTB Two O’clock Jazz Band, the SPI Steel Pan Band,the Dean of Jazz Rene Sandoval, the recently formed Brownsville Samba School, our home-town boys The Brew, an amazing show by international Salsa Champions, and the tightest Salsa band in the Valley, Aché del Barrio, backing the super charismatic Rosalía de Cuba. You’ll love the Cristina Kahlo Danzón photo exhibit and Imágenes arts and crafts displayed in the Capitol Theatre. Make sure to bring grandma, grandpa and the kids for high-quality cultural entertainment they won’t forget… come early and stay late! Click here to buy tickets now with PayPal or your credit card. Please call us directly to buy or reserve tables. Call 956-831-9590 or email us at info@artsinbrownsville.org for much more info!

Please visit http://www.artsinbrownsville.org/ , email us at info@artsinbrownsville.org or
just call us at 831-9590 for tickets, table reservations, clinics and the latest info!