The Wellesley College Concert Series Presents
Rebeca Mauleón
Latin Jazz Residency
Evening Concert:
Rebeca Mauleón & the Afro Kuban Quartet
Saturday, October 3, 8:00pm
Jewett Auditorium
with Justo Almarios, saxophone; Carlitos Puerto, bass; Jimmy Branly, drums
Midday Muse: The Afro-Cuban Roots of Jazz
Thursday, October 1, 12:30pm
Jewett Auditorium
Latin Jazz Jam and Dance
Friday, October 2, 7:30pm
Jewett Music Salon (room 372) & Sculpture Court
with Luis Sanchez-Artu and Elizabeth Pabon from Metamovements Dance Company
Public Workshop: Cuban Rhythm Inside Out
Saturday, October 3, 1:00pm
Jewett Music Salon
About the Performers
Rebeca Mauleón is a prolific pianist, composer, bandleader, educator and author who has graced the stage and
studio with such renowned recording artists as Carlos Santana, Tito Puente, “Cachao”, Steve Winwood, Sheila E,
Joe Henderson, Mickey Hart, Arturo Sandoval and many others. She is one of very few female bandleaders in Latin
music and has toured and performed internationally for over thirty years. Rebeca’s compositions, arrangements and
recording credits have been featured on numerous GRAMMY-winning and nominated albums, and she has also
composed music for television, film, symphony orchestra and software companies. Her pianistic and conducting
styles have been lauded as “fiery” and “visceral,” and she has been called “one of the hippest bandleaders in Latin
music today.” Mauleón is a Grammy-nominated producer and also a contributing writer to National Geographic
and Jazz Times Magazine as well as other national music publications, and is Director of Education of SFJAZZ (the
San Francisco Jazz Organization).
Justo Almario is a native of Colombia, reedman, clinician, composer and arranger Justo Almario has fused Latin,
Afro-Cuban, South American, funk and jazz genres into his own humble offering. Mr. Almario studied at the
prestigious Berklee School of Music before a stint with Mongo Santamaria as the band’s musical director. Justo has
performed with Patrice Rushen’s Grammy Awards Orchestra, Freddie Hubbard, Roy Ayers, George Duke, Tito
Puente, Machito, Dave Grusin, Ndugu Chancler, Alex Acuna, Abraham Laboriel, Harold Land Jr. Al Mckibbon,
Bebe Winans, Queen Latifah, Charles Mingus, Chaka Kahn, Linda Rondstadt, Herb Alpert, Bobby Shew, Billy
Higgins, Jose Rizo’s Jazz on the Latin Side All-Stars, and many others. He is on the faculty at UCLA’s Dept of
Ethnomusicology.
Carlitos Del Puerto has been in great demand since his arrival to the United States from Cuba, performing,
touring and recording with a broad range of acclaimed international stars including Chick Corea, Steve Lukather,
Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, Celia Cruz, Don Grusin, Ricky Martin, Gloria Gaynor, Paquito De Rivera, Patti
Labelle, John Secada, Sheila E, Chucho Valdés, Roy Hargrove, David Sanchez, Danilo Perez, Gonzalo Rubalcaba,
Steve Coleman, and many others. While still in Cuba and attending the music conservatory, Carlitos recorded with
influential pianist and composer Emiliano Salvador on the artist’s final recording, and clearly benefitted from the
musical legacy of his father, Carlos Del Puerto, bassist with the seminal group Irakere. Bass Player magazine has
consulted and quoted Carlitos numerous times in their features on Cuban bass technique, and he continues an
active touring schedule with many of the biggest names in pop, jazz and Afro-Cuban music.
Jimmy Branly was born in Havana, Cuba and at the young age of 9, his father introduced him to rock music of
the rock band, Deep Purple. His professional career began at the age of 15 with numerous Afro-Cuban jazz bands,
and evolved to more traditional Cuban salsa in the late 1990s when he joined forces with vocalist and bandleader
Issac Delgado, NG La Banda, and others. However, his eclectic sound would further evolve when he worked with
Gonzalo Rubalcaba, who taught him to play with the more sensitive range of the instrument. Among the many
artists with whom Jimmy has performed and recorded are Chucho Valdes, Flora Purim and Airto Moreira, Michael
Nesmith, Strunz and Farah, Celia Cruz, Tito Nieves, Sheila E, Jimmy Haslip, Russell Ferrante, Francisco Aguabella,
Poncho Sanchez, Luis Conte, Justo Almario, Alex Acuña, Gregg Bissonette, Marvin “Smitty” Smith, Andy Narell,
Andy Garcia, Doc Severinsen, Jazz on the Latin Side All Stars, Billy Childs, Kellye Gray, Don Grusin, Omar Sosa,
and many others. Jimmy is also much in-demand as a recording engineer and producer.
Midday Muse
The Afro-Cuban Roots of Jazz
Thursday, October 1 /12:30pm
Jewett Auditorium
From the so-called Spanish tinge to the mambo and beyond, jazz and Cuban music share a legacy of ancestral
rhythms and melodies tracing back centuries. Rebeca Mauleón will highlight the intersection between two
musical traditions born in the Americas, and trace their respective evolution and mutual influence over the
centuries. Mauleón, joined by percussionist Miké Ringquist, will share historic audio recordings and provide live
demonstration, with plenty of opportunity for participation and Q&A.
