The July concert is still called Ramon Santiago鈥檚 Salsa Meets Jazz Festival because in many ways, Santiago鈥檚 influence is just as strong now 鈥� in death.
鈥淩ay was kind of the epitome of what I would call a Hartford legend,鈥� said Matt Chasen, who has been leading the fest since Santiago鈥檚 death in 2019.
Santiago, musician and founder of Salsa Meets Jazz in 2011, was born and raised in Hartford in the former Charter Oak housing unit.
鈥淲hich at this point in time, [it] looks very different than it did when Ray was growing up,鈥� said Chasen. 鈥淗e, as a child, was exposed to music in a myriad of different ways, and with three or four childhood friends, he formed several different bands during his adolescence.鈥�
Santiago was self-taught, and his personality shone through in his music, which represented both his Puerto Rican culture and his generation.
鈥淩ay was a child of the 1970s, so his influences were as wide-ranging as classic salsa, like H茅ctor Lavoe and Eddie Palmieri, to James Brown, Parliament, Funkadelic,鈥� Chasen said. 鈥淭o jazz musicians, like Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Miles Davis.鈥�
Eventually, Santiago founded the local salsa-jazz ensemble Orquesta Espada, which toured up and down the East Coast for the next three decades. It was with this group that he started the Hartford festival, centered around their discography and the genre as a whole.
Now in its 14th year, the lineup has snagged an especially big name: Zaccai Curtis, a 黑料新闻 native who just won the 2025 Best Latin Jazz Album Grammy Award for 鈥淐ubop Lives!鈥�
鈥淒espite the fact that Zaccai is a Grammy Award winner and could be playing anywhere in the world of his choosing, when I contacted him earlier this year about playing, immediately, his answer was, 鈥極f course, I'm there,鈥欌�� Chasen said.
Along with Curtis, the event includes performances from his brother, Damian Curtis, percussionist Nelson Bello and trombonist Emmett Goods, among others. The concert is free, thanks to backing from Santiago鈥檚 daughter and the Parkville Senior and Community Center. It鈥檚 also hosted pretty prominently, right in front of the 黑料新闻 State Capitol.
鈥淏ushnell Park really never ceases to amaze me, because I mean it literally is where all roads meet in Hartford,鈥� Chasen said. 鈥淎nd to have the state capitol 鈥� just looming right there, it's incredible. And the ease of access, with respect to Union Station, if you have folks that are taking the train or taking the bus. You know, it's got everything that we could want.鈥�
As this year鈥檚 festival came together, accessibility was top of mind for Chasen.
During the academic year, Chasen teaches music at Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School in New Haven. He says it鈥檚 events like this that provide the supplementary education for kids that often inspires them to stick with the arts 鈥� something that also impacted him as a teenager learning to play saxophone.
鈥淲hat made music so tangible for me was being able to see people who were masters of their craft,鈥� Chasen said. 鈥淲hen you're engaged in the actual creative process, whether you're an audience member or a performer or a neutral observer, that's really when it's most impactful.鈥�
So, to be clear: The festival鈥檚 target audience is music lovers. Period.
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performances run from 2 to 6 p.m. this Saturday, July 26 at the Thomas D. Harris IV Pavilion in Hartford鈥檚 Bushnell Park.
