Bronx Music Hall Will Pay Tribute to 'The Godfather Of Salsa' Arsenio Rodríguez

The Bronx Music Hall (BMH) will host “El Ciego Maravilloso – The Blind Marvel: A Tribute to Arsenio Rodríguez,” a special concert by the multi-Grammy nominated Bobby Sanabria Multiverse Big Band celebrating the legacy of the “godfather of salsa.” The 24-piece band will pay tribute to Rodríguez as they perform his most well-known compositions with new forward-thinking arrangements and compositions by artists who Rodríguez influenced. The performance will be recorded for release.

Rodríguez—also known as El Ciego Maravilloso (The Blind Marvel)—made the South Bronx his home and is considered the most important musician in the history of Afro-Cuban-based dance music (salsa and son). A master of the mandolin sounding Cuban Tres, he was the first to add the conga drum to band performance and the piano to play son and salsa. He also developed the multi-horn mambo concept and created the son montuno, the rhythmic foundation of salsa.