In their third performance at the NHCC, the New Mexico Jazz Latino Orchestra (NMJLO) will again present a two-part show featuring an opening set of straight-up Latin jazz and a second set fusing folkloric rhythms with jazz elements. This year’s performance also will feature internationally renowned musician Frankie Vazquez, along with César Bauvallet, Doug Lawrence, Bobby Shew, Jackie Zamora and special guest Mike Williams, formerly the lead trumpeter with the legendary, 18-time Grammy®-winning Count Basie Orchestra and one of the most powerful high-note trumpet players ever.

Efrain “Frankie” Vazquez, born in Salinas, Puerto Rico, began performing with his own band at his father’s restaurant at the age of 16, as a conga player and then as a lead singer. A year later, he had played in three orchestras around Puerto Rico, and subsequently was invited to New York to perform on his first recording with Fuego 77. Currently, he has over 20 album collaborations to his credit, and has performed in Austria, India, Turkey, Panama, Spain, Germany, Hungary, Indonesia, Sicily, Mexico, Canada, Ecuador, Santo Domingo, Colombia, Peru, Chile, Martinique, Guadeloupe, the Virgin Islands, Belgium, Holland, England, Switzerland, China, and Japan.