Podcasts
Trumpeter Pete Rodríguez on Dialogs
Dialogs – A Unique Series of Conversations Between Musicians And Their Music
With a lifetime on and around stages all over the world, trumpeter, vocalist and percussionist Pete Rodríguez has a personal relationship with the term “living legend.” His father was one. For 30 years the famed sonero (vocalist) Pete “El Conde” Rodríguez perfected his fiery, elegant, and intensely personal voice on stages all over the world as part of the Fania All-Stars that helped propel salsa as an international phenomenon.
Classically trained, having played with the Symphony of Puerto Rico as part of his early musical training, Rodríguez became his father’s musical director as a teenager before eventually discovering Jazz. Rodríguez’s career has been built upon a prolific list of musical associations including legends like Tito Puente, Oscar Hernández, Rubén Blades, Celia Cruz, Eddie Palmieri, Chico O’Farrill and Bebo Valdés.
With a sharp ear and eye for detail, Rodríguez has recorded several albums that transverse a wide range of Pan-Latin artistry honoring contemporary innovation and the ancestral foundations they’re built upon. From the modern Jazz tinged El Alquimista (The Alchemist) and meditative Caminando Con Papi (Walking with Papi) to the transcendent El Conde Negro and angular Obstacles, Rodríguez is perpetually testing the limits of his horn, voice and compositional ingenuity.
With I’m Pete Rodríguez Volume I, Rodríguez stakes a bold claim to his namesake while adding a progressive dimension to his already impressive catalog of musical achievements. Tapping into his dynamic new band, Rodríguez continues to pose questions about his musicality, the elite heritage its connected to, and the ways that contemporary society shapes his musical world view.
No matter the label (Latin Jazz, Afro-Latin Jazz, Afro-Cuban Jazz etc.) Jazz simply isn’t Jazz without the scope of Latin influence that helped shaped it
As the Smithsonian National American Latino Museum takes root, advocates are quick to mention the immense scope of history this new institution must undertake. Spanning more than 500 years and 24 countries, the museum will attempt to cover the vast history shaping the current identity of Latinos and their remarkably rich and diverse contributions to American history. In the context of the Pan-Latin influence on Jazz, the contributions are no less rich, diverse, fundamental or innovative.
Los Olvidados / The Forgotten Ones is a one hour audio documentary exploring some of the unique historical, cultural, and artistic contributions that encompass the Latin experience in Jazz. The program explores the viewpoints and music of a special group of award winning artists, scholars and activists. Jane Bunnett, Dr. Martha Gonzalez, Dr. Benjamin Lapidus, Yilian Cañizares, Arturo O’Farrill, Michele Rosewoman, Bobby Sanabria, John Santos, Dr. Chris Washburne and Miguel Zenón will speak to the inspiration they maintain as contributors, educators, and creative thinkers within Pan-Latin Jazz.
As part of the African diasporic tradition, Latin musicians have engineered their innovation by hybridizing culture in order to survive in new lands where colonization, slavery and system oppression shaped their existence. Embedded into these traditions are the spiritual rituals, folkloric pathways, resplendent narratives, and the enduring elasticity of rhythm that carried African music to the Americas.
Whether originating from Panama, Mexican, Argentina, Columbia, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Trinidad or storied urban centers in the United States, this magnificent groove, and the rhythmic tension it’s built on, embody the quintessential nature of Jazz. Featuring influential contemporary musicians, critics and curators of Pan-Latin music, Los Olvidados explores how this storied musical tradition continues to combat a legacy of indifference, while remaining at the forefront of musicality transforming the quintessential nature of Jazz.
Made possible by a grant from the Mass Cultural Council.
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