MAMBO LEGENDS ORCHESTRA

MAMBO LEGENDS ORCHESTRA

Genres: salsa

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About MAMBO LEGENDS ORCHESTRA

The former musicians of the Tito Puente Orchestra have come together as the Mambo Legends Orchestra. The Mambo Legends Orchestra brings all of its incredible musicians together under their new name to bring their music to an international audience and to further explore the music which they have been masters of playing for over 30 years. The Mambo Legends Orchestra is led by John 'Dandy' Rodriguez, musically directed by Jose Madera, with Mitch Frohman, each having spent over 25 years working with Tito Puente. The focus of the band is driven by their dedication to keeping the sound of the 50's and 60's Palladium era music thriving and moving forward. The Orchestra has successfully kept the sound of the Big 3 (Machito, Tito Rodriguez and Tito Puente) alive and well, while allowing for its progression by working with new musical concepts. John 'Dandy' Rodriguez John grew up in New York City at a time when it was the heart and soul of Latin Jazz in this country. In 1962 at 17 years old John earned a place playing Bongo's in the Tito Puente Orchestra. This was the beginning of John's career and of a lifetime association with the King of Latin Music, Tito Puente. John spent over 30 years with the Tito Puente Orchestra, also working with Tito Rodriguez from 1965 to 1968 and with Ray Barretto from 1970 until the end of 1972. John went on to form his successful 'Tipica 73' band in 1972, which he was with until 1979. Following this he went back to work with Tito Puente, playing alongside him until the time of his death in May of 2000. A recent reorganization brings the former Tito Puente musicians together as the Mambo Legends Orchestra; as the band furthers its reach and continues to create music which overwhelms the senses and gives audiences worldwide a new standard for music of this genre. Over the course of his career, John has been recognized as one of the greatest players and innovators of Latin music. Working with Martin Cohen (the founder of Latin Percussion), John has opened many doors for Latin performers, spurring a recognizable change in Latin performers' abilities to entertain in Europe and around the world. John continues to work tirelessly to promote Latin music and further its progression worldwide. Jose Madera Born in New York City, son of Jose 'Pin' Madera, who was the first arranger for the Machito Orchestra, Jose spent 31 years with the Tito Puente Orchestra. While there, he served as a percussionist and later went on to become a musical arranger and the musical director of the orchestra. He has written many arrangements for countless commercial Latin artists and has recorded or worked with many of them as well. Some of them include Larry Harlow, Johnny Pacheco, Chico O'farill, Machito, Graciela, Mario Bauza, Willie Rosario, Earl Klughand, The Lincoln Center Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra, Celia Cruz, Tito Rodriguez, Fania All-Stars, Willie Colon, Joe Farrell and Eddie Palmieri to name a few. Jose has also worked and recorded with many pop, R&B and jazz artists. Some of them include Diana Ross, James Brown, Dizzy Gillespie, Paquito D'Rivera, George Benson and Lionel Hampton among others. Mr. Madera has performed on over 200 recordings. He has worked on several television show soundtracks, the most recent being 'The Simpsons' and several motion picture soundtracks, the most recent being 'The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love', where he was the musical arranger and conductor for the Tito Puente segment of the film. Jose also taught the art of playing Latin percussion instruments at BOYS HARBOR in New York City for 28 years. He is currently a Latin Percussion Company endorser/artist and has done and continues to do musical clinics around the country at various schools. He was the musical director of the Latin Giants of Jazz from 2001 to 2009. Jose continues his musical direction with the Mambo Legends Orchestra, a band comprised of former members of the Tito Puente Orchestra, which is dedicated to performing new creative Latin and Latin jazz concepts, as well as some of the music of Machito, Tito Rodriguez and Tito Puente. Mr. Madera has personally recreated and re-arranged much of the music that those bands performed during the heyday of the mambo at the Palladium Ballroom in New York City, considered by many critics to be the 'Greatest and most innovative era' in the history of Latin Music. Mitch Frohman Bronx native Mitch Frohman is one of the top saxophonist/flutists on the music scene. After graduating from Columbus H.S. (Bronx, NY class of 1971), he went on to get his Bachelor of Music Education degree from The University of Miami (class of 1975). His versatility in different styles of music has led him to many opportunities of playing with the greatest musicians in the world. For 25 years he was the sax and flute soloist with the Tito Puente Orchestra and Latin-Jazz Ensemble, Continuing that tradition, Mitch was the sax/flute soloist and the road manager for the Latin Giants of Jazz from 2001 to 2009. Mitch continues this work with the Mambo Legends Orchestra (the former musicians of the Tito Puente Orchestra). Some of the great Salsa and Latin Jazz artists he has played and or recorded with are Mongo Santamaria, Celia Cruz, La Lupe, Eddie and Charlie Palmieri, Paquito D'Rivera, Chico O'Farill Orchestra, Millie Jocelyn y Los Vecinos, Cheo Feliciano, Joe Cuba and many more. He has also played and or recorded with Cyndi Lauper, Paul Simon, David Byrne and The Talking Headsm and Blood, Sweat and Tears. Currently, besides leading the critically acclaimed latin-jazz and salsa dance band The Bronx Horns, Mitch is touring the world as the sax/flute soloist with the grammy award winning Spanish Harlem Orchestra. In addition to being an in-demand performer, Mitch is an accomplished clinician for students from elementary age to college/conservatory level (he was the first sax/flute instructor at the world famous Los Angeles Salsa Congress). And last, but not least, his signature solo sound can be heard somewhere in the world, every day, as he is the saxophone soloist on the theme song of the mega-hit TV show Sex & The City.

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