Jazz Appreciation Month: Steven Oquendo’s Afinque @ UMSV

Afro-Cuban and Latin Jazz Magic with Steven Oquendo’s Afinque 

Kick off your weekend with an evening of the rich sounds of trumpets, trombones, and percussion featuring Steven Oquendo’s Afinque. Bring your friends, family, or simply your love for music and join us for a night filled with jazz rhythms at the Blackbox Theater, located at the University of Mount Saint Vincent.

Steven Oquendo’s nine-piece ensemble brings to life the sounds and rhythms of the classic Palladium-era Afro-Cuban, salsa, and mambo repertoire.

Steven Oquendo: Keeping Afro-Cuban & Latin Jazz Traditions Alive

As a passionate trumpeter, composer, educator, and bandleader with Dominican and Puerto Rican roots, Steven Oquendo is committed to preserving the traditions of Afro-Cuban and Latin Jazz with The Steven Oquendo Latin Jazz Orchestra (SOLJO), a 19-piece Big Band.

Steven has performed at renowned venues and festivals such as Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Dizzy’s Club, the Summer for the City Festival, and the Hostos Center for Arts & Culture. He has also performed at iconic locations like Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and Madison Square Garden.  Additionally, he hosts a bi-weekly residency with SOLJO at Mamajuanas Café in the Bronx.

Beginning his trumpet studies at the age of 10, Steven later joined the award-winning LaGuardia Concert Jazz Ensemble, which won first place in Jazz at Lincoln Center’s inaugural Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition in 1996. In 1998, he earned the Outstanding Soloist Award from Wynton Marsalis during the competition. That same year, he was selected to be part of the prestigious Grammy All-American High School Jazz Orchestra.

Steven has performed or collaborated with notable artists such as Celia Cruz, Juan Luis Guerra, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Destiny’s Child, Swizz Beats, Ruben Blades, Eddie Palmieri, Milly Quezada, and Wynton Marsalis, and Jon Faddis.

MAP AND DIRECTIONS
The event will be held in the Blackbox at Founders Hall