HISTORY OF THE BROWNSVILLE LATIN
JAZZ FESTIVAL
With its tenth year now behind it, the Brownsville Latin Jazz Festival has become an internationally recognized musical event and an important addition to the cultural calendar of the Rio Grande Valley. Featuring the most distinguished artists in the business, many up-and-coming performers, and an abundance of local talent, the Latin Jazz Festival has consistently provided unforgettable entertainment of the highest quality.
Latin Jazz encompasses multiple music genres: Salsa and Merengue, Mambo and Samba, Son and Danzón, even the modern fusion of Flamenco and Jazz. This is why the BSPA chose Latin Jazz… to attract an audience representative of the broad cultural spectrum in our community. No other event in the Rio Grande Valley draws from so many different cultures and backgrounds… all of us united in the eclectic format of Latin Jazz!
10th Annual Brownsville Latin Jazz Festival - 2006
The 10th Jazz Festival celebrated ten years of unforgettable performances by the best Latin Jazz artists in the world. What better way to mark our 10th anniversary than by one of the pioneers of Latin Jazz: Larry Harlow. The Night at the Copa had never been so electric as Larry Harlow and the Latin Legends Band amazed the audience with the epitome of everything that makes the Latin Jazz genre great. Opening for Harlow was Henry Brun and the Latin Playerz.
The festival began for a second time with the Jazz Jam at Las Campanas. This event once again featured the finest local talent: The Tomás Ramirez Ensemble, Ani Tharpe Quintet, The Scorpions Jazz Ensemble and the SPI Steel Pan Band. Latin Dance Night featured Jimmy Bosch, a fiery exponent of the progressive sound often referred to as the most awesome Salsa band to dance to, listen to and watch in a concert setting. The Latin Jazz Festival ended with a truly exhilarating performance by Yerba Benua. Their amazing mixture of Afro-Cuban, Afrobeat and Hip-Hop provided an exciting finale to ten incredible years. The Los Fresnos High School Jazz Band, The UTB/TSC Jazz Band, Tumbao, the Bongo Dogs and Dulce Gonzalez also performed.
9th Annual Brownsville Latin Jazz Festival - 2005
The 9th Jazz Festival had the extraordinary pleasure of hosting a Latin Jazz legend: Giovanni Hidalgo. Performing at the festival's gala event, The Night at the Copa, Giovanni put on an amazing show, showing the awestruck audience why he is considered the best conguero around. Opening for Giovanni was Melena and her Afro-Cuban Band.
The festival kicked-off with the first ever Jazz Jam at Las Campanas. This event brought together some of the best local jazz groups: The Tomás Ramirez Ensemble, René Sandoval Quartet, and the Charles Hearn Sextet. This exciting night of music was followed the next day by Latin Dance Night featuring La Orquesta Shati. The night of dancing also featured dance showcases by dance troupes from all over Texas and Mexico. As always, the Jazz Festival ended with a bang with the Capitol Theatre Street Party, featuring two Brownsville Latin Jazz favorites, Chuchito Valdes and Rosalia de Cuba, together in one exciting performance! Melena, Sugar Iced Tea, and the UTB/TSC Jazz Bands also performed.
8th Annual Brownsville Latin Jazz Festival - 2004
Keeping
with tradition, the 8th Jazz Festival featured a number of superbly-talented
artists packed into one exciting weekend. The Night at the Copa provided
an amazing show with the phenomenal 19-piece band from L.A.:
Jazz on the Latin Side
All-Stars. Led by Jose Rizo, the JLS All-Stars were made up
of true powerhouses of Latin Jazz including Francisco Aguabella, Alex
Acuna, Francisco Torres, among many others. San Antonio's
renowned Henry Brun & the Latin Playerz
opened.
The much anticipated kick-off concert, Latin Dance Night, featuring a fabulous performance by Rosalia & the Afro-Cuban Beat. The concert also included dance showcase by dance companies from all over Texas, including Sabor Vallero, the top salsa dance team in the Rio Grande Valley and a Latin Jazz Festival staple. Chuchito Valdes, Jr. headlined at the Capitol Theatre Street Party, and put on an outstanding show for the thousands that lined the streets of Downtown Brownsville. Performances by The Brew and yet another fantastic performance by Rosalia & the Afro Cuban Beat made this an unforgettable evening of Latin Jazz music.
