Henry Brun and the Latin Playerz - La Prensa De San Antonio

More documents

Recommendations

Info

6-E La Prensa de San Antonio julio 25, 2010 Martha Tijerina, mujer con espíritu de servicio Por Andrés Ricardo Morín y Patricia Garza Martha Tijerina, o “Marthita”, como le dicen con cariño y respeto sus compañeros, inició su carrera en la televisión en español en San Antonio en el año 1970 en el Canal 41. Bajo la dirección de Don Emilio Nicolás ocupó el puesto de Directora de Relaciones con la Comunidad. Sin duda alguna su labor fue muy significativa, hasta el día de hoy la relación del canal con los televidentes de habla hispana se ha mantenido de manera muy cercana. Su gran inquietud y talento la llevaron a establecer un programa en vivo, el cual se transmitía de lunes a viernes y se titulaba “En San Antonio”, en el que se trataban temas de interés para la comunidad. La realización del programa se hacía con frecuencia desde el lugar de los hechos, característica que mantenía un contacto más directo con la comunidad. La necesidad de aprender más acerca del medio de la televisión llevó a Martha a desempeñarse en diferentes tareas, realizó reportajes para el Departamento de Noticias, así como cualquier actividad que le permitiera explorar nuevas facetas del medio televisivo. Para Marthita el trabajo que realizó dentro de la televisión fue muy satisfactorio, sin embargo ella siente un orgullo muy especial porque fue una de las fundadoras del Teletón Navideño, el cual se creó con el propósito de recaudar fondos para las personas necesitadas de San Antonio. Según se tiene conocimiento, el entonces Arzobispo de San Antonio, Patricio F. Flores, fue al canal a solicitarle la ayuda de Don Emilio Nicolás para que por medio de la televisión se hiciera una petición de donativos para las personas necesitadas. Don Emilio, sabiendo el entusiasmo con el que Marthita trabajaba, le expuso la idea, a la cual ella aceptó sin dudarlo. Ese Teletón sirvió de modelo para otros teletones en otras ciudades del país. Son innumerables los reconocimientos, placas, trofeos que ha recibido por su labor tan humana. El más reciente fue el máximo reconocimiento de la Asociación de Periodistas Hispanos de San Antonio-SAAHJ, el Lifetime Achievement Award for Exellence in Journalism, cual le fue otorgado el jueves ante cientos de sus amigos y colegas. Durante el discurso de aceptación, Marthita dedicó su premio de excelencia a todos los periodistas de Latinoamérica y México que han fallecido en cumplimiento del oficio. Los seguidores de Marthita la pueden ver en el canal católico Catholic Television of San Antonio donde produce y conduce dos programas. La periodista Martha Tijerina fue premiada con el Henry Guerra Lifetime Achievement Award el pasado jueves en el evento SAAHJ Scholarship & Awards Gala. (Foto Roberto Pérez) Local chef to appear in “Hell’s Kitchen” By Cristina Blackwell cblackwell@laprensasa.com Most young bachelors aren’t known for their cooking abilities, but celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay does his best to change that for San Antonio reality TV veteran Christopher Mendoza on the “Hell’s Kitchen” episode airing next week. Mendoza auditioned for the show with one goal in mind-to learn how to cook. “Honestly, I don’t know how to cook, that’s the truth of the matter,” he confessed. “And I don’t want to depend on a girl to cook for me! I want to do more than just order pizza and prepare frozen meals.” In the episode, the professional culinary artists are challenged to verbally instruct and guide the bachelors to prepare a delectable dish. This may seem like a fairly easy task, but the bachelors aren’t comfortable in the kitchen and find themselves overwhelmed by the professional tools of the trade. To add to the challenge, the San Antonio native Christopher Mendoza will make an appearance on the reality TV hit, “Hell’s Kitchen” featuring foulmouthed celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay. (Courtesy photo) professional chefs are not allowed to physically interfere with the bachelor’s preparations. “Being on ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ was a great opportunity to pick up some prime, professional culinary advice that will hopefully come in handy when entertaining family and friends,” said Mendoza, a John Marshall High School and a University of Texas at San Antonio graduate. However, Mendoza admitted that despite filming the show, his cooking skills remain the same. “I think I would’ve had to stay on a whole season or actually take classes for a while,” he said. “My mom is a natural cook; my dad is a natural cook –and I’m definitely not a natural cook! To me it’s a whole different language.” While Mendoza is currently living in Los Angeles, he returns to San Antonio whenever he can to spend time with family and friends. “I will never forget where I came from. I came to L.A. to find work and to find love,” he writes on his website. “Part of my mission is to represent San Antonio proudly and to show