The 2011 Price Chopper Albany LatinFest

Albany, New York – Albany’s Mayor Gerald D. Jennings, the City of Albany and the Albany Latin Festival Association (ALFA), will once again present The 2011 Price Chopper Albany Latin Festival on Saturday August 27 in Washington Park from 11am to 6 pm (Rain location: under I787 the corning preserve boat launch).

For more than a decade, Albany has been the home of the premiere Latino festival in upstate New York. The Albany Latin Festival’s mission of enhancing an appreciation for cultural diversity by successfully showcasing the Latino contributions to the performing arts has been achieved with the continuing production of Albany LatinFest. This year Albany LatinFest will celebrate its Sixteenth year.

The Albany LatinFest is a free, family-oriented festival that attracts an ethnically diverse audience from across the region. The festival features food, crafts, The Capital District YMCA Healthy Kid Zone and of course music!

The 2011 Albany Latin Festival produced by the Albany Latin Festival Association, is brought to you by Price Chopper, Mayor Jennings and the City of Albany with community support provided by: The Capital Region’s CW and CBS 6 (Media Sponsors), CSEA, the Capital District YMCA, State Farm Insurance, Pepsico and Frito Lay. This event is also made possible with a grant provided by The NYS Council on the Arts and the Arts Center of the Capital Region.

ALFA is a non-profit organization whose mission is to present the rich musical contributions of the Latino culture in an effort to expand the appreciation for multi cultural diversity in the Capital District. As the premier Latino cultural festival event in the Capital District, the Albany LATINFEST event has had one of the largest attendance rates of any Latino festival in upstate New York, the audience participation ranges from 8,000-15,000 individuals throughout the day. The Albany LATINFEST features local and international Latino artists, as well as food and craft vendors representative of the diverse Latino cultures from across the state.

Albany Latin Festival ground rules:

No alcoholic beverages, glass containers of any kind, animals or pets (excluding ADA-defined service animals). Any type of recording of the performance or presentation is prohibited without prior written consent. All attendees should be prepared to present age identification at any time if they intend to consume alcohol. Security personnel reserve the right to inspect any bag, container or package and confiscate any prohibited or illegal items.

The schedule of events is as follows:

11:00 AM- 2:00PM – Local Acts including Zumba Performance & Local Musicians.

With hit songs like Hit “The Dance Floor” and “The Swing Is Back” Tony Swing (El Matatan as he has been called by his fans) shows us that it’s all about dancing and feeling the beat, all about the energy. Tony launched his solo career in 2000 with a performance, released by Showtime, at The Manhattan Center of New York. His guests included the late Tito Puente, Milly Quezada, Sergio Vargas, Jose Alberto “El Canario,” and Tony Vega.

Tony Swing was born of Dominican parents in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico, but raised in New York City. His early childhood love of music was the driving force behind becoming a DJ at age 10. By 15, he was working in the New York nightclub scene. He soon realized his talent as a singer would expand his career beyond spinning discs. In 1986, a successful audition led to a two-year stint with the band Luis Almonte, followed by two years with Musiquito, and in 1990 with Joseph Poite. Tony’s career took a giant artistic step forward when he joined the internationally known The New York Band in 1991. Over the next four years, he recorded many well known songs including “Pelotero la bola”, toured extensively throughout Europe and Latin America, and performed frequently in New York City including Madison Square Garden. The mid-nineties saw continued artistic growth and NYC recognition with the bands Pochy y su Cocoband, Oro Solido, and La Banda Loca before he decided to go solo in 2000.

4:30 – 6:00PM- Tito Rojas

Of all his qualities, talent and humility are the ones that have made Tito Rojas so loved and admired here and around the world. He is acknowledged as one of the premiere Salsa artists in the world having brought Salsa to the international community during a career spanning 35 years, more than 20 albums, millions of records sold, and fans worldwide. He has toured extensively throughout the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Europe, and was the first to introduce the Salsa genre to Israel.

His artistry has been recognized by numerous awards: The Guaca Gold and Gold Owl Mola from Panama, TY y Novelas Colombia; Special Time Award Discorona of Venezuela, four NY ACE Awards, two NY Star awards, three Ampex Diplo Award and four Farandula Awards from Puerto Rico; seven Paoli Awards in the Salsa Singer category; several Grammy nominations; and the Major Salsa Music Award for Lifetime Achievement. Tito Rojas, born Julio César Rojas in Humacao, Puerto Rico, grew up singing for his family and with his friends. He got his professional break with the Pedro Conga

Orchestra in the mid-70s. In 1978, he recorded his first hit Con Amor (With Love) with Conjunto Borincuba. That year Tito joined the Fania All-Stars, and had another hit El Campesino (The Farmer). In the late 80s, he recorded the hit salsa versions of the ballads Noche de Bodas (Wedding Night) and Quiereme Como Soy (Love me the way I am) with the Puerto Rican Power band. In 1990, Rojas went solo releasing Condename (Condemn Me), in 1994 A Mi Estilo (My Style), and in 1995 Por Propio Derecho (On my own right) which won him a double Platinum Record Award, the Paoli Prize for “Best Salsa Artist of the Year” and an ACE Award. Two more hits followed the next two years: Humildemente (Humbly) and Pal’ Pueblo (For my town). In 2002, Rojas and his band performed and recorded live in Las Vegas. He has continued to produce new albums and hits over the past decade. The latest, Independiente was released in late June. With his music, Tito Rojas continues touring throughout Central and South America, the United States and Europe. Wherever he performs, his music and unique style have become part of daily lives of those who heard him sing.

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