Brooklyn Center Presents the Tito Puente Jr. Orchestra 11/6

Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College continues its 2010-2011 World Stages series with an evening of red-hot Latin Jazz by the Tito Puente Jr. Orchestra on Saturday, November 6, 2010 at 8pm.

Tito Puente Jr. is the son, of course, of the late, legendary Latin music percussionist, composer and arranger Tito Puente, whose career as "El Rey" - the King - spanned half a century, seven Grammy Awards, 158 albums and thousands of performances. And if Tito Puente Sr. was the King of Mambo, his son has most certainly been passed the crown. Although he asserts he is more like the court jester than the prince, the younger Puente is determined to nurture the musical legacy

left by his father. Tito Jr. inherited his father's talent, passion, and energy, and Latin Jazz fans lured to a venue by the father are returning to see the son - and to once again participate in the high voltage celebration that takes place on stage.

Tito Puente Jr. seamlessly blends his father's music and style with contemporary Latin music and his own work, including modern rhythms and structures into his performance that bring a crowd to their feet just like his father did. His 2004 album, En Los Pasos De Mi Padre (In My Father's Shoes), features classic Puente titles such as "El Cayuco" and "Ran Kan Kan" and was spun into a BET Jazz television special of the same name. He appeared in a tribute to his father's music on NBC entitled "The Apollo at 70: A Hot Night in Harlem." Symphony appearances include Dallas, San Antonio, Colorado, South Bend, and upcoming performances with the Palm Desert Symphony and the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Marvin Hamlisch.

Released earlier this year, Tito, Jr.'s new album, Got Mambo?, is a mixture of the old and the new as he takes a musical departure into some powerful new music he can truly call his own. Guest artists like Bobby Cruz and Hansel & Raul help make this a coming of age project for Tito, Jr. The album has received praise from Tropical and Latin Jazz critics alike.

In the spirit of giving back, Tito, Jr. has participated in two USO Tours during the past 18 months, visiting and performing for troops in Japan, Korea, Spain, and Italy. His appearances at fundraising events for causes including the Jerry Lewis MD Telethon and Toys for Tots help generate thousands of dollars annually.

Tito Puente Jr. reveres the magnificent, lasting impact his father had on Latin music. "People who don't know anything about Latin music know my father and people always smile when they say my father's name," he confides. "That is a very special gift I have been given."

Tito Puente Jr. Orchestraat Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts
Walt Whitman Theatre at Brooklyn College
2900 Campus Road, Brooklyn
(2 train to Brooklyn College/Flatbush Avenue)
Saturday, November 6, 2010 at 8pm
Tickets: $37 ($40 at door)

Online orders: BrooklynCenterOnline.org
Box Office: (718) 951-4500, Tuesday - Saturday, 1pm - 6pm
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/BrooklynCenterforthePerformingArts

Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts' 2010-2011 World Stages Series is sponsored by Macy's Foundation.

About Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts
Founded in 1954, the mission of Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts is to present outstanding performing arts and arts education programs, reflective of Brooklyn's diverse communities, at affordable prices. Brooklyn Center's presentations explore both the classical traditions and the boldest contemporary performances, embracing the world culture that defines Brooklyn. Brooklyn Center welcomes over 70,000 people to the 2,400 seat Walt Whitman Theatre each season, and boasts one of the largest arts education programs in the borough, serving 46,000 schoolchildren from over 300 schools annually with its SchoolTime series.

Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts' programs are made possible in part with public funding from the City of New York Department of Cultural Affairs and the National Endowment for the Arts. Funding for the 2010-2011 season is provided by: Target; JP Morgan Chase; Brooklyn Community Foundation; Mertz Gilmore Foundation; National Grid; TD Bank; Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation; New England Foundation for the Arts; Pennsylvania Performing Arts on Tour; King's Plaza Shopping Center; The Harkness Foundation for Dance; Health Plus; and the Lila Acheson Wallace Theater Fund, established in the New York Community Trust by founders of The Reader's Digest Association. Additional support provided by CNG Publications, The Brooklyn Eagle, and WBGO Jazz 88. The Sheraton Brooklyn New York Hotel is the official hotel of Brooklyn Center's 2010-2011 season. Backstage catering is graciously provided by Applebee's.

Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts gratefully acknowledges generous support from the Members of the Brooklyn Delegation to the New York State Assembly and Speaker Sheldon Silver; Members of the Brooklyn Delegation to the New York State Senate and Majority Conference Leader John L. Sampson; Members of the Brooklyn Delegation to the New York City Council and Speaker Christine C. Quinn; and Commissioner of Cultural Affairs Kate Levin.