El Gran Combo Set for 2014 Pittsburgh JazzLive International Festival, 6/20-22

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust will present El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico as part of the 4th annual Pittsburgh JazzLive International Festival being held June 20-22, 2014 in the heart of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's downtown Cultural District. The free festival consists of three days of jazz and jazz-influenced musical performances on outdoor stages and attracts more than 20,000 attendees from around the country. This year's performance will feature one of the oldest and best-known salsa bands in the world, El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico. The performance is sponsored by ImaginePittsburgh.com.

"It is an honor to present the internationally renowned, El Gran Combo as part of this year's festival. Their history takes the festival to new heights as an international music destination" shared Janis Burley Wilson, Director Jazz Programs and Vice President, Education & Community Engagement for the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. "The Festival is committed to presenting a vast array of music from locals to legends, and the Trust is grateful for the generous support of ImaginePittsburgh.com, an initiative of the Allegheny Conference on Community Development, for grasping the importance of bringing these legendary musicians to this year's Festival in Pittsburgh's Cultural District."

Ron Alvarado, Chairman of The Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Chair of ¡HOLA, PITTSBURGH! added, "El Gran Combo is to Latin America, from a musical perspective, what Roberto Clemente is to Latin America from a sports/humanitarian perspective. Both El Gran Combo and Clemente are held in the highest esteem." Ron Alvarado is the President and founder of Novus Group, LLC, a Pittsburgh-based staffing and recruitment outsourcing company. In August 2013 (for the 2nd year in a row), Novus was ranked one of the Top 100 fastest growing privately owned companies in Pittsburgh by the Pittsburgh Business Times. In June 2013 (for the 3rd consecutive year), Novus was named one of the Top 500 Hispanic Businesses in the nation by Hispanic Business Magazine.

El Gran Combo is synonymous with salsa. The band has sold more than150 million records worldwide, holds the record for the most No.1 Latin hits across the Latin Music Charts and continues to play the world's most prestigious venues. The group was deemed La Universidad de la Salsa (The University of Salsa) in Colombia, due to the number of famous salsa musicians and singers who developed their careers alongside the band, who started with the group (particularly Andy Montañez) or who were occasionally backed up by the band (including Celia Cruz, Héctor Lavoe and La India). In the past ten years, four of their albums went to No. 1 on the Billboard Tropical Album Chart and in 2012 the band was hailed as the ultimate ambassadors of salsa music, being featured on The New York Times' honor roll of the world's top four (4) international bands celebrating their golden jubilees - alongside The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys and The Chieftains. For more information, visit: www.elgrancombodepuertorico.net.

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