Berklee Presents Mambo Mania: Eguie Castrillo and His Big Band All-Stars

Berklee Presents Mambo Mania: Eguie Castrillo and His Big Band All-Stars The Signature Series Concert will honor legendary salsa musician Tito Puente.

By

Colette Greenstein

February 25, 2025

Eguie Castrillo

Image courtesy of the artist.

Berklee's Signature Series will present Mambo Mania: Eguie Castrillo and His Big Band All-Stars concert on Thursday, March 27, at the Berklee Performance Center at 8:00 p.m.

Castrillo, who hails from Puerto Rico, is an accomplished percussionist who plays the timbales, conga, and bongos, and has been a professor in Berklee's Percussion Department since 1999. He has toured extensively around the globe and has performed with world renowned musicians from Tito Puente, Gloria Estefan, Tom Jones, and Rub n Blades to Jennifer Lopez, Gilberto Santa Rosa, and Celia Cruz. Castrillo also tours regularly with the Arturo Sandoval Band and is a Grammy Award winner for his contributions to Sandoval's 1998 record, Hot House.

My long-awaited show will take you in a time machine back to the mambo era of the '50s and '60s with the original arrangements of the late, great Tito Puente and others, said Castrillo.

Castrillo counted Puente, who was known as the King of the Timbales, as a friend, mentor, and idol. He credits the bandleader for inspiring his musical career, which began when he started playing the timbales at the age of seven.

The concert will pay homage to Puente and will feature a big band made up of Berklee students and faculty performing some of his most well-known songs, such as Machito Forever, Cuban Nightmare, Juventud Del Presente, and Guaguanc Margarito. In addition, saxophonist, pianist, and composer Edmar Col n, who is also a faculty member at Berklee, will premiere an original piece dedicated to Puerto Rico, which will feature rhythms and drums native to his homeland. Joining the musicians on stage will be salsa singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Manolo Mairena as well as students from the college and Boston Conservatory performing the mambo.

Admission is $15 in advance and $20/$25 day of show with discounted admission for Berklee students. Tickets are available online.

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