The evening will feature live painting from visual artist TBA.
Guitarist, composer, and educator Richard Peña is a rising force in Latin jazz, blending Afro-Caribbean traditions with modern jazz innovation. Named Youth Jazz Ambassador by the Humacao Friends of Jazz Association, Peña has performed internationally as a bandleader and alongside Grammy-winning artists such as Horacio “El Negro” Hernández, Dafnis Prieto, Henry Cole, Richie Flores, Charlie Sepúlveda, Carlos Vives, and Victor Manuelle.
Piraguas y Piropos came from an absence in musical representation locally to have an ensemble that actively performs Jibaro Music (also known as Puerto Rican Folkloric Traditional Music) in Chicago. Outside of its presence in mainland Puerto Rico, the music we play is not only an act of performance but an essential piece of keeping alive a severely underrepresented form of music. Both musicians were raised and taught in the Puerto Rican tradition with an ample background studying and performing jazz to incorporate elements of jazz into Jibaro music without losing the essence of it. A lot of Jibaro music has classical music background but also offers the flavor and syncopations of the Caribbean, bringing a dance element that makes it well received by a large audience. We’ve landed on a format that allows us to revere our origins while incorporating an openness to improvise in a way that keeps it fresh every time it is performed.
7:30 PIRAGUAS Y PIROPOS
Jose Carrasquillo – Cuatro
Marcos Rios – Guitar
Tommy Carroll – Percussion
8:45 RICHARD PENA GROUP
Richard Peña – Guitar
Neil Carson – Sax
Freddie Quintero – Bass
Jonathon Wenzel – Drums
Victor Junito Gonzalez – Conga
7pm Doors
7:30pm Show
$15 Suggest Donation
FREE PARKING