Featuring Rebeca Mauleón & Mikael Ringquist
Mikael Ringquist was born in Stockholm, Sweden. He signed his first professional recording contract at age 17
with Sound of Scandinavia Records. In 1983 Mikael moved to Boston where he completed his studies in 1987 at
Berklee College of Music, majoring in Film Scoring. During his studies at Berklee, Mikael met the legendary Cuban
percussionist Lazaro “Watusi” Perez (aka “Cinco Tumbas”) who directed him into the realm of folkloric Afro-Cuban
percussion. Later on Mikael continued these studies in NYC with Felix Sanabria and batá master Orlando Rios
(“Puntilla”) who in 1989 made Mikael an initiate as “Omo Aña” (consecrated drummer). Mikael’s musical activities have spanned the world, from orchestra performances with Victor Borge to jazz combos with Dave Liebman,
Claudio Roditi and Aydin Esen to name a few. Recently Mikael performed Ravi Shankar’s “Concerto for Sitar” as
featured percussion soloist along with Anoushka Shankar on Sitar. Currently Mikael is teaching as an Associate Professor at Berklee College of Music, where he oversees the Afro-Cuban and Brazilian hand percussion programs, and
at The New England Conservatory.
Evening Concert
The Afro Kuban Quartet
Saturday, October 3 /8:00pm
Jewett Auditorium
Infused with contemporary jazz and an amalgam of musical textures, the Afro Kuban Quartet presents classic to
contemporary Afro-Cuban and pan-Caribbean music along with original compositions by pianist and composer
Rebeca Mauleón.
Capullito de Alelí
Rafael Hernández (1892-1965), arr Emiliano Salvador (1951-1992)
El Manisero
Moisés Simons (1889-1945), arr Rebeca Mauleón (1962-Present)
No Borders
Rebeca Mauleón (1962-Present)
Songomania
Rebeca Mauleón (1962-Present)
La Comparsa
Killer Joe
Quinta Avenida
Siboney
Ernesto Lecuona (1895-1963), arr Paquito D’Rivera (1948-Present)
Benny Golson (1929-Present), arr Ray Barretto (1929-2006)
Emiliano Salvador (1951-1992)
Ernesto Lecuona (1895-1963), arr Rebeca Mauleón (1962-Present)
Upcoming In The Concert Series
The Orlando Consort: Early Music Residency
Voices Appeared:
A Vocal Soundtrack to the 1928 Film “La Passion de Jeanne d’Arc”
Saturday, October 17 / 8:00pm
Houghton Chapel
Public Workshop: Medieval Voices
Sunday, October 18 / 3:30pm
Jewett Auditorium
Midday Muse: All the Ends of the Earth
Wednesday, October 21 / 12:30pm
Houghton Chapel
Reservations available for all public residency activities.
Midday Muse: The Music of World War I
A Time of Horror and Hope
Featuring: Lois Shapiro, Gabriela Diaz, & David Russell
Wednesday, October 28 / 12:30pm
Jewett Auditorium
Composers Conference 70th Anniversary Concert
Sunday, November 8 / 3:00pm
Jewett Auditorium
Jazz Midday Muse: “Illuminations”
Featuring: Steven Kirby, guitarist/composer
Wednesday, November 18 / 12:30pm
Jewett Auditorium
ALL EVENTS ARE FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!
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Upcoming Student Ensemble Concerts
The Wellesley College Choral Program: Dober Concert
Lisa Graham, Director
Saturday, November 7, 8:00pm, Houghton Chapel
Wellesley BlueJazz Strings & Combos Fall Concert
Paula Zeitlin, Director
Friday, November 20, 7:30pm, Jewett Auditorium
Brandeis-Wellesley Orchestra Fall Concert
Neal Hampton, Conductor
Saturday, November 21, 8:00pm, Houghton Chapel
BlueJazz Big Band Fall Concert
Manteca: Wellesley BlueJazz Plays Latin Jazz!
Cercie Miller, Director
Friday, December 4, 7:30pm, Jewett Auditorium
Yanvalou Fall Concert
Kera Washington, Director
Saturday, December 5, 8:00pm, Jewett Auditorium
Christmas Vespers (In collaboration with ORSL)
Sunday, December 6, 7:30pm, Houghton Chapel
Collegium Musicum Fall Concert
Andrew Arceci, Interim Director
Tuesday, December 8, 8:00pm, Houghton Chapel
Chamber Music Society Fall Concerts
David Russell, Director; Jenny Tang, Assistant Director
Wednesday, December 2, 12:30pm, and
Sunday, December 6, 2:00pm-4:00pm in Jewett Auditorium
Thursday, December 3, 7:00pm and
Monday, December 7, 7:00pm, in Concert Salon (JAC 372)
The Wellesley College Guild of Carillonneurs
Margaret Angelini, Director
Carillon Haunted Open Tower
Saturday, October 31, 2:00-4:00pm
Carillon Holiday Open Tower
Sunday, December 6, 1:00-3:00pm
ALL EVENTS ARE FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!