Feliciano, Spanish Brass light up MIM stage

If you’re Latino, every Christmas you proudly sing family renditions of Feliz Navidad,a popular holiday song written by José Feliciano.

 This Puerto Rican artist’s career spans decades, and bridges diverse musical styles. He’s one of the first Latino musicians to cross over into the English-language music charts, and started the flood of Latin artists’ influence on U.S. popular music.

On Friday, Jan. 18, Feliciano performs two shows at the Musical Instrument Museum Music Theater, at 7 and 9 p.m.

His career began with a fusion version of the Door’s Light My Fire that gave him fame and public recognition. Since then he has earned numerous awards for his original songwriting and covers of songs in English and in Spanish – the latter albums selling well in Latin American music markets.

This boriqua star has earned prestigious awards that include a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame, Billboard’s Lifetime Achievement Award, a spot in Guitar Player magazine Gallery of the Greats, and had the José Feliciano Performing Arts School in East Harlem named in his honor.

Spanish Brass at MIM

The next night on Saturday, Jan. 19, the Spanish Brass performs at the MIM Music Theater at 7:30 p.m.

Founded in 1989, this quintet is one of the most innovative musical projects on the international scene.

One recent review raved about how the Spanish band breaks boundaries between pop, Latin, and classical music.

A typical performance may include Antonio Carlos Jobim, Duke Ellington, Paquito D’Rivera, Fats Waller, and interpretive Baroque and Renaissance masterpieces.

For tickets to either of these two Latin-flavored shows, visit the Musical Instrument Museum’s Website at www.themim.org, and click on the Events tab.