Crane Latin Ensemble Presents '¡Dance Mania!' with Guest Artists

POTSDAM, NY (02/23/2012)(readMedia)-- The Crane Latin Ensemble will present a stirring spring concert on March 2 with guest artist Mambo Legends Orchestra saxophonist Mitch Frohman and members of the SUNY Potsdam Cari Danco dance troupe. The "¡Dance Mania!" concert will be offered at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, March 2 in Helen M. Hosmer Concert Hall at SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music.

The concert will feature repertory by Latin music luminaries, such as Hugo Gonzalez's "Rumba Para Todo El Mundo," and choreography and performances by Cari Danco on stage. The repertoire also includes two of Frohman's compositions, "Mitch's Mambo" and "Watch Out."

The Crane Latin Ensemble musicians are currently participants in the documentary project "For the Love of the Mambo." The project captures the experiences of both veteran musicians who played for decades under Tito Puente and young performers of the Crane Latin Ensemble, many of whose first in-depth Latin musical experience began as undergraduate students at SUNY Potsdam. The project will weave the two story lines together and promote the education of Latin music, its culture and rich history for years to come.

In May 2011, the ensemble performed in Pachuca, Mexico to launch an inter-institutional relationship between the Universidad Autonoma del Estado de Hidalgo and SUNY Potsdam. In 2010, the ensemble performed as featured young artists hosted by the University of the Americas and the Mexican Tourism Bureau in Puebla, Mexico. They have also performed in concert with Canada's Capitol Brassworks.

The Cari Danco dance troupe was founded by Assistant Professor of Dance A'Keitha Carey. The group performs CaribFunk, a style Carey developed fusing contemporary ballet and modern with traditional dance forms of the African Diaspora -- Congolese, Haitian, Afro-Cuban and Caribbean -- in addition to fitness and somatic principles layered with dynamic and sensual rhythmic tones.

About the guest artist:

Bronx native Mitch Frohman is one of the top saxophonist/flutists on the music scene. After graduating from Columbus High School he went on to get his bachelor's degree in music education from the University of Miami. His versatility in different styles of music has led to many opportunities of playing with the greatest musicians in the world. For 25 years, he was the saxophone and flute soloist with the Tito Puente Orchestra and Latin Jazz Ensemble. Frohman continues his work today as co-leader of the Mambo Legends Orchestra (which consists of the former musicians of the Tito Puente Orchestra). Some of the great salsa and Latin jazz artists he has played and recorded with are Mongo Santamaria, Celia Cruz, La Lupe, Eddie and Charlie Palmieri, Paquito D'Rivera, the Chico O'Farill Orchestra, Millie, Jocelyn y Los Vecinos, Cheo Feliciano, Joe Cuba and many more. He has also performed with Cyndi Lauper, Paul Simon, the Talking Heads and Blood, Sweat and Tears. Currently, besides leading the critically acclaimed Latin jazz and salsa dance band the Bronx Horns, Frohman is touring the world as the sax/flute soloist with the Grammy Award-winning Spanish Harlem Orchestra. His signature sound can also be heard as the saxophone soloist on the theme song of the mega-hit television show "Sex and the City."

This concert is free, and the public is invited to attend.

The Crane Latin Ensemble is one of the premier performing ensembles at SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music. Founded by Dr. Marsha Baxter, the 28-member ensemble reflects the diverse musical life at Crane with strings, brass, percussion, piano, woodwinds and voice.

To learn more about the long tradition of innovation at Crane, visit www.potsdam.edu/crane.

Founded in 1886, SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music has a long legacy of excellence in music education and performance. Life at Crane includes an incredible array of more than 300 recitals, lectures and concerts presented by faculty, students and guests each year. The Crane School of Music is the State University of New York's only All-Steinway institution, and is celebrating its 125th anniversary in 2011-12.

-www.potsdam.edu/crane-