New York City's desegregated Palladium Ballroom springs to life with a diverse 1940s cast of characters in this jazzy tribute to the history of mambo and Latin jazz.

"Millie danced to jazz in her Italian neighborhood. Pedro danced to Latin songs in his Puerto Rican neighborhood. It was the 1940s in New York City, and they were forbidden to dance together . . . until first a band and then a ballroom broke the rules. Machito and His Afro-Cubans hit the scene with a brand-new sound, blending jazz trumpets and saxophones with Latin maracas and congas creating Latin jazz, music for the head, the heart, and the hips....

What does integrity do in the face of adversity/oppression? What does honesty do in the face of lies/deception? What does decency do in the face of insult? How does virtue meet brute force? These four questions posed by the great African American civil rights activist and author W. E. B. Du Bois in his 1903 book The Souls of Black Folk are expounded upon in a speech given by Dr. Cornel West based on his book, Black Prophetic Fire, given October 9,...

"Era la década de 1940 en la segregada cuidad de Nueva York. Ya sea que bailaras al sonido de las trompetas y los saxofones en un salón en el barrio italiano o en la calle al son de maracas y congas en el barrio puertorriqueño, generalmente bailabas en el lugar donde vivías y con gente de tu mismo origen. Pero antes de que terminara la década, una nueva sala de baile -- el Palladium -- acogió a personas de todos los vecindarios. Cuando Millie...

A sizzling collection of Yuletide tracks by some of the hottest artists in Latin jazz today. Featuring latin-spiced versions of holiday favorites.

"The sensual nature of sound" portrays these New York based composer/performers in terms of their musical lives. Although all four women are pioneers in American music, each composer pursues a distinct direction of her own. Since the early 1980s, Laurie Anderson has used music and performance as the foundation for her multi-media stage shows which have since become her trademark. Cuban born Tania Leon composes orchestral music that is an intricate...