LEHMAN CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS presents The Spectacular Season Opening Concert with the Fantastic MAMBO LEGENDS ORCHESTRA, LUCRECIA and NELSON GONZALEZ with the DEL CARIBE LATIN JAZZ ALL STARS! at Lehman Center for the Performing Arts

Lehman Center for the Performing Arts is proud to present the Spectacular Season Opening Concert featuring THE MAMBO LEGENDS ORCHESTRA, LUCRECIA and NELSON GONZALEZ with the DEL CARIBE LATIN JAZZ ALL STARS on Saturday, September 16, 2023, at 7:30 pm! Produced by Robert Sancho. 

Lehman Center for the Performing Arts is on the campus of Lehman College/CUNY at 250 Bedford Park Boulevard West, Bronx, NY 10468. Tickets for THE MAMBO LEGENDS AND LUCRECIA on Saturday, September 16 2023, at 7:30 pm (VIP $100, $85, $65, $40, $35) can be purchased by calling the Lehman Center box office at 718-960-8833; Para Español: 718-960-8835 (Monday through Friday, 10 am–5 pm, and beginning 4 hours prior to showtime on weekends), or through online access. The Lehman Center is accessible by #4 or D train to Bedford Park Blvd. and is off the Saw Mill River Parkway and the Major Deegan Expressway.

The MAMBO LEGENDS ORCHESTRA was created in 2000 by former members of the Tito Puente Orchestra, led by John “Dandy” Rodriquez, Mitch Frohman, and musical director Jose Madera. Famed bongocero John “Dandy” Rodriguez began performing as a teenager with Tito Rodriguez. He played with Ray Barretto and Típica ’73 in the ‘70s before beginning his 27-year stint playing bongos in Tito Puente’s band. Bronx native Mitch Frohman was the sax and flute soloist with the Tito Puente Orchestra for 25 years and has also played and recorded with famed Latin artists, such as Eddie and Charlie Palmieri, Paquito D’Rivera, Chico O’Farrill, and the Grammy award-winning Spanish Harlem Orchestra. Musical director, timbalero and arranger Jose Madera started playing timbales with Machito as a teenager and was the first musical director for the Machito Orchestra. He was Tito Puente’s conguero for 30 years and has performed on over 100 recordings by Latin, pop, R&B, and jazz artists. Their release, Watch Out! ¡Ten Cuidao! (2011) was nominated for the Latin Grammy Award for Best Salsa Album and they were featured in the 2013 documentary film “For the Love of the Mambo.”

LUCRECIA was born in Cuba where she studied music and piano at El Instituto Superior de Arte. She joined the acclaimed all-female orchestra Anacaona where she contributed to the vocal arrangements, played the keyboard, and also did musical arrangements. She contributed to the soundtrack for the Oscar-nominated film Balseros, directed by Carles Bosch and Josep María Domenech. In 1996, she participated in the tour Three Generations of Cuban Musicians with Paquito D’Rivera and Patato Valdés and performed at Festival Womad in Cáceres and Las Palmas de Gran Canarias. She is the producer and creator of the social-cultural event Premios Alegría de Vivir. Her album titled Álbum de Cuba, which was produced with the collaboration of Celia Cruz and Andy García, was nominated by the Latin GRAMMYs as Best Contemporary Tropical Album in 2010. She collaborated on the American (2012) and Latin Grammy-award (2011) winning album The Last Mambo. She is currently on her AGUA’s tour in Spain and the US. 

Nelson Gonzalez, leader of the Del Caribe Latin Jazz All Stars and renowned tres player, was born in Puerto Rico and immigrated to New York in the 1960s. His first tres was lent to him by Andy Gonzalez and musicologist René López helped him learn how to play. In 1971, he performed his newfound instrument for the first time in Justo Betancourt's Orchestra. He went on to play in the Larry Harlow Orchestra, which led to the creation of the Revelation Orchestra with Ismael Miranda. In 1973, he joined Grupo Típica ‘73, which went on to win the Best Salsa Band in Latin America award at the 1976 World Salsa Festival. His other achievements include winning the Best Tres Player of the Year award by Latin New York Magazine (1997-1999) and participation in the Inauguration of President Jimmy Carter in 1977. He is also featured on five Grammy Award-winning albums from artists: Gloria Estefan, Tito Puente, and Eddie Palmieri. He is the leader and tres player of Del Caribe Latin Jazz All Stars, which features Johnny 'Dandy' Rodríguez, Bobby Allende, Rubén Rodríguez, Orestes Vilató, Ricardo Pons and Pete Nater. Nelson, along with this legendary band, released Gracias Dizzy in 2021, which is a tribute to Dizzy Gillespie.

Lehman Center for the Performing Arts, Inc. is supported, in part, by public funds through the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the New York City Council and the Bronx Delegation. Additional funding is provided by the New York State Council on the Arts with support from the office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. The 2023-2024 season is also made possible through sponsorships by Goya Foods, Con Edison, The Howard Gillman Foundation, Havana Café, and Friends of Lehman Center.