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Bronx Bassist Returns From Lincoln Center for Concert Season Kickoff

By Eddie Small | September 11, 2015 5:02pm | Updated on September 13, 2015 7:26pm
 Jazz at Lincoln Center bassist Carlos Henriquez will return to The Bronx on Sept. 12 for a concert at Lehman Center for the Performing Arts.
Jazz at Lincoln Center bassist Carlos Henriquez will return to The Bronx on Sept. 12 for a concert at Lehman Center for the Performing Arts.
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Frank Stewart

THE BRONX — Jazz at Lincoln Center bassist and Mott Haven native Carlos Henriquez knew from an early age that jazz would be a fun style of music to play.

The South Bronx musician said he has fond memories of his parents playing records of jazz legends like Louis Armstrong and John Coltrane and of the atmosphere that would often spring up around these tracks.

“It was great because they used to play that music, and people would get drunk in my house, so it was kind of fun,” he said. “It was like fun times with us, and sometimes you associate music with the type of environment you’re in and the type of fun you have.”

Henriquez will proudly return to his home borough on Sept. 12, when Jazz at Lincoln Center kicks off its 2015-16 season with an 8 p.m. show at Lehman Center for the Performing Arts, where he will debut new arrangements and compositions.

This is the first year that Wynton Marsalis' famed orchestra will launch its season in The Bronx, and Henriquez said he was thrilled for the chance to pay tribute to a place that had such a strong impact on his music.

“The meaning of performing in The Bronx is so much,” he said. “It reflects, basically, my growth—musical growth—in the streets, learning my roots from people who played in the streets.”

The 36-year-old musician grew up during what has generally been considered a rough time for the South Bronx but maintained that the stereotypes of crime and abandoned buildings were completely lost on him as a child.

He referred to the borough as "the best place ever," adding that he never felt unsafe while walking the streets.

“I was just growing up, man, and enjoying as much as I can,” he said.

Music in The Bronx played a big role in Henriquez's childhood, as he would go see concerts at venues ranging from St. Mary's Park to neighborhood block parties.

“Just the notion of sitting down and watching them play helped me learn,” he said, noting that several of his songs to this day have their roots in Puerto Rican and Cuban rhythms, two styles he heard all the time while growing up in The Bronx.

Henriquez was careful to note that Jazz at Lincoln Center was not a particularly big factor when it came to improvements in the borough but said he hoped that the orchestra kicking off its 2015-16 season there could help The Bronx continue to grow artistically.

“If we continue this type of mission, I think something could come about where the boroughs—not only The Bronx but the entire five boroughs—can have some type of spinoff of what Jazz at Lincoln Center is," he said.

Jazz at Lincoln Center is starting off in The Bronx this year both because of the strong connections Henriquez has to the borough and because of redesign work at Lincoln Center that will leave the orchestra's two main theaters there inaccessible through the end of November.

Henriquez offered budding jazz artists in The Bronx a straightforward piece of advice for pursuing a career in music.

“Practice and study your history,” he said. “It will tell you the answer to your future.”

Tickets for this season's concerts can be purchased at jazz.org or the Lincoln Center Box Office at Broadway and 60th Street. People can also get tickets through CenterCharge at 212-721-6500.