Orchestra Mambo International – Tito Puente Tribute / Band On The Wall

After a great and packed debut show at the venue back in July 2023, we just had to bring back DJ Lubi and Orchestra Mambo International with their “Mambo King : A Musical Tribute To Tito Puente” set. A full night of classic mambo, salsa, Latin jazz and cha cha cha celebrating one of the greatest Latin American musicians and bandleaders of all time…..the one and only TITO PUENTE!

A New York born Puerto Rican, Tito was one of the greatest and best known musicians in Latin American music with a career that spanned over 50 years from the 1940s to 2000. A pioneer of mambo and cha cha cha in the 1950s, the king of salsa in the 1970s and a godfather of Latin jazz in the 1980s, Tito released over 100 albums under his name and appeared on many more as a guest. A master of the timbales and the vibes, he was also a prolific composer who wrote many Latin music anthems including his greatest hit ever “Oye Como Va”. Already a Latin music standard by 1970, it became a worldwide pop hit when rock guitarist Carlos Santana covered it that year bringing a whole new generation of fans to Tito Puente’s music. He became a worldwide icon who was known outside of Latin American music and culture, even appearing as himself in a classic episode of The Simpsons and playing live with his band on “The Cosby Show’ in the 1980s. In 2023, it was the centenary of Tito’s birth (20th April) and his music is still giving joy to millions of people worldwide as new fans keep discovering the Mambo King’s huge musical legacy.

Tonight, UK salsa legend DJ Lubi curates an evening of Tito Puente’s music played live by an 11 piece all-star salsa/mambo orchestra featuring musicians from the UK, Spain, Cuba, Colombia and Venezuela, under the direction of trombonist Jonny Enright (Grupo X). They’ll be performing classic Tito compositions such as “Mambo Gozon”, “Ran Kan Kan”, “Para Los Rumberos”, “Guaguanco Margarito”, “Nina y Señora”, “Picadillo”, “Hong Kong Mambo” and of course, “Oye Como Va”. The orchestra features musicians from Grupo X, The Gondwana Orchestra, Siete Rayos, Mojito Band, Snowboy & The Latin Section, The Haggis Horns and others who have played with Salsa Celtica, Oscar D’Leon, Larry Harlow, Tumbaito, La Clave, Joe Bataan, Dave Valentin, Bobby Matos and Jimmy Bosch – 4 brass, 3 percussion, piano, bass, vibes and lead vocals. The perfect combination to celebrate the music of “The King”.

The orchestra will be playing two sets of Tito’s greatest hits with DJ Lubi spinning classic salsa, mambo, son Cubano, guaguanco and cha cha cha before and between and AFTER the live sets.