GRAMMY nominee Sheila E. hosts Great Performances: Roots of Latin Jazz, which examines the variety of Latin American music with the “Raíces Jazz Orchestra,” featuring two-time Latin GRAMMY-winning producer Tony Succar and musician, producer and educator Dr. Pablo Gil. The documentary premieres Friday, July 16 at 10 p.m. on PBS (check local listings) and is a special co-presentation of Great Performances and Latino Public Broadcasting’s VOCES. Both programs will also stream on pbs.org/gperf and the PBS Video app.
Produced by two-time Latin GRAMMY-winning producer Tony Succar, Great Performances: Roots of Latin Jazz reveals the unity between jazz music and Latin culture. Showcasing original compositions and arrangements of jazz standards, such as “Eye of the Hurricane” by Herbie Hancock and “Mas que Nada” by Jorge Ben, the film features GRAMMY-winning artists Richard Bona and Anaadi, among others. Location sequences capture the vibrancy of cities in the U.S., Peru, Spain, Brazil and Cuba.
Throughout its more than 40-year history on PBS, Great Performances has provided an unparalleled showcase of the best in all genres of the performing arts, serving as America’s most prestigious and enduring broadcaster of cultural programming. The series is available for streaming simultaneously on all station-branded PBS platforms, including pbs.org/gperf and the PBS Video app, which is available on iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Chromecast. PBS station members can view episodes via Passport (contact your local PBS station for details). Great Performances is produced by The WNET Group.
Great Performances: Roots of Latin Jazz is co-directed by Tony Succar and David Rousseau, produced by Tony Succar with Donald H. Thoms as executive producer For VOCES, Luis Ortiz is Managing Director and Sandie Viquez Pedlow is Executive Producer. For Great Performances, Bill O’Donnell is Series Producer and David Horn is Executive Producer.
Major funding for Great Performances is provided by The Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation, the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Arts Fund, the LuEsther T. Mertz Charitable Trust, Jody and John Arnhold, The Philip and Janice Levin Foundation, the Kate W. Cassidy Foundation, the Thea Petschek Iervolino Foundation, Rosalind P. Walter, The Starr Foundation, the Seton J. Melvin, the Estate of Worthington Mayo-Smith, Ellen and James S. Marcus, public television viewers and PBS.
