Spanish Harlem Orchestra
Spanish Harlem Orchestra, a Latin jazz big band led by pianist Oscar Hernández, sets the standard for authentic New York City-style salsa dura (hard salsa). Featuring an ensemble of thirteen world-class musicians and vocalists, the orchestra performs a musically precise, fresh, and exciting take on salsa.
“The best thing at the Newport Jazz Festival was the Spanish Harlem Orchestra,” raves a critic for The New York Times. “They make you get up and dance, tap into the good-natured, communal spirit characteristic of salsa at its timeless best,” writes a Los Angeles Times reviewer.
SHO, as the band is known to its fans, is dedicated to the sounds of the barrio. Its music is characterized by the raw, organic, and vintage soul of the genre.
The band’s fifth album, Spanish Harlem Orchestra (2014), features guests Chick Corea and Joe Lovano. Each of the band’s previous recordings earned a Grammy nomination, with wins for Across 110th Street (2004) and United We Swing (2007).
“Spanish Harlem Orchestra will be a bounty for both wallflowers and hipshakers,” writes a reporter for Time Out New York.
sponsor
Foxdale Village, A Quaker-Directed Continuing Care Retirement Community
support provided by
Glenn and Nancy Gamble Endowment
This presentation is part of the Center for the Performing Arts Diversity and Inclusion Collaborative, which seeks to: immerse an array of people in the performing arts; educate the community about cultures and art forms different from the familiar; influence thinking so we become a community that embraces diversity and promotes inclusion; ensure the activities of the collaborative have a sustainable impact on the community. Funds from across Penn State and throughout the community support the initiative. The University’s Equal Opportunity Planning Committee provides lead funding. Sandra Zaremba and Richard Brown provide support.
