Latin Music Fills The Air On A Beautiful Branford Night

The rain showers never came but a large crowd did and the Branford Green was filled with people and a great evening of Latin music as the first concert of the summer got underway Thursday. 

The 8th Annual Branford Summer Jazz Series kicked off with the Steven Kroon Jazz Sextet. The Rev. Bill Keane introduced the Steven Kroon Sextet

Born in Harlem, Kroon was influenced by some legendary Jazz greats including Tito Puente, Tito Rodriguez and Machito. Early on he enjoyed the talent of the likes of Eddie ​“Lockjaw” Davis and Count Basie who resided in his Queens neighborhood where his family had moved.

We were very happy to get Steven to open this year’s series said festival board member Charlotte Mattie. And from the reaction of this large audience, ​“they were happy we did,” she said. It was estimated that last night’s crowd topped 900 on what turned out to be a beautiful evening.

It wasn’t long before some folks were up and dancing to the beat of some lively Latin music.

Even some youngsters got into the ​‘swing’ of things.

Everyone seemed to get caught up in the music.

The group opened with ​“When There is Love,” which was followed by several songs from Kroon’s latest CD ​“Without a Doubt.” Other CD tunes include ​“Monterey,” ​“Tombo 7/4,” ​“Nascimento” (As Time Goes By) and ​“Mizu,”’ composed by Zaccai Curtis. The group specializes in Afro-Cuban, Brazilian and Caribbean rhythms.

Members of the sextet included Kroon on conga, Igor Atalita on keyboard, Waldo Chavez on bass, Bryan Carrott on vibraphone, Craig Rivers on flute and sax and Joel Mateo on drums.

Over the years Kroon has played on many television shows, including ​“The Today Show” along with appearances on the David Letterman and Jay Leno television shows. He recorded with such stars as Roberta Flack, Aretha Franklin, Bette Midler, Spyro Gyra and ​“The Temptations.”

Members of the group take a bow after the concert. L‑R Waldo Chavez, Igor Atalita, Craig Rivers, Steven Kroon, Joel Mateo and Bryan Carrott. 

The next concert will be this Thursday, June 30. It will feature Alta and Matt DeChamplain, a young couple from upstate Connecticut . They perform bop-oriented jazz.
 
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