(NEWARK, NJ) -- Clements Place Jazz presents the Pete Rodríguez Latin Jazz Sextet on Thursday, December 4, 2025, from 7:30pm-10:00pm. Come experience the dynamic fusion of Nuyorican salsa and Afro-Cuban jazz with multi-talented musician Pete Rodríguez.
Rodriguez's latest album, I'm Pete Rodríguez, Vol. 1, was named one of the Best of 2024 by the New York City Jazz Record and the Fundacion Nacional de Cultura Popular in Puerto Rico.
The powerhouse band will feature Rodríguez on trumpet, Jon Beshay on woodwinds, Silvano Monasterios on piano, Raul Reyes on bass, Koleby Royston on drums and Robert Quintero on Latin percussion.
Rodríguez, son of renowned salsero Pete “El Conde” Rodríguez and godson of Fania Records bandleader Johnny Pacheco has been featured in the New York Times, Downbeat, JazzTimes, Jazziz, Latin Jazz Network and more. The younger Rodríguez cut his teeth backing up some of the greatest names in Latin music. He became his father’s musical director at the age of 19.
The show is FREE but registration is required. Register online here. Clement's Place is located at 15 Washington Street in Newark, New Jersey.
As a bandleader, Rodriguez has drawn on his diverse upbringing—growing up surrounded by the greatest names in Latin music, living through the birth of Hip Hop in the Bronx, and becoming an accomplished classical trumpeter during his adolescence in Puerto Rico—to create his own brand of dynamic Latin and straight ahead jazz. The result is music that has been described as “not only instrumentally ferocious, but texturally rich and at times, profoundly intimate.” (Downbeat).
Coached by pianist Oscar Hernandez, the former director for “El Conde” and Ruben Blades, Rodríguez was playing trumpet, singing coro, playing maracas and giving cues to the band. As a vocalist, he sang on Tito Puente’s Grammy-award winning Mambo Birdland. As an instrumentalist, he’s appeared with legends including Celia Cruz, Eddie Palmieri, Chico O’Farrill and Bebo Valdez. Now, as a bandleader, Rodríguez is drawing on these experiences to take his brand of Afro-Cuban jazz in exciting new directions.
Rodríguez’s music comes from a deeply personal place, reflecting on his connections to his father and heritage, as well as other unexpected influences. While in the United States Army, he discovered his love for jazz and made it the focus of his professional and educational pursuits after leaving the military. The diversity of these life experiences can be heard both in Rodríguez’s compositions and playing style.
While pursuing his musical career, Rodríguez has also always made time for prioritizing education. He holds his bachelor and master of music degrees in jazz from Rutgers University. He obtained his doctorate of musical arts from the University of Texas at Austin in 2007.
Trumpeter, vocalist and percussionist Pete Rodríguez carries the bloodline of Nuyorican salsa as he takes the tradition of Afro-Cuban jazz to new places.