7th Annual Brownsville Latin Jazz Festival - 2003
Two
giants in Latin Jazz headlined the Seventh Annual Brownsville Latin Jazz
Festival: Bobby Sanabria from New York City and
Poncho Sanchez
from Los Angeles! There was an "East Meets West" ambiance during a weekend of
world class entertainment in Brownsville.
Opening for both Bobby and Poncho on two separate concerts was Viváz!, a hot 10 piece Afro-Cuban Jazz ensemble from New Orleans, under the cool direction of tres-player and vocalist Javier Gutierrez, originally from Bolivia. Other acts included Calpolli, the tightest Latin Jazz ensemble in the Rio Grande Valley, Ritmo Caribe from Corpus Christi with their big, danceable sound and, of course, the award-winning UTB/TSC Jazz Band. This year also inaugurated a new and exciting feature sure to be an important part of all future festivals to come: LATIN DANCE NIGHT, organized by Rosie and Israel Coronado of Sabor Vallero, the top salsa dance team in the Rio Grande Valley. This event featured dancing showcases and a Salsa Dance Competition with Special Guest Semeneya of San Antonio and K'yuco from Houston judging the competitions.
6th Annual Brownsville Latin Jazz Festival - 2002
The third-generation
piano giant from Cuba, Chuchito
Va
ldéz and His Latin Jazz Ensemble,
headlined "A Night in La Habana"
where he astonished the crowd in one of the most exciting virtuoso
performances in the history of the festival.
The
14-piece orchestra from Corpus, Ritmo Caribe, led by Panamanian
Gus Torres, opened for Chuchito, proving beyond
a doubt they’re the best salseros in the
Texas Gulf Coast. "The Capitol
Theatre Street Party" was bigger than ever with an estimated
three thousand attending performances by the UTPA Latin
Jazz Ensemble, Sugar-Iced Tea, the
Meade-Murphy Band, the Unlimite
d Salsa Dancers,
Del Castillo, The
Brew,
all topped off by a wild and memorable set by the
Chuchito Valdéz
Quintet
featuring the Aussie saxophonist Laksar Reese from Chicago. The
definitive documentary film on Afro-Cuban Jazz, The Buena Vista Social Club,
was screened between sets in another collaboration between BSPA and CineSol.
The
fifth festival featured seven-time Grammy Award-winner
ight,
followed on Saturday by the Capitol Theatre Street Party, an outdoor,
all-day concert with four of the hottest salsa bands playing to a massive
audience. 
With
over ten acts across seven venues, the fourth festival featured three solid days
of Latin Jazz music and dancing headlined by the unquestionable master of the
congas, Grammy Award-winning Poncho Sanchez and His Latin Jazz Band from
Los Angeles. 
The
third festival launched our campaign to save the Capitol Theatre in Historic
Downtown Brownsville, setting the stage for what is now a popular feature of the
festival: The Capitol Theatre Street Party!
On
its second installment, the festival’s main event, A Night at the Copacabana,
set the tone and format for the future. The auditorium was converted into a
dinner-dance-club, where the audience could eat, dance, talk and mingle in a
Caribbean setting greatly enjoyed by all. Headlining was Frank y Son Seis,
with Venezuelan Frank Bravo and his San Miguel de Allende combo. The
Brew, Brownsville favorite sons residing in Austin, brought their amazing
blend of New Flamenco and Latin dance music. The evening was highlighted by a
dazzling dance performance by the Unlimited Salsa Dancers, their first of
many appearances in festivals to come. 
The
first Latin Jazz Festival started out with a bang, featuring a host of artists
headlined by none other than the late, great King of Latin Music, Tito
Puente! His openhearted perso
nality
and unequaled magnetism will never be forgotten by those lucky enough to be
there.