February 4, 2002

Jimmy Bosch Concert is part of Williamstown Jazz Festival

(North Adams, Mass.) New York's most exciting trombonist Jimmy Bosch and his all-star band take the stage at MASS MoCA on Friday, April 5, at 8 P.M., filling the air with irresistible salsa rhythms and Latin jazz. Bosch is the musical director for salsa superstar Marc Anthony. His 1999 release was hailed "Best Salsa Album" by Newsday. According to the Los Angeles Times, Bosch and his band are "one of the most devastating forces in Latin music today."

One of the principal leaders of the Salsa Dura, or Hard Salsa, movement, Bosch brings Salsa away from the watered down versions of today and back to its visceral origins. Yet his music is also influenced by straight-ahead jazz, R & B, soul, disco, and the Beatles. The result is a New York City urban beat, with strong contemporary rock, Cuban, Puerto Rican, African, and Caribbean influences. The New York Times called Bosch "obsessed with riffs and excitement and with the honesty and excellence of the music."

Jimmy Bosch grew up listening to El Gran Combo, La Sonora Poncena, Cachao and Eddie Palmieri, many of whom he now makes music with. Bosch was born to Puerto Rican parents and raised in Hoboken, New Jersey. He started playing the trombone at age 11 and, having taught himself to play monas, or musical riffs, he began performing in clubs at age 13. Today, Bosch has collaborated with such Salsa greats as Cachao, Celia Cruz, Eddie Palmieri, Manny Oquendo, Ray Barreto, the Machito Orchestra, Ruben Blades, Fania All-Stars, Willie Colon, and Oscar D'Leon. He has performed in major venues around the world including the Lincoln Center in New York, Montreal Jazz Festival in Canada, Umbria Jazz Festival in Italy and the Sidney Festival in Australia. His television credits include Jay Leno, David Sanborn and All My Children.

Jimmy Bosch and the Latin Dance Party are presented in conjunction with the Williamstown Jazz Festival, a weekend long series of jazz events in and around Williamstown, Massachusetts including concerts, dance lessons, film and more. For more information about the other jazz festival events visit www.williamstownjazz.com. The concert is sponsored by Metroland Magazine.

Tickets to the Latin Dance Party are $16 for adults, $8 for kids and $10 for students with ID. Tickets are available through the MASS MoCA Box Office located on Marshall Street in North Adams from 11 am until 5 pm every day but Tuesday. Tickets can also be charged by phone by calling 413.662.2111 during Box Office hours or online at www.massmoca.org at any time of day. A full Latin dinner -- roast pork, chicken stew, yellow rice, red beans and plaintains -- from New York's La Rosita Restaurant will be available starting when the doors open at 7 P.M.

MASS MoCA, the largest center for contemporary visual and performing arts in the United States, is located on a 13- acre campus of renovated 19th-century factory buildings. MASS MoCA focuses on the work of visual and performing artists charting new territory.

For Immediate Release
Contact: Katherine Myers
(413) 664-4481 x8113
katherine@massmoca.org