Mambo Legends Orchestra Performs for Smithsonian Opening of ¡Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa

The members of the Mambo Legends Orchestra were deeply honored to perform for the opening celebration of ¡Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.

The exhibition, now open at the Smithsonian, traces the journey of Afro-Cuban music and the evolution of salsa — from the streets and dance halls of Havana to New York City and beyond — while honoring the musicians, communities, arrangers, dancers, promoters, and families who helped create and sustain this music across generations.

Visitors can learn more about the exhibition here:
¡Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa

For the orchestra, this event carried profound personal meaning.

Among the many historic artifacts and instruments included in the exhibition is the saxophone of Mambo Legends musicians; Jose and Jerry Madera’s father, Jose “Pin” Madera — an accomplished saxophonist and respected figure in the early Afro-Cuban and Latin jazz movement who performed during a foundational era of this music alongside many of its pioneering artists. His presence within the exhibition serves as a reminder not only of one family’s contribution to this music, but of an entire generation of musicians whose artistry, sacrifice, innovation, and cultural identity helped shape what the world now knows as salsa, mambo, Afro-Cuban jazz, and Latin music.

For many of us, these stories are not distant history — they are family history. They are the stories of the people who built this music in clubs, theaters, dance halls, recording studios, and neighborhoods throughout New York and beyond. They are the stories of immigrants, innovators, arrangers, bandleaders, percussionists, singers, and composers who carried these rhythms forward and transformed American music forever.

What makes ¡Puro Ritmo! especially powerful is that it does not simply present objects behind glass. It honors the human stories behind them — the lives, struggles, creativity, migrations, collaborations, and communities that gave this music its heartbeat.

The Mambo Legends Orchestra was proud to stand in that space and perform music that many of its members helped shape over the course of their lives and careers.

We also want to express our sincere appreciation to the curators, historians, archivists, organizers, museum staff, collectors, families, technicians, and countless individuals whose dedication made this remarkable exhibition possible. Bringing together an exhibition of this scale and importance takes the work of many people, often over many years, and we are grateful to everyone who helped preserve and present this history with such care and respect.

It was also a pleasure to meet so many passionate people throughout the opening events — individuals committed to preserving, documenting, teaching, and celebrating the legacy of this music for future generations.

This exhibition is more than a tribute to salsa. It is a recognition of a living cultural legacy — one created by the people who lived this music, played it, danced it, carried it across oceans and boroughs, and passed it from generation to generation.

We are grateful to have been part of this historic moment.

Additional information about the exhibition can be found through the Smithsonian and the National Museum of the American Latino:
National Museum of the American Latino – ¡Puro Ritmo!