Ray Santos Way (Bronx)
Present name:None
Location:At the intersection of Evergreen Avenue and Westchester Avenue
Honoree: Ray Santos (1928-2019) was known as “El Maestro” of the mambo sound. He performed, composed, and arranged for the premiere Latin music orchestras, including those of . Tito Puente, Tito Rodriguez, Mario Bauza, and Machito. He waso widely recognized for composing and arranging music for Grammy Award-winning projects by musical giants like Tito Puente, Eddie Palmeri and Paquito D’Rivera. In 1992, he won critical acclaim for his arrangements for The Mambo Kings movie soundtrack. In the same year, he collaborated with Linda Ronstadt on Frenesi , which earned the Grammy Award for Best Tropical Latin Album of the Year. He was a music educator at the City College of New York for nearly 25 years and a frequent lecturer at colleges and universities throughout the United States. In addition, he was artist-in-residence at SUNY Purchase College School of the Arts. He was a native New Yorker of Puerto Rican descent and graduate of The Juilliard School, and was one of the leading authorities on Afro-Caribbean music and was frequently interviewed on radio, television and film. In 1998, he was invited to be a special guest conductor for the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra at the landmark concert “Con Alma/Jazz with a Latin Tinge.” Among his numerous awards are the “Chico O’Farrill Lifetime Achievement Award” and the “Bobby Capo Lifetime Achievement Award”. In 2003, he was inducted into the International Latin Music Hall of Fame and received the “Latin Grammy Trustees Award” in 2011. (Salamanca)
LL:2022/54