Tito Puente Jr. honors the memory of his father, Tito Puente, The King of Salsa, by celebrating America’s birthday with a music and dance fest on Woodrow Wilson Plaza at noon.
“My dad was an amazing man,” he says. “He celebrated all the important holidays — Thanksgiving, Christmas, Father’s Day — and always made it a point to be home for them with the family, even though he spent at least 200 days on the road every year. He was a great provider, a great believer in celebrating freedom, and he loved July Fourth, so it’s especially appropriate that I’m performing in Washington on that day.”
When Tito Puente died on May 31, 2000, his son never anticipated following in his footsteps, but by then his infectious mambo dance music had spread unbridled around the world and thrilled a new generation.
Realizing that the public awaited a successor to his father’s legacy, young Tito was compelled to share the percussion magic he mastered as a youngster.
Today at 27, he conducts and performs the timeless Latin music before audiences who adored his father and youth who succumb to the rhythms.
“He pushed me to get a formal musical education so I could read and write music,” Puente says.
“I studied music, but I learned best by observing him. On weekends or in the summer during junior high and high school, I went on the road with him and was fascinated watching how he interacted with people.
“His up-tempo music crosses borders. While my wife and I were in Hawaii earlier this month, we metJapanese salsa dancers, and when we went to Seoul, Korea, the people were jumping up to dance. This music is family-oriented and brings people together.”
Tito Puente’s music and his expansive personality were his gifts to the world. It was impossible not to love him and feel happiness in his presence. His appearance on “The Simpsons” as voice-over for the cartoon of his likeness was one of the highest-rated shows ever of that series. When “The Mambo King” was released in 1992, the film took him to a new level, confirming his impact on American culture. In his honor, the family provides music scholarships to New York-area school-children.
The release in 2004 of the album “En Los Zapatos De Me Padre” (In My Father’s Shoes) was proof that Tito Puente Jr. is dedicated to carrying on his father’s legacy. Fronting his 11-piece band as percussionist in both Tito Puente classics and new tunes, he exhibits inherited fire and electricity, the perfect prelude to the fireworks on the Mall later in the day.
IF YOU GO
» Tito Puente Jr., The Prince of Salsa, spices up the national holiday
When: Noon to 1:30 p.m.
Venue: Live! On Woodrow Wilson Plaza, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Tickets: Free
Info: [email protected]