our community that it is possible to move to L.A. without guarantees and establish connections on your own,” he continued. “Never let go of hope. One day you will see that it all has finally come together, hope is not a dream but a way of making dreams become a reality.” This is not the first time this local actor/model/writer has been on national television. Mendoza used to be on the A&E home-makeover show “Flip This House” as an intern. He was most recently one of the contestants on Fox Reality Channel’s “Seducing Cindy,” a show where 24 suitors vied for model/actress/Internet sensation Cindy Margolis’ attention in their search for love. Mendoza was one of the final six in the competition. The season premiered on June 1 and Mendoza’s episode is airing on Tuesday, July 27 at 8 p.m. on KABB. Now in its seventh, the FOX show “Hell’s Kitchen” showcases professional culinary artists who try each week to impress superstar chef Ramsay through a series of cooking competitions. The show’s format is about same and, like previous seasons, the culinary contestant will have to live together and work together under the watchful eye of foul-mouthed chef Gordon Ramsey. Afraid you’ll miss the show? Watch the full episode and more on www.fox.com/hellskitchen. Stay connected with Mendoza by visiting http://christophermendoza. webs.com. You can also look him up on Myspace or Facebook or follow him on Twitter.
julio 25, 2010 By Angela Covo angela.covo@gmail.com Grammy award-winning Latin jazz bandleader and percussionist Henry Brun will mark 20 years making music with his band, The Latin Playerz. The kick-off concert to a tour that spans the globe is happening right here in San Antonio, at a benefit concert Aug. 14, at the Charline McCombs Empire Theatre. San Antonio’s music ambassador will return for a special presentation during JazzSA’live, followed by headliner performances at the 50th Annual Texas Jazz Festival and the 4th Annual House of Jazz after a brief stint in Puerto Rico. In October, Henry Brun & the Latin Playerz will represent San Antonio at the Taichung Jazz Festival in Taiwan, followed by performances in Kaohsiung, and Tai Pei. Brun, 50, is quick to point out the band’s name has nothing to do with being a ‘player.’ “‘Playerz’ with a ‘z’ refers to the fact that these musicians, the players, play jazz!” he told La Prensa. The percussion maestro actually started out as a child prodigy, turning pro at the tender age of 11 in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Born and raised in the Bronx, New York until he was 8 years old, his mother recognized a strong predilection for music and insisted he take piano lessons when he turned 6 years old. Later, when they moved to Ponce in Puerto Rico, Brun discovered the bongo and fell in love. To this day, the bongo is his favorite percussion instrument. “The bongo is melodic, it carries on a conversation,” Brun said. “It’s the instrument that dances around – it sings, it’s playful, it’s the happiest instrument of all.” Brun, affectionately known as “Mr. Ritmo,” credits Willie Valentine as the one who laid the foundation on which he built his career. “He made me,” Brun said. The curious story of the intersection of Brun and Valentine’s life is the stuff of literary classics. Valentine popped “out of nowhere” into Brun’s life one fateful summer, asking if he really wanted to learn the craft of drumming. Just 11, Brun was enthralled, and they spent 6 to 8 hours a day together, mentor and pupil, for months. One day, a band invited Willie to fill in for a gig in Juana Diaz, known also as “la ciudad de los poetas.” He took Brun along to play and the young musician even accomplished his first solo, which led to more gigs. Brun never saw Valentine again after that night, but remembers catching his tutor’s eye during the performance and getting the feeling that Valentine was satisfied with what he saw and had completed his mission. Valentine disappeared, dropping out of Brun’s life as mysteriously as he had entered it. “Now, I know he wasn’t a figment of my imagination, because everybody still knows him in the neighborhood, but I never could find him again – and believe me, I tried,” Brun said. Mystified but undeterred, Brun continued to seek out formal music training and studied at the Juan Morel Campos Escuela Libre De Música in Ponce, studying under the tutelage of Moisés Ortiz and Rafael Montero. As a young teenager, he had the chance to play with Danny Cruz, a very popular Latin Pop group in Puerto Rico, which led to more opportunities performing with several nationally recognized groups. Still a teenager, in ‘79, Brun joined the United States Air Force and was instantly recruited to the prestigious Air Force Band. The opportunity to travel worldwide broadened his horizons and exposed him to ethnic rhythms. He even enjoyed the honor of performing with luminaries such as the legendary trumpet player Maynard Ferguson, Bob Hope, Lucille Ball, Barbara Mandrell and others. After more than a decade of