Review: JAIME LOZANO & THE FAMILIA CELBRANDO THE HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH at Feinstein's/54 Below... FINALLY!

Love was in the air last Thursday because it was Family Night at Feinstein's. To be precise, it was the debut performance of Jaime Lozano & The Familia at the Midtown Manhattan Supper Club, and where Jaime and The Familia go, love leads the way.

The Familia is a performing arts cooperative headed by Lozano and populated by Latin and Hispanic members of the arts community, and for those curious to know: Latin and Hispanic are not the same thing, though they are related. The time from September fifteenth through October fifteenth 2021 celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month, recognizing the achievements and contributions of Hispanic American champions who have inspired others to achieve success (per Hispanicheritagemonth.gov) and Mr. Lozano and The Familia were invited to 54 Below to perform Jaime Lozano & THE FAMILIA: CELEBRANDO THE HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH, which is precisely what they did. More to the point, though, was their ongoing celebration of the family that they are building, one made up of real-life families, the family of artists, the family of Latins, and the family of people who love and support one another enough to invest in each other.

With Mr. Lozano at the helm, and at the keyboards, The Familia presented an evening of songs composed by him, with lyrics by various collaborators, all of the songs ranging in specificity of topic, but every one of them about the Hispanic experience, some with lyrics in English, others in Spanish, and some sung in both languages, the way that nature intended. Curating six actors from the extensive Familia cooperative, Mr. Lozano spent seventy-five minutes engaged in the act of sharing his loves with an audience primarily made up of other Latin and Hispanic folks, though not entirely, and for the members of the club patronage born into a different heritage, it was an experience never to be forgotten.

It is hugely important for everyone to take side trips, in life, to learn about the other beautiful cultures around us, the ones we don't see every day, and from which we can learn. At 54 Below on Thursday last, the Hispanic and Latin lifestyle was in full force, as each member of the cast shared their pride through lyrics provided by Lozano's colleagues, and astounding vocals (and dance moves!) emboldened by Lozano's music. As Jaime and co. spoke in their mother tongue, jovial patrons answered from their seats and laughter ensued, the result being the feel of a back yard party where love flows as easily as the drinks, and the food is as flavorful as music causing all to move their hips to and fro. The vibe of the evening was as important a part of the night as Lozano's music because it fed the performers and their storytelling, which, in turn, nurtured the audience, who responded in kind, making a never-ending cycle of communication. Nobody could have, better, driven this movement than Jaime Lozano.

Easily the most adorable, lovable, and naturally funny human being on earth, Jaime Lozano should have a show all his own. It goes completely against his mission statement as a man and an artist, which is to present The Familia, but there can be nobody who has watched Jaime host an evening, who has listened to him talk, who has laughed at his playful humor, sometimes intentional, sometimes un, but always genuine and genuinely-meant, that would not validate the suggestion. The man may have the biggest heart in the business... and the biggest funny bone, as evidenced by every choice he made during the hour plus program. But no matter how great a solo hour of Jaime Lozano talking about his life and work would be, it wouldn't work. It wouldn't work because so much of what comes out of Jaime's mouth and his heart is based on those people up at the microphone... and the six people he had singing his music last week were exciting and exceptional.

Performing everything from hard-hitting emotional ballads to rhythmic upbeat celebratory songs, Javier Ignacio, Marina Pires, J.J. Caruncho, Arianna Rosario, Omar Lopez-Cepero, and Florencia Cuenca (Lozano) didn't just bring the vocals, they brought the stories, and both were mind-blowing. People talk about "Fiery Latins" and those hearing the phrase might get a visual of hot-tempered stereotypes from television shows and Broadway musicals. What people SHOULD be thinking about when they hear mention of a Fiery Latin is how deeply the people of this culture feel. When an actor plays, or a singer sings, and they are a member of the LatinX community, there is a palpable connection to the material, to the story, to the experience: that is because they feel. Underline it. They FEEL. It is a part of their culture, it is a part of their blood, it is a part of their upbringing, and it informs every aspect of their life, which is why the cast of CELEBRANDO excelled in the extreme on Thursday night - that and the inspiration created by Lozano's compositions and leadership, both of which are considerable, though there is a discernible difference in the quality of each song, which is to be expected when one works with as many lyricists as Jaime does. It would be interesting to explore what would happen if he linked up with only one lyricist for an extended time to see if an artistic pattern, a voice, a vibe would develop; it doesn't seem likely because Jaime definitely loves all his lyricists and enjoys playing with all of them - and raising them to the light. There is tangible proof that what Lozano lives for is the usage of his artistry and industry to create a greater awareness of his heritage and the artists in his Familia, and it is a noble goal in life for just one man.

In one of the most touching moments of the performance, Lozano's piano bench came perilously close to slipping back off of the stage and Javier Ignacio, seated behind and below, said he would catch Jaime, should he fall. The bandleader missed not a beat before replying in his beautiful broken English that you could listen to all day:

"We should catch each other and we should raise each other up."

Therein lies the essence of Jaime Lozano and of his work. Therein lies the credo of The Familia. In fact, therein lies the theme of Jaime Lozano's next song. The Familia could certainly use an anthem - after all, the movement has been started and it's not going to stop any time soon. Not if Jaime Lozano has anything to do about it.

Find great shows to see at 54 Below HERE and visit the Jaime Lozano website HERE.

The CELEBRANDO THE HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH musicians were Joel Mateo (drums), Jhoely Garay (guitar), Rubén Rodríguez (bass), and musical director/conductor Jaime Lozano (piano and guitar)

In order to fully credit the lyricists of the songs performed, the set list for the evening appears below:

1. The Generic Immigrant Welcome Song

(Lyrics by Noemi de la Puente)

Performed by Javier Ignacio

2. The Other Side

(Lyrics by Neena Beber)

Performed by Florencia Cuenca

3. Te Soñé

(Lyrics by Jaime Lozano)

Performed by Marina Pires

4. You Are The Reason

(Lyrics by Michael Cooper and Jaime Lozano)

Performed by J.J. Caruncho

5. Subway Stops Away

(Lyrics by Nancy Cheser)

Feat. Arianna Rosario

6. Hold Tight

(Lyrics by Mark-Eugene Garcia)

Performed by Javier Ignacio

7. Mi Perú

(Lyrics by Nancy Cheser and Jaime Lozano)

Performed by Javier Ignacio

8. Mountain in the Sky

(Lyrics by Marina Pires)

Performed by Marina Pires

9. DJ Can You Hear?

(Lyrics by Nancy Cheser)

Performed by Arianna Rosario and Omar Lopez-Cepero

10. No Podemos Regresar

(Lyrics by Tommy Newman and Jaime Lozano)

Performed by Florencia Cuenca

11. Dreamer

(Lyrics by Georgie Castilla)

Performed by Omar Lopez-Cepero

12. Libre (ENCORE)

(Lyrics by David Davila and Jaime Lozano)

Performed by Florencia Cuenca

ALL MUSIC BY Jaime Lozano

The cast of CELEBRANDO THE HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH gets a four-and-a-half out of five microphones rating for the occasional use of a lyric sheet, tablet, or music stand.

Photos by Stephen Mosher

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