Jazz Caliente is celebrating a little extra this week.
Spanish pianist Marina Albero's birthday is July 9 and the Spanish Harlem Orchestra's latest album got a stellar review in Downbeat Magazine.
Albero will also be a featured artist at the KNKX Picnic in the Park and Night of Jazz Piano coming up on July 14. It's the first event in the Summer Series at thenewly redesigned Volunteer Park amphitheater.
We'll celebrate her birthday by starting Saturday's show with "19 y 42" from her album, "A Life Soundtrack." Here's Albero's dazzling tribute to Chick Corea:
The Spanish Harlem Orchestra's new album "Imágenes Latinas" earned a 4-star review this week in the August edition of Downbeat Magazine.
In a recent interview with KNKX, bandleader Oscar Hernandez spoke about the roots of the new album and sustaining the band for 20 years.
The title track of the new album was originally written by Hernandez for the group Conjunto Libre, an influential band that incorporated jazz, Afro-Cuban, and Afro-Puerto Rican rhythms.
Catch them at Dimitriou's Jazz Alley July 14 through 18.
Jazz Caliente airs Saturdays at 5 p.m. The show is hosted by Robin Lloyd and produced by KNKX Public Radio.