service, Brun decided to pursue music as a full-time career. His military connections brought him to San Antonio, which has been his center for the last 30 years. “Over the past 30 years in San Antonio, I have had the chance to be part of the best feel-good concerts,” Brun told La Prensa. There’s no question Brun is all about the music, and his passion is secondary only to his success in the business. “I play what people want to hear,” he said smiling, “a mi manera – San Antonio music with a side order of arroz con gandules.” When performing with his ensemble, the Latin Playerz, the music covers a cavalcade of Latin styles, ranging from the slow tempo of a Cuban cha-cha and the more upbeat mambo, to the conga and rumba, guanguancó, songo, charanga, son montuno, timba and merengue rhythms. His wife, Judi Deleon, a lyricist and arranger, is the star vocalist of the band, and her velvety tones and incredible sounds bring a delectable dimension to the music. The band integrates rhythm and blues, swing, salsa and straight ahead Jazz with a Latin beat that incorporates Afro- Cuban influences in performances throughout the USA and abroad. “All I did was awaken the desire to hear this music again,” Brun said. Community service is a big part of Brun’s life. He purposefully gives back to his adopted city as much as he has received in all kinds of ways. He brings star power to San Antonio in the form of Tito Puente, Willie Colon and Eddie Palmieri. He is a strong education advocate and integral part of the Texas Music Project, a program developed to strengthen and restore rigorous music education in Texas schools and raise awareness about the positive impact music education has on students, and to promote Texas music. Brun and his band also actively participate in the Texas Commission on the Arts Touring Program. Brun is devoted to the development of future musical talent, and he is equally dedicated to ensuring fair treatment of Hispanic musicians and education for underprivileged children. He spearheaded the Children’s Symposium that takes place during San Antonio’s annual Jazz’SAlive Jazz festival, which brings clinicians of various disciplines to free workshops for children, exposing them to the sounds that create Jazz percussion, high brass, woodwinds and vocals. Children can experience and participate in the creation of these sounds, opening a world of possibilities by participating in the program created and sponsored by Brun and Deleon’s nonprofit, the STARLITE Organization for the Arts. The musician also works hard to keep the city in tune and in touch with his weekly radio programs at Trinity University’s KRTU 91.7 FM and Texas Public Radio (NPR) 89.1 FM. He uses the chance to turn the audience on to Salsa and Latin Jazz while nurturing the cultural Afro-Caribbean element existent in the city and educating the locals on the richness and legacy of this infectious music. The Sunday show at KRTU is a San Antonio staple and a tradition for San Antonio listeners. Brun plays active roles in city planning, too, as a member of the Cultural Advisory Board for the Office of Cultural Affairs of the City of San Antonio and a Commission for the Convention and Visitors Bureau. Both roles allow him to be part of the team, which is essential to the existence of cultural arts organizations throughout the city. The star percussionist has more than 653 recordings to his name, including Grammy award winners and Gold and Platinum albums; 7-E Henry Brun and the Latin Playerz celebrate 20 years Henry Brun boasts more than 653 recordings in his name, including Grammy award winners. (Courtesy photo) he has been featured on “Raza de Campeones,” Jazz Central (Black Entertainment Channel), and on “Texas Saturday Night,” a documentary about Texas music produced by the British Broadcasting Corporation. Brun’s performances have been presented on Spanish and English national and cable networks. The benefit concert tickets are on sale now. Tickets for the anniversary celebration cost $20, $33 or $45. VIP tickets are available for $100 per person and include backstage passes to meet the band before the concert, a special after-party at Le Midi and an autographed copy of the band’s 20th anniversary CD. The band will donate concert proceeds to the ARTS San Antonio’s ARtsTEach elementary school arts workshop program. For more information about tickets for the upcoming show, visit the theater Web site at http:// www.majesticempire.com. For more information about Brun and the Latin Playerz, go to http:// www.richportenterprises.com.
Page 1 and 2: The 25 DE JULIO 2010 Entertainer He
Page 3 and 4: julio 25, 2010 La vida con Cristina
Page 5: julio 25, 2010 Grab The Popcorn! By
Page 9 and 10: Raulito performed his famous pasito
Page 11 and 12: julio 25, 2010 Texto y Foto Por Dom
Page 13 and 14: julio 25, 2010 13-E Chacho Gaytan s
Page 15 and 16: julio 25, 2010 “SALT”...... (vi

Henry Brun and the Latin Playerz - La Prensa De San Antonio

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?