In 2024, the legendary New York Latin music label Fania Records celebrates it’s 60th anniversary.
Fania Records was founded in 1964 by Dominican musician Johnny Pacheco and his Italian-American lawyer (and Cuban music fan) Jerry Masucci. It would become the greatest Latin music label of all time and the driving force behind the spread of salsa music from New York City to the rest of the world.
From selling records out of the boot of their car to the many Latin music stores around the Big Apple in the 1960s, Pacheco and Masucci would take the salsa gospel across the globe with the release of the 1971 award winning documentary “Our Latin Thing” and world tours by the label’s in-house band the Fania All Stars. The label would also be at the heart of Latin crossover music in the 1960s and 1970s via the NYC fusion of Latin and soul music which gave the world Latin soul, bugalu, Latin funk and Latin disco.
Orchestra Mambo International are a 12 piece orchestra who feature some of the top salsa and jazz musicians in the country including Venezuelan singer Carlos “Pachanga” Pena and Cuban bass maestro Ivan Pavon. Band members have played with the likes of Oscar D’Leon, Larry Harlow, Jimmy Bosch, Tito Allen, Bobby Matos, Salsa Celtica, Grupo X, Angel Bonne, Sur Caribe, Buena Vista Allstars, Dave Valentin, The Haggis Horns, Matthew Halsall’s Gondwana Orchestra and The New Mastersounds.
Orchestra Mambo International will be playing iconic songs and music by the Fania Allstars, Ray Barretto, Willie Colon, Hector Lavoe, Celia Cruz, Larry Harlow, Tito Puente, Cheo Feliciano and many more amazing Fania artists.
The night will be hosted by DJ Lubi who will also be playing salsa sets before, between and after the live music sets. DJ Lubi has compiled several titles for the re-launched Fania label including the 4 CD boxed set “Salsa: A Musical History” and the critically acclaimed and ever popular “NYC Salsa” series (Vols 1, 2 and 3).