A legendary Latin jazz percussionist is returning to the world’s borough this month for a rhythmic performance at Flushing Town Hall.
St. Albans native and Latin jazz percussionist Steve Kroon will take the stage with his band, The Steve Kroon Latin Jazz Ensemble, alongside Patience Higgins and the Patience Higgins Swing Band for a high-energy edition of Global Mashup: Latin Jazz Meets Swing concert.
Global Mashup: Latin Jazz Meets Swing will combine the electrifying elements of Latin jazz with the smooth sounds of swing music on Saturday, April 19, at 8 p.m.
Kroon’s band will take the stage first, followed by Higgins’ ensemble, and the night will culminate in a unique musical mashup combining the two genres.
Before the performances, audience members are invited to arrive an hour earlier for a 7 p.m. dance lesson led by acclaimed instructors Mickey Davidson and Vanda Polakova, who will teach basic Latin and Swing dance movements.
Kroon told QNS he is excited to be back in Queens and to play with band members with whom he has decades of experience.
“Most of my musicians, my band, have been with me for around 20 years,” Kroon said. “I found that when you have the same people around you, you develop a sound. It becomes a staple… your own flavor, your own kind of thing,” he said.
For over 50 years, the percussionist has played homage to his Puerto Rican roots and multifaceted musical experiences. Born in Spanish Harlem and later moving to St. Albans, Kroon said he experienced growing up listening to famous Afro-Cuban and Puerto Rican jazz musicians at home, including Machito, Tito Puente, and Tito Rodriguez while living down the block from legendary African American jazz and R and B musicians.
“ I was kind of really blessed to be able to kinda see both sides, To come from one thing and one genre to go to another. Right in my neighborhood, it was a producer by the name of Henry Glover. He was like the Quincy Jones of that era,” Kroon said.
He also credits listening to the radio and his older brother Bobby as the catalyst for becoming a musician. “ I remember the first time I really got into hearing the radio; I was around five or six years old. I felt like I was struck by lightning. You know, this feeling hit me, and emotionally, I wanted to be hit by lightning every day.” Kroon said.
Kroon spent two decades (1981-2001) touring and lending his percussion sounds to the late powerhouse vocalist Luther Vandross and touring with Ron Carter. Kroon recalled how impactful it was to perform with Van Dross and be alongside the performer as he rose to global stardom and cemented his legacy.
“It was a dream come true. It’s priceless because, number one, I got to play, and Luther was brilliant beyond himself; his talent was amazing. In my opinion, he was a genius,” he said.
He credits much of his skills to the percussionists he apprenticed with, including Brazilian and Latin artists, who allowed him to develop his own unique sound. “ All these different flavors, playing with the R and B, Brazilians and jazz, and these different types of styles of music. I just thought about it and tried to put it into an ingredient, like a flavor, like being a cook,” Kroon said.
Kroon has also recorded and performed with icons such as Stanley Turrentine, Jimmy Heath, Roberta Flack, Bette Midler, Aretha Franklin, Diana Krall, Tony Bennett, and Lady Gaga.
Over the past twenty years, he has been forging ahead with his solo career, and his band has performed across the United States at major event venues.
Kroon has six albums released in his name: “In My Path,” “Señor Kroon,” “El Mas Alla” (Beyond), “Without A Doubt” (Sin Duda),” “On The #1”, and his latest, “In Your Dreams.” He records under his own label, “Kroonatune Records, LLC.”
As for the other dynamic performer to take the stage, Higgins is a New York-based jazz saxophonist, flutist, and multi-reed musician. Higgins also plays the clarinet, oboe, and English horn.
The multi-instrumentalist has performed with the Duke Ellington Orchestra, Barry Harris, Archie Shepp, Jimmy Scott, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Paquito D’Rivera, Cleo Laine, and The Sugar Hill Jazz Quartet.
In the earlier years of his career, Higgins was a Broadway musician. In 1998, he was the featured artist playing saxophone and flute for the double Grammy Award-winning recording of Dee Dee Bridgewater’s “Dear Ella.”
He also teaches music at the New York Jazz Workshop Music School and has toured with the Duke Ellington and Count Basie Orchestras.
Higgins and the Sugar Hill Quartet were the house band for the Lenox Lounge and in regular Monday night sessions at St. Nick’s Pub in Harlem. His 1998 album ‘Live in Harlem’ documents Monday night sessions at St. Nick’s Pub.
Flushing Town Hall is located at 137-35 Northern Blvd. in Flushing. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit Global Mashup: Latin Jazz Meets Swing.
