Calle 54

In the early '80s,

a friend gave me...

a record that complicated

my life.

It got me hooked on Latin jazz.

In 1 995, for the final scene

of my film, Two Much...

some of my favorite musicians...

played in Miami's Lincoln Road.

It was a highlight

of my filmmaking career.

A magical night.

I was filming the miracle of music.

That's when I began dreaming...

of a whole film about this

most exciting form of music.

"CALLE 54"

"New Jersey"

Paquito D'Rivera was born

with a sax.

Tito Rivera, his father,

a classical saxophonist...

ordered Paquito's first sax

when he was only three.

Paquito became a child prodigy.

"The world's smallest sax player"

"Paquito D'Rivera"

I owe a great debt to Paquito.

There's no remedy for the blues

like the sound of his sax.

A Paquito solo can brighten

the darkest day.

Dad's best gift wasn't my sax

but my mother.

Eliane Elias--

Latin jazz in all its elegance.

Born in Sao Paolo, she was

the daughter of a classical pianist.

She began playing piano in her teens

with Vinicius de Moraes...

remaining with him until his death.

"Puerto de Santa Maria"

"(Cadiz, Espana)"

For years, there were many attempts

to merge flamenco and jazz.

Most remained attempts,

impressive as some were.

Chano Dominguez was the first

"bilingual"musician of the form.

His music produced a miracle--

a handshake between

Monk and Camaron.

"The Bronx"

"(New York)"

In the late '60s...

Puerto Ricans clashed with police.

It climaxed in an assault

on a Bronx precinct house.

The quarter was dubbed

"Fort Apache. "

Hence the name of the group

formed by the Gonzalez brothers...

Jerry and Andy.'

The Fort Apache Band.

Andy visits the old family home

where he andJerry grew up.

Some of the big hits

of the '70s were created here.

Here, tradition and the avant-garde,

old and new, merged.

Dizzy Gillespie played with them

when they were still kids.

The room under the stairs

was Jerry and Andy's.

Jerry's back

in his parents'homeland--

Puerto Rico.

"San Juan"

"(Puerto Rico)"

He's the poete maudit of Latin jazz,

the last Caribbean pirate.

No one's ever seen him

without his trumpet.

Yeah. And I wanna hear three clicks

before the downbeat.

Let's do it! Okay.

"Betty Talks about Liz"

Michel Camilo is one

of the top all-round musicians.

Whether it's jazz, classical,

Latin American music or film music...

Michel is in his element.

Every time I see him play...

I feel like I'm witnessing

a miracle.

"New York"

Little horsey, how's it going?

Gato Barbieri was the revolutionary

of Latin jazz.

Aproduct of May '68,

he is one of the last survivors.

I was famous from the '7 0s

up till '82.

It was a great time because things...

were electric between music

and filmmakers.

We formed one big family--

Glauber, Godard, Pasolini...

Antonio das Mortes.

It's impossible to live

without Rossellini.

I stopped recording in '82...

and I only started again in '96...

because I saw music

was like a toboggan...

going downhill fast.

For years I lived in a cocoon...

cut off from everything.

The mood wasn't like before,

understand?

The cinema back then,

the music back then...

that's all changed now.

All I want is to play.

That's what makes me feel free.

It's cold out, but...

it was a nice journey.

I wrote this piece...

like it was for a movie.

First we're in Macchu Picchu,

then we'll be in Bolivia.

I'm quiet as a lagoon bird...

but sometimes I'm a puma.

This is my mother,

Ercilia Ortiz Puente.

Okay, let's get started.

This is the restaurant

ofTito Puente.

At your service.

Let me show you

a few of our murals...

designed to help our young people...

remember our music, our culture.

This is the king of Latin jazz,

who wrote "Manteca"...

"Tin Tin Deo"

and "Night in Tunisia"...

and all those famous standards,

Dizzy Gillespie.

We're indebted to him

for the growth of Latin jazz.

Here's one of my mentors,

Mr. Mario Bauza.

Mario is another pillar

of Latin jazz...

the author of standards

like "Tanga."

Another mentor, the great Machito...

who contributed to our music...

and the spread of Latin American

music here in the US.

Cal Tjader, the great

vibes player of Latin jazz.

Also very famous.

Next to him is my brother,

Charlie Palmieri...

a great veteran pianist.

He started the Duboney Orchestra...

and conducted

several recordings for me.

The great Miles Davis...

the famous trumpeter

who loved Latin music.

He'd hang out in Latin bars

listening to congas and bongos.

This is Mongo Santamaria...

a master of the conga for years.

Next to him is the great Cachao.

Double bass player.

He's still king of the bass.

Next to him is the great Chano Pozo,

the composer of "Manteca"...

and other standards

with Dizzy Gillespie.

All these musicians are pillars

of Latin jazz in this country.

I grew up with them.

Today, Tito has his place

in the Latin jazz pantheon...

alongside the fathers of the music

of which he was the king.

"Tito Puente's"

"La Habana"

"(Cuba)"

I'm taking a walk. I haven't been

here in years. It's changed.

How's it going?

When Chucho Valdes was a kid,

his father, the great bebo...

head of the Tropicana Orchestra,

brought him to hear the stars here.

Bebo, my father,

took me to the shows.

Everything playing at the Tropicana.

I think the Tropicana

was an important stage...

in the careers

of Cuban musicians.

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