At the center of the festival -- which features such luminaries as virtuoso trumpeter Charlie Sepulveda, singer/composer Miguel “Menique" Barcasnegras and top-ranked timbale player Edwin Clemente -- is Hartford's own Ray Gonzlez, the great Latin jazz and salsa trumpeter/composer/arranger/bandleader/educator. Since coming to Hartford from his native Puerto Rico in the 1970s, Gonzlez has been a vital force for Latin music in New England.
Besides being a respected educator in Hartford, he also has been a much sought-after side man who has played and/or recorded with such Latin music giants as Tito Puente, Charlie Palmieri, Eddie Palmieri, Giovanni Hidalgo and a host of others. Since 1989, Gonzlez has been the musical director for Guakia, the Puerto Rican/Latino arts, education and cultural center in Hartford.
The festival is both a celebration of Guakia's 25th anniversary and a tribute to Gonzlez, who is low-key and modest offstage, a dynamo on the bandstand and an ardent advocate for Latin music.
For more information contact All About Jazz.
