With our THIRTEENTH year behind us, the Brownsville Latin Jazz Festival has become an internationally recognized musical event and an important addition to the cultural calendar of Brownsville, Texas and the Rio Grande Valley.  Featuring the most distinguished artists in Latin Jazz and an abundance of local talent, the Brownsville Latin Jazz Festival has consistently provided unforgettable entertainment of the highest quality!

The BSPA chose Latin Jazz to cultivate the multi-cultural diversity of our community. Latin Jazz encompasses multiple music genres such as: Son Montuno, Salsa and Merengue, Bossa Nova and Samba, Mambo, Rumba, Danzón and Guaguancó... even the recent fusion of Flamenco and Jazz! No other event in the Rio Grande Valley draws from so many different cultures and backgrounds… all of us united in our love for Latin Jazz!

12^th Annual Brownsville Latin Jazz Festival - 2008

The 12th Annual Brownsville Latin Jazz Festival brought together some of the biggest names in Latin Jazz, including Ray Vega, Jimmy Bosch, Chembo Corniel, Manuel Martinez, Ruben Rodriguez, Frankie Sepulveda, Felix Figueroa, Phoenix Rivera, Arturo O'Farrill and Dave Valentín, among many others.  Our Night at the Copa featured these artists as The Latin Jazz All-Stars, an astounding ensemble of true Latin Jazz legends.

The following  day, virtuoso Dave Valentín, on flute, and Arturo O'Farrill, on piano, accompanied by our friend Chembo Corniel, on percussion, put on an amazing performance for thousands at the Capitol Theatre Street Party.

During Latin Dance Night, the Festival featured the great New Orleans combo, VIVAZ! led by Bolivian guitarist Javier Gutierrez. Also showcased were a selection of the best Salsa Dance Masters we could find throughout all Texas and northern Mexico, headlined by none other than the three-time, undefeated ESPN World Salsa Champions Abel Peña & Zulmara Torres!

Local watering hole Shenanigan's Irish Bar hosted Jazz Jam with a tribute to Cal Tjader by the very best local jazz musicians including Terry Tomlin, Dr. Tom Nevill, Tomas Ramirez, Clay Moore and a surprise performance by the great Chuchito Valdés Jr., in town to conduct free piano clinics for Brownsville schools... courtesy of the Festival!

Our video of the 12th Annual Brownsville Latin Jazz Festival is coming soon!

11^th Annual Brownsville Latin Jazz Festival - 2007

The 11th Latin Jazz Festival was attended by the biggest crowds ever, proving beyond a doubt its presence as one of the most important cultural events of the Rio Grande Valley! Headlined by the four-time Grammy Award Nominees, Plena Libre, led by maestro Gary Nuñez, this band of Boricuas literally blew everyone away during our Night at the Copa! with some of the best Latin music EVER heard in Brownsville. Wow!

As usual, Rosalía de Cuba, on her third festival appearance, had everyone dancing from her very first song during Latin Dance Night. Our great friend from San Antonio, Henry Brun, was tighter than ever and the gorgeous Afro-Latin sound (in four languages!) of Ricardo Lemvo y Makina Loca truly impressed a crowd of thousands of residents and visitors of all ages during our free all-day celebration during the Capitol Theatre Street Party! See the video here!

10^th 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 the Grammy Award Winner, trombonist and bandleader Jimmy Bosch,  innovator of progressive "Salsa Dura" sound!  The Latin Jazz Festival ended with a truly exhilarating performance by Yerba Buena. Their amazing mixture of Afro-Cuban, Afro-beat and Hip-Hop provided an exciting finale to four incredible days. The Los Fresnos High School Jazz Band, The UTB/TSC Jazz Band, Tumbao, the Bongo Dogs and Dulce Gonzalez also performed. See the video here!

9th Annual Brownsville Latin Jazz Festival - 2005

Our 9th 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 congüero around.  Opening for Giovanni was one of his biggest admirers... 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 Festival ended with the Capitol Theatre Street Party, featuring two Brownsville Latin Jazz favorites, Chuchito Valdés Jr. and Rosalia de Cuba, together in one exciting performance!  Melena, Sugar Iced Tea, and the UTB/TSC Jazz Bands also performed. See the video here!

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.  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 All-Stars were made up of true powerhouses of Latin Jazz including Francisco Aguabella, Alex Acuña, Justo Almario, Coky Garcia and a dozen other greats.  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 Valdés 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.

There were great performances by the UTPA Latin Jazz Ensemble, Sugar-Iced Tea, the Meade-Murphy Band, the Unlimited Salsa Dancers, Del Castillo, The Brew, all topped off by a wild and memorable set by the Chuchito Valdés 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.

5th Annual Brownsville Latin Jazz Festival - 2001

The fifth festival featured seven-time Grammy Award-winner Eddie Palmieri and His Latin Jazz Band, from New York, playing to a full house at the auditorium on Friday night, 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.

Featured on the outdoor concert were Luis Gasca and the Mambo Kings, a vintage orchestra from San Antonio, Ritmo Caribe, a 13-piece Salsa band from Corpus Christi, Son y No Son, the soneros from Austin, and Del Castillo, an up-and-coming Flamenco-Jazz fusion band originally from Brownsville and living in Austin.

Between sets, the acclaimed film Calle 54, featuring top Latin Jazz legends, was screened inside the theatre in collaboration with the CineSol Latin Film Festival, the first of many to come between BSPA and the internationally recognized film festival.

4th Annual Brownsville Latin Jazz Festival - 2000

With over ten acts across seven venues, the 4th 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.

In daytime and evening street concerts in Historic Downtown Brownsville, Rene Sandoval, the “Dean” of South Texas Jazz, the Tony "Ham" Guerrero Latin Band, local favorite Ani & New World Jazz Quintet, the Eddie de la Garza Quintet and the Danny Gomez Ensemble and the Unlimited Salsa Dancers entertained thousands for free.

The UTB/TSC Jazz Bands kicked off the week with a packed house at UTB/TSC’s Lecture Hall. This festival marked the first time nightclubs fully joined the festivities, hosting after-show descargas (jam sessions) by visiting artists that many declared as their favorite part of the week.

3rd Annual Brownsville Latin Jazz Festival - 1999

The third festival launched our campaign to save the Capitol Theatre in Historic Downtown Brownsville, setting the stage for what is now a most popular feature of the festival: The Capitol Theatre Street Party!

On three stages in the streets of Brownsville's Historic Downtown District, more than a dozen acts played to the crowds at no charge! The line-up included an unforgettable one-time production featuring Ani and the Brownsville Latin Jazz All-Stars with the Unlimited Salsa Dancers, the Hopalong, Severo y Cartas Band with Ensamble La Misión, the Bongo Dogs, the New World Jazz Quintet, the Eddie de la Garza Band and the incredible Los Fresnos High School Jazz Band.

2nd Annual Brownsville Latin Jazz Festival - 1998

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. 

1st Annual Brownsville Latin Jazz Festival - 1997

The First Annual Latin Jazz Festival started out with a bang. Little did we know then what a great musical tradition it would eventually become!

It featured a host of artists, proud to be headlined by none other than the late, great King of Latin Music, TITO PUENTE! His open­hearted personality and unequaled magnetism will never be forgotten by those lucky enough to be there.

The inaugural also featured the Jesus Enriquez Orchestra, a 14-piece salsa band from Chicago, Santa, a super-hot Salsera from Mexico City, and Frank y Son Seis, led by the great vocalist Frank Bravo from San Miguel de Allende. Our very own nationally-recognized UTB/TSC Jazz Band also played, impressing Tito who enjoyed their entire performance from the front row!