{"id":5693,"date":"2025-03-13T18:57:09","date_gmt":"2025-03-13T18:57:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/islandflavaradio.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/13\/multi-grammy-nominated-band-to-play-tribute-concert-honoring-the-godfather-of-salsa\/"},"modified":"2025-03-13T18:57:09","modified_gmt":"2025-03-13T18:57:09","slug":"multi-grammy-nominated-band-to-play-tribute-concert-honoring-the-godfather-of-salsa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/islandflavaradio.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/13\/multi-grammy-nominated-band-to-play-tribute-concert-honoring-the-godfather-of-salsa\/","title":{"rendered":"Multi-Grammy nominated band to play Tribute Concert honoring the \u2018Godfather of Salsa\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

On March 15, The Bronx Music Hall (BMH) will host \u201cEl Ciego Maravilloso \u2013 The Blind Marvel: A Tribute to Arsenio Rodr\u00edguez,\u201d a special concert by the multi-Grammy nominated Bobby Sanabria Multiverse Big Band celebrating the legacy of the \u201cGodfather of Salsa.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

The 24-piece band, led by renowned drummer, percussionist, composer, arranger, radio host, documentary film producer, and educator Bobby Sanabria, will pay tribute to Rodr\u00edguez as they perform his most well-known compositions with new forward-thinking arrangements and compositions by artists whom Rodr\u00edguez influenced.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

Elena Martinez, co-artistic director of the Bronx Music Heritage Center, said, \u201cArsenio Rodr\u00edguez was more than a musical innovator \u2014 a visionary whose influence shaped the very foundation of salsa, and he called the Bronx home.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

She adds that people shouldn\u2019t miss this event because \u201dThis is more than a concert \u2014 it\u2019s a homecoming for the music that defines our borough.\u201d It will be an \u201celectrifying night of history, culture, and unstoppable rhythm.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

He was as transformative in Cuban music as Louis Armstrong was in jazz and is<\/span> recognized as the most crucial figure in the history of Afro-Cuban-based dance music. Rodr\u00edguez was the first bandleader to add the conga drum, piano, and multiple trumpets to perform Cuban son music and developed a new hard-driving rhythmic approach, which he called son montuno. This approach became the root of what became known as mambo, thus forming the template for what today is known in New York City and the world over as salsa.<\/span><\/p>\n

The concert will highlight vocalist Jennifer Jade Ledesma, a multilingual musical polyglot, and Oreste Abrantes on vocals and congas. Both are members of the Multiverse Big Band and featured on the orchestra\u2019s latest 2024 Grammy-nominated release, Vox Humana. The band will also feature renowned Cuban-born vocalist Gerardo Contino and tres and guitar master Benjamin Lapidus.<\/span><\/p>\n

Acclaimed as one of Cuba\u2019s most renowned bandleaders, Rodriguez was known by the sobriquet \u201cEl Ciego Maravilloso\u201d (the Blind Marvel); his blindness occurred when a mule kicked him in the head as a child. In 1947, he came to New York seeking medical attention to possibly restore his sight but was informed that his optic nerves had been destroyed. This experience led him to compose one of his most famous works, \u201cLa Vida es un Sue\u00f1o\u201d (\u201cLife is a Dream\u201d). <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0A screening of \u201cLa Vida es un Sue\u00f1o\u201d (\u201cLife is a Dream\u201d), a short film about Rodr\u00edguez, named after Rodriguez\u2019s famous composition of the same name,\u00a0by Cuban filmmaker Ariety Veunes Toro, will happen before the concert. <\/span><\/p>\n

The concert and screening at BMH, located at 438 East 163rd St., Bronx, NY 10451, will start at 7 p.m. <\/span><\/p>\n

Tickets are $25 and available to purchase by calling 917-557-2354 or online here: <\/span>https:\/\/ci.ovationtix.com\/36821\/production\/1222449?performanceId=11562197<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On March 15, The Bronx Music Hall (BMH) will host \u201cEl Ciego Maravilloso \u2013 The Blind Marvel: A Tribute to Arsenio Rodr\u00edguez,\u201d a special concert by the multi-Grammy nominated Bobby Sanabria Multiverse Big Band celebrating the legacy of the \u201cGodfather of Salsa.\u201d The 24-piece band, led by renowned drummer, percussionist, composer, arranger, radio host, documentary […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5693","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-latest-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/islandflavaradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5693","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/islandflavaradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/islandflavaradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/islandflavaradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/islandflavaradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5693"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/islandflavaradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5693\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/islandflavaradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5693"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/islandflavaradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5693"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/islandflavaradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5693"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}