Latin Jazz from NYC comes to Highland Lakes

HIGHLAND LAKES — On Saturday, April 4, eight of New York City's jazz musicians will perform together on Seckler Stage under the name Azucar.

Azucar has numerous Grammy nominations and have been support players for luminaries like Miles Davis, Roy Hargrove, Steely Dan, and Paquito D'Rivera, among others.

"The idea for this band is something I grew up with, and something that doesn't really happen anymore," explains saxophonist/flautist and bandleader Jay Rodriguez. "This type of band— what people commonly call 'Latin Jazz' — has its roots in Cuban and Puerto Rican rhythms that migrated to New York City and melded with jazz. It's a movement that started with legends like Dizzy Gillespie and Art Blakey, and it influenced other great jazz legends, like Ray Barretto, Celia Cruz, and Hector Lavoe, who carried the Afro-Cuban torch farther and influenced younger musicians who created a sound that became specific to New York, specifically Spanish Harlem and the Bronx, just like the blues of Chicago or Texas are specific to those regions."

Azucar, which is led by Rodriguez (Miles Davis, Roy Hargrove, Groove Collective), includes trombonist-violinist Lewis Kahn (Tito Puente, Eddie Palmieri), vibraphonist Bill Ware (Steely Dan, Jazz Passengers), pianist Pablo Vergara (Gato Barbieri, Paquito D'Rivera), singer Jorge Maldonado (Sonora Matancera), timbalist Jimmy Delgado (Ray Barretto, Willie Colon), conga player George Delgado (Celia Cruz, Santiago Ceron), and bassist Ray Martinez (Hector Lavoe).

For tickets to Azucar, go to the Highland Lakes Club Office, or call 917-232-2366. Tickets for members-in-good standing and their guests may be purchased at the Club Office (and at the door on the evening of the show, if available) for $15 — bring member card or member badge. For those who are not part of the Highland Lakes community, tickets are $20 — cash-only. Visit hlcc.org for more information.