Caliente, a Celebration of Latin Music and Culture with Jerry Rivera and Eguie Castrillo July 31, 2010

Through a special collaboration with Mayor Thomas M. Menino's Office of Arts, Tourism, and Special Events, the series descends on City Hall Plaza for the remarkable Caliente, a Celebration of Latin Music and Culture. Grammy and Latin Grammy–nominated salsa singer Jerry Rivera was born in Humacao, Puerto Rico, and signed with CBS Music as a teenager. By his second album, Abriendo Puertas (Opening Doors), he was scoring No. 1 hits in Puerto Rico, the United States, and across Latin America. His third album, Cuenta Conmigo (Count on Me), became the biggest-selling salsa album in history, and held the No. 1 spot on the Latin American Billboard chart for three consecutive months. Wyclef Jean sampled Rivera's "Amores Como El Nuestro" in his 2004 song "Amores como el nuestro," which would later become the worldwide number-one hit "Hips Don't Lie" by Wyclef and Shakira.

Berklee professor Eguie Castrillo is from San Juan, Puerto Rico, and his Eguie y Su Orquesta—styled after big bands that created the legendary Latin music scene at New York's Palladium Ballroom in the 1950s—is a high-octane crowd pleaser.

The free concerts are from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. Call 617 927-1707, or visit berklee.edu/events/summer for more information. All locations are wheelchair accessible.

Official Website: http://www.berklee.edu/events/summer