This Saturday the party will be set up in the Bronx with the Aragón Orchestra. After an unwanted cancellation due to immigration paperwork, the Cuban group returns after six years to the stage of the Lehman Center for the Performing Arts.
“We will take a musical tour that will range from the most classic of our repertoire to the most current and innovative. In this show we will also have the immense honor of having Pupi Legarreta as a guest and, of course, you will not be able to miss a musical download with the maestro”, assures its director, Rafael Lay Jr.
Lay Jr. refers to the well-known Cuban violinist, pianist, flutist, composer and singer Pupi Legarreta, 83, who lives in New York and was part of the Fania Stars.
The prominent musician also points out that every time they set foot in the city they receive very positive energy and unmatched affection.
“The brass band itself had a lot of influence in New York, many orchestras of this format were born there and we are pleased to have contributed our bit to it and thus earn the affection that both the public and the artists offer us”, he highlights.
The group returns to the city after six years./Courtesy
And New York has also given them many unforgettable anecdotes.
“We were playing at Lincoln Center celebrating our 60th anniversary, when in the middle of the concert, performing “Ask me how I am?”, we had to stop because there was a person in the audience who had some problem (apparently cardiovascular) due to the emotion. They helped him and we continued later, but it was a tense moment”, says the musician.
The orchestra known as “The jewels of Cuban music” will bring the songs from its last two albums, “Icono” and “Cha cha chá: homage to the traditional”, with which it won the Latin Grammy in 2020 and 2021, at the category of Best Traditional Tropical Album. But they will not forget classics such as “Stop the coachman”, “Ask me how I am”, “El paso de Encarnación”, “Bruca Maniguá” and “Siboney”.
The stop in NYC is part of his “Icono Tour” which will begin in several cities in the United States and then will go through the Dominican Republic, Colombia, Europe and other latitudes. Said tour will serve to present its new singer Alexander Martínez, after the death on August 22 of Ernesto Bacallao Serrano, who was the main voice of the band for almost 30 years.
“With the tour we will be celebrating the Grammys and also releasing some musical singles, so always pay attention to our networks,” emphasizes Lay Jr.
The Aragón Orchestra was founded in 1939 by double bass player Orestes Aragón in Cienfuegos, Cuba. Since its creation it has established itself as the Cuban group representing cha cha chá, danzón and son. With a discography that exceeds 100 records, the band has earned a well-deserved place in the Latin Music Hall of Fame in both New York (1999) and Las Vegas (2012). In 2005, Unesco declared it a World Heritage Site in 2005 and awarded it the Pablo Picasso Medal.
In detail:
What: Concert by the Aragon Orchestra
When: Saturday April 29 at 8:00 pm
Where: Lehman Center for the Performing Arts (250 Bedford Park Boulevard West, Bronx)
Information and tickets: by calling 718-960-8835 or at https://www.lehmancenter.org/events/orquesta-aragon.