Approximately 500 people flocked to O'Day Park at 85 West Newton Street on Thursday, July 31 for the return of the Tito Puente Latin Music series with the Pedrito Martinez Group. Dancers packed the plaza; listeners, some with picnics, filled seats and others stood shoulder to shoulder, moving to the music and catching up with friends on the pleasant and breezy evening. Cuban-born vocalist and percussionist Martinez's band is an impressive collective of multi-national talent including Peruvian percussionist Jhair Sala, Venezuelan bassist Alvaro Benavides and Cuban singer/keyboardist Ariacne Trujillo. Popular Costa Rican-born vocalist and conga player Manolo Mairena and Villa Victoria Production and Performance Manager Alex Alvear, also an accomplished bassist and singer who is active with bands in Boston and in his native Ecuador, also took turns at lead vocals. The singers lent their own distinctive styles to a varied set that featured an innovative blend of American jazz idioms and Latin rhythms and vocal harmonies. Trujillo's scatting and Mairena's passionate salsa singing stood out in an overall remarkable display of musicianship and infectious dance rhythms. Martinez's O'Day Park show kicked off a hectic weekend of festivals for the band with a stop the following night at Brooklyn's Bud Light Latin Music Series followed by a set at the Newport Jazz Festival on Saturday, August 2.

This Thursday, August 7, the Tito Puente Latin Music Series continues at O'Day Park with Puerto Rican percussionist Frankie Rodriguez y Homenaje a la Salsa, offering salsa classics from the 1970s to now. Rodriguez made a name and gained a loyal following as percussionist to the stars of classic and contemporary salsa, forming his own band at the urging of his many fans and of fellow musicians. The band last wowed the crowd in O'Day Park with their performance in the 2012 Tito Puente series. On August 14, the Tito Puente Latin Music Series draws to a close with a 7:00 concert by salsa music and dance act Edwin Pabon at Mozart Park, Mozart and Centre Streets in Jamaica Plain.