“Puerto Rico is known for a couple of things,” says Jose Amador, founder of NATIAO Latin Jazz. “One of them is rum. So obviously, you mix rum with this kind of music, and you have no choice—dancing is mandatory!”
You’ll be moving in your seat as you listen to this week’s episode of “Live At Jazz, TX” as NATIAO Latin Jazz brings a bucket full of salsa, cumbia, and assorted latin jazz rhythms to the club. Hear Dizzy Gillespie’s famous “Manteca,” a lively rendition of “Juana la Cubana,” and smile as club owner Doc Watkins joins the band on piano for the “Philadelphia Mambo.”
Amador, who is originally from Puerto Rico, explains that the band’s name has a dual meaning. “A couple of years ago Richie Vega, our musical director, and I decided to put together NATIAO Latin jazz. And when I started looking at names for bands, I wanted a name to have a meaning, and natiao, believe it or not, is a native word from Puerto Rico. The "ao" actually means "brother" or "brotherhood." And it gave it gave us something not only from Puerto Rico where Richie and I are from, but also has meaning to us, being brothers in music, being former military guys, both of us with over 20 years of service… brothers in arms.”
Hear Live At Jazz, TX Saturday nights at 7:00 on TPR or listen in the audio player below.
