By Shaun Brady, For The Inquirer, POSTED: March 15, 2013
Trombonist Angel "Papo" Vazquez has long credited music for rescuing him from the streets of North Philadelphia, where he grew up. The neighborhood around his home near Eighth Street and Indiana Avenue was divided by gang rivalries, which he strove to avoid.
"Philadelphia was pretty segregated back then," Vazquez recalls. "I remember having to run from my house to my high school and back again before I got run out of the neighborhood."
But that uneasy intermingling of African American and Latino also contributed to Vazquez' love of jazz and of traditional Puerto Rican music. If music saved him from the neighborhood, the neighborhood paved the way toward his innovative Latin jazz sound.
"My father and grandfather ran bodegas," Vazquez explains. "I remember, as a young man, bringing deliveries to a gentleman in the black community, and he'd invite me to sit down and play me some jazz. I grew up surrounded by music."
The fruits of that upbringing will be on lively display Saturday, when Vazquez, 55, brings his Mighty Pirate Troubadours septet to the Painted Bride to headline their "Bésame Brew" annual fund-raiser. The band, whose last performance at the Bride was recorded for a Grammy-nominated CD release, will play from their latest album, Oasis, which features guest appearances by Wynton Marsalis and Regina Carter.
The event, which will also feature a silent art auction, dinner, karaoke singing, and salsa dance instruction, celebrates 40 years of jazz at the Bride. Before Vazquez' show, there will be a performance by a quartet version of the Fresh Cut ensemble of young Philly jazz musicians that made its debut in November at the Bride.
The Bride and Vazquez share a commitment to encouraging young musicians. Vazquez has returned to Philly often over the years to work with AMLA, the local organization dedicated to nurturing Latin American music. Last year, he created a library of rhythmically diverse music for AMLA's School for the Performing Arts.
Read more: http://articles.philly.com/2013-03-15/news/37717201_1_latin-jazz-jazz-musicians-wynton-marsalis
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