October 7, 2009 • 7 p.m.
Michigan Theater • free admission

WEMU and the Michigan Theater will present a free screening of the first installment of the new PBS documentary “Latin Music USA” followed by a discussion led by one of the series major consultants, percussionist Bobby Sanabria, Wednesday, October 7, at 7 p.m. This a rare opportunity to see the television program before it airs on PBS stations and to discuss Latin music one-on-one with Bobby Sanabria. WEMU is the only public radio station in Southeastern Michigan with programs dedicated to Latin music, Cuban Fantasy (Saturday 7-9 p.m.) and Brazilian Sol (Saturday 9-11 p.m.), which led to its being selected to host the screening.

Latin Music USA is a multi-media project anchored by a four-hour documentary series that will premiere in October 2009, during Hispanic Heritage Month, on PBS stations nationwide. The series delves in to fusions of Latin sounds with jazz, rock, country and blues. It explains an overlooked aspect of American musical history: the hybrid sounds created by Latinos that deeply enriched popular music in the US for more than five decades. The first program in the series traces the rise of Latin jazz and the explosion of the mambo and the cha cha chá. It will also explain how Latin music infiltrated R&B and rock and roll through the 1960s.

At the conclusion of the screening, drummer, percussionist, composer, arranger educator, recording artist and Latin jazz historian Bobby Sanabria will lead a question and answer session. Bobby, the son of Puerto Rican parents, was born and raised in the “Fort Apache” section of New York City’s South Bronx. Inspired and encouraged by Maestro Tito Puente, Bobby obtained a Bachelor of Music degree from Berklee College of Music, receiving Berklee’s prestigious Faculty Association Award for his work as an instrumentalist. Bobby is now a major leader in the Afro-Cuban and jazz fields and is recognized as one of the most articulate scholars of “la tradición” living today.

The free screening and talk will be moderated by WEMU’s music director, Linda Yohn and will take place in the Michigan Theater screening room.

The Michigan Theater is located at 603 East Liberty in Ann Arbor.