If I am to remember anything about my childhood, I am to remember the holidays at my grandparent’s house. My grandmother, famous for her delicious cooking prowess, would spend hours in the kitchen. I would sit at her fire engine red counter and watch her as she diced peppers, tomatoes, cilantro, you name it. I loved sitting there, taking in the smells of the spices, listening to her stories, and hearing the faint sounds of Tito Puente playing in the background. After my grandmother’s delicious dinner, my grandfather would crank up the music and we would dance. With these memories in mind, listening to the Latin jazz performance was a wonderful experience for me. It reminded me of my childhood. Those times where my grandfather would play the guiro and sing along to the Spanish tunes that spoke of passion, love and heartbreak.

Besides the recollection of these memories, I think what I loved most about this performance was the interaction between each of the musicians. In my family, we play around with each other. We have fun, eat good food and crack jokes. It’s about having a good time. To me, the music seemed to encompass this very concept. Each of the musicians worked cohesively together to complete each musical piece. They bounced ideas of each other with the improv and felt each melody as it was being played. I grinned whenever a soloist got into their own unique world. The other plays around would smile and nod their heads both in enjoyment and respect. I definitely had a lot of fun at this concert. Vaughn if you’re reading this, you did an amazing job!