The Lehman Center for the Performing Arts, at Lehman College in the Bronx, will host a lively lineup of artists this fall, featuring music that is representative of the diverse communities that populate the borough. Salsa, funk, and hip-hop will propel audiences from their seats to the dance floor as artists like the Mambo Legends Orchestra, Sheila E., and Ivy Queen take to the stage all season long.
The festivities will kick off on September 20, as the Mambo Legends Orchestra — comprised of players from famed percussionist and late genre pioneer Tito Puente’s band — present an evening of salsa in the heart of the borough where the genre was developed. “It’s something that is very important to keep alive and continue — over the years, it has maybe sometimes not gotten the recognition that it’s due,” said Mambo Legends Orchestra co-founder and saxophonist Mitch Frohman, who was a member of Puente’s orchestra for more than 25 years. “Tito Puente, Machito, Tito Rodriguez, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, etc. … Celia Cruz, Ella Fitzgerald … It’s all great American music that should be appreciated with the same respect as any other genre.”
The orchestra, which will feature singer Lucrecia and guitarist Nelson Gonzalez, will transport listeners across time and space, using Afro-Cuban rhythms and a slew of hits by champions of the style as the vessel. “I travelled with Tito Puente all around the world, for a period in the ’80s and the 90’s we probably accompanied Celia [Cruz] more than anybody else in the world, as she had an amazing relationship with Tito,” said Frohman. “While there are so many wonderful other vocalists in the world, Lucrecia is probably the closest person to anybody that I’ve accompanied, post Tito and Celia, to Celia Cruz. She’s the real thing, and she’s a super-sweet, humble, decent human being, and she really carries on the tradition of Celia Cruz and so many others in that genre.”
One week later, percussionist Sheila E., who is Puente’s goddaughter and most recently won a Grammy Award for Best Global Performance for her cover of the Celia Cruz classic, “La Bemba Colorá,” that also features Gloria Estefan and Japanese Peruvian singer Mimi Succár, will bridge the gap between funk, salsa, and jazz at the Lehman Center stage on September 27. The virtuoso percussionist who had chart success with the Prince-penned 1984 hit, “The Glamorous Life,” will be joined by vocal R&B group Klymaxx.
Next month, rapper Ivy Queen, who has been described as the “Queen of Reggaeton,” will bring the sounds of Puerto Rico to the Bronx stage, representing a community that has held a strong presence in the borough for nearly a century. R&B group Dru Hill will also bring smooth vocal stylings to the Lehman stage in November.
There are a few ways interested attendees can land discounts to select shows, making the programming at Lehman Center more accessible than ever. Currently, Groupon has discount ticket options for Mambo Legends, Sheila E, Ivy Queen, and Dru Hill in November, and they sometimes run promotions on social media. Students at Lehman College can also access discounts to select shows. Stay up to date with all the programs at Lehman Center by visiting lehmancenter.org.