Salsa and Jazz Band Enchants Lehman

The Lehman Center for the Performing Arts kicked off its 32nd season with performances by Michel Camilo and Tipica ’73. On Saturday, September 15, jazz and salsa lovers alike came together to enjoy the works of pianist Michel Camilo, and to celebrate the 40th anniversary of salsa band Tipica ‘73. The concert was held at the Concert Hall and while the audience was predominately of an older crowd, none lacked rhythm. They swayed and clapped their hands when legendary Dominican pianist Michel Camilo took the stage. The trio recently got signed to Universal Records and features Giovanni Hidalgo on small percussion, and Lincoln Goins, who played the bass. They created a light, yet still powerful, sound; representative of Afro-Caribbean jazz. The trio performed Rumba Jazz pieces that were contemporary and modern. A crowd favorite was Giovanni Hidalgo. He played the conga drums effortlessly, and during his merengue tribute, his hands seemed unattached to his body as they moved at an incredible speed. The crowd clapped and cheered, and some even danced in their chairs. Grammy winner Michel Camilo’s piano playing was exceptionally well, due to the classical feel his performance delivered and his ability to control the dynamic ranges of the piano. Audience member Al Quiñones, resident and community organizer of the South Bronx, described Camilo as a “Dominican brother who is a virtuoso. He is every piano player’s nightmare, because he is just that good.” Quiñones also described the trio’s formation as a “thinking-out-the-box” jazz and Latin music progressive. “I always liked Jazz,”Quiñones said. “It has a never-ending period, while Latin usually has a period end. The two together created a new form of Jazz.” The second half of the performance was a reunion of the salsa group Tipica ‘73. Originally formed in New York City, the band was influential in the salsa progressive movement. Although all of the group’s members were not present, Aldaberto Santiago, lead singer of the band, sang along to many of the group’s hit classics, while also introducing members Tito Allen and Camilo Azuquita. Tipica ‘73 was known for playing salsa and the style of music called “Charanga.” The instruments that were featured were the flute, violin, and the percussions. “Yo Camino Mas,” was performed by guest star Frankie Vasquez and brought the crowd out their seats to dance to the music they grew up with. Jamie Alvarez, a resident of Bushwick, Brooklyn, expressed how happy he was to witness the event in the Bronx, the “borough of salsa.” To Alvarez, the reunion was a tribute to a “special time in history, and included many special guest stars.” The reunion was concluded with a jam session, which featured guest stars Orestes Vilato, Nicky Marrero, and Jimmy Delgado. The Bronx lived up to its “borough of salsa” title, bringing out the inner dancer out of audience members.

Rumpelstiltskin Musical (Meridian Newspaper)

Hide all of your children because Rumpelstiltskin is coming to Lehman. Media Credit: Lehman Today From May 9 to May 11, the popular childhood tale will be gracing the Lehman Stages in form of a musical featuring Lehman students and faculty as cast members. Dr. Penny Prince will be directing the musical rendition of this tale for the second time at Lehman. She believes her first production did not capture the story’s true essence. The musical will feature the same songs, new cast, but a brand new script. Prince has composed numerous musical theater pieces. She is a recipient of ten consecutive ASCAP merit awards for children and educational music. The Rumpelstiltskin tale originated in Germany and features a greedy king who is looking for a way to profit from his poor villagers. A miller hears of the king’s conquest and to feel important, he lies about his daughter’s ability to turn straw into gold. Enchanted by the fib, the king demands that the girl spend three nights turning all his excess straw to gold. Unable to make this happen the miller’s daughter becomes hopeless; until a gnome-like creature appears who seems to be the answer to her problems. The creature helps her spin straw into gold in exchange for jewelry, but once the girl runs out of items to give, the gnome asks the girl for a rare collateral – her first born child. The king then marries the miller’s daughter and when her first child is born the gnome appears ready for what they bargained. “Stories themselves have meaning, but it is important to know the psychological meaning behind the story,” Prince said. Through a creative process of improvisation Prince likes to use, the cast will write the Rumpelstiltskin script in its entirety. Prince said that she chose this method to help unravel a new side of the story. “The actors will explore these motives by questioning the actions of their characters and trying to come to a conclusion [about] why they behaved as they did,” she said. Prince believes that maintaining a creative mindset will empower her actors, granting them freedom and a special connectivity to their roles. To ensure that this happens, the cast members will meet once a week. Improvisation games will be used for warm ups and after that, the actors will get straight to work. In the first five weeks, the script is written as small groups work together to create dialogue that they believe will best embody their character. The group then comes together to focus on the musical component of this production. The music will be an outline to the story, the dialogue a partner. All of the musical pieces have been composed by Prince herself. When asked why Prince chose to make the Rumplestiltkin tale into a musical, she smiled. “Music is my thing” she said. “Songs are an expression of the being of the character. It is not a play with music, it is a musical. I also noticed Lehman’s lack of involvement in musical theater and wanted to change that.” Prince hopes that “Rumpelstiltskin” delivers a positive message to her audience and that they are reminded “to always look within a person to understand their actions.” She thinks that doing so is a direct combat against bullying and ultimately may encourage college students and others to do the same. Rumplestiltskin will be performed on Thursday May 9 at 7 p.m., Friday May 10 at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., Saturday May 11 at 2 p.m., and it will be featured on select airings for Bronxnet in June.