A graduate of Empire State College with a dual major in journalism and Latin American studies, Editor-in-Chief Tomas Peña has spent years applying his knowledge and writing skills to the promotion of great musicians. A specialist in the crossroads between jazz and Latin music, Peña has written extensively on the subject. His writing appears on Latin Jazz Network; Chamber Music America magazine and numerous other publications.
Around 1976, after his term at City College, he was asked to be Guest Artist, with Tito Puente, for Dave Valentin’s “City High School Orchestra” at Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center. He asked Me, Ronald Van Cooten, Bass Player, to accompany him when they did “Para Los Rumberos”. Later that year, He was appointed as a Lecturer at Brooklyn College’s Puerto Rican Studies Department, to teach a Class in “Latin American Music”, AND “The History of Latin American ‘Salsa’. BOTH of his classes were ‘oversubscribed’ but he allowed ALL students to take his classes. That year, he appeared at Brooklyn’s “Atlantic Antic”. I accompanied him for that event. Shorthly after that Semester, he moved to Puerto Rico, where he was the ‘house band’ for the “Kit Kat Klub”.
Thank you for the invaluable information. I will include some of the information when I update the piece and, of course, give you credit. Much appreciated.