LATIN LEGACY
Grammy-winning Spanish Harlem Orchestra to play two shows in NM
Oscar Hernández is meticulous when it comes to music. As the leader of the Grammy Awardwinning Spanish Harlem Orchestra, he sets the bar high for the 13-member group. The group will perform two shows in New Mexico — one in Albuquerque on Sunday, Dec.
5, at the National Hispanic Cultural Center, and one in Santa Fe on Tuesday, Dec. 7, at the Lensic Performing Arts Center.
“We have a standing relationship with Albuquerque, and it’s a unique place,” he says. “This will be the first time we’re going to play Santa Fe.”
Last heard in New Mexico at the 2018 New Mexico Jazz Festival, the group sets the gold standard for excellence in authentic, New Yorkstyle, hardcore salsa.
The group is celebrating its 15th year, with its mission of keeping the musical legacy of salsa dura (hard salsa) alive and expanding their audience to those who love great music, not just Latin music.
Hernández has long been considered one of the most prominent pianists and arrangers in the salsa & Latin jazz scene. He was born into a large Puerto Rican family living in the Bronx, New York, and it was the nearby Spanish Harlem neighborhood that shaped his cultural musical sensibilities.
Hernández started playing trumpet at age 12; he switched to piano shortly thereafter. By the time he finished his teen years, he was making a living as a professional musician and gigging with some of the most talented Latin jazz artists of the ’70s. He spent much of the ’80s producing, arranging and playing piano for Panamanian singer Rubén Blades while simultaneously leading his own band.
Hernández says it’s been gratifying to see how the group has grown.
“Each member knows the quality and history of the band,” he says. “We have some amazing performers, and that’s what keeps up moving forward.”
Hernández says the group performs shows around the country.
When it comes to outlining a set, it’s pretty simple.
“I’m clear on my agenda,” he says. “I send them (the musicians) the music. They are familiar with some, if not all of it. We have (the set) pretty much down. We’re really good at what we do. We’re very much interested in being as professional and keeping the integrity of the music as high as possible.”