Free bilingual Latin concert featuring Barbara’s Serenade on Nov. 6th at The Norwalk Public Library

The Norwalk Public Library invites the public to enjoy a free, bilingual concert with the rhythms of Latin rumbas, cha chas, sambas, boleros, and more by Cuban singer Barbara Espinosa Occhino and her band, Barbara’s Serenade (BarbaraEntertains.com). The concert will be held in the auditorium from 3-4 pm on Sunday, November 6th, 2016. The Norwalk Main Library is located at 1 Belden Street in Norwalk, off I-95 Exit 15 or Route 7 North Exit 1. On Sundays, free parking is available on the street 2-hour meters, the side lot next to the library on Mott, in the neighboring lot at 3 Belden Avenue, or paid parking lots on Wall Street and Burnell Boulevard. Visit NorwalkPublicLibrary.org for parking maps and details.

The audience will be entertained in English and Spanish with trivia and Latin songs that were made famous by dozens of renowned artists around the globe. Songs like Besame Mucho, Cuando Vuelva a tu Lado (What a Difference a Day Made), Guantanamera, Sabor a Mi (Be True to Me), Quien Sera (Sway), Solamente una Vez (You Belong to My Heart), Quizas (Perhaps), Mas Que Nada, La Bamba, Oye Como Va, and others. These compositions transcend time and touch listeners’ hearts regardless of language or age, uplifting and transporting them to another time and place. Barbara’s Serenade band will feature Barbara Espinosa Occhino on vocals, Steve Clarke on bass, Jim Olbrys on guitar, Al Brooks on flute and saxophone, Lou Perry on drums, and Bob Ramos on congas and percussion.

A multilingual singer and event planner residing in Stamford, Barbara Espinosa Occhino brings her dynamic energy to every performance with jazz, blues, swing, R&B, American Songbook, international favorites (Spanish, Italian, French, Portuguese), and more. Barbara has performed in Hispanic Heritage concerts and jazz performances at The Palace theatre, Stamford's Harbor Point, Bartlett Arboretum, libraries, country clubs, art galleries, reception halls, corporate and private parties. Her appreciation and passion for Latin music can be traced back to her birthplace in Cuba and roots in Latin America where her life was enriched by the sounds of 1940s and 1950s melodies that became famous around the world. She manages Barbara’s Serenade, consisting of small combos to full bands, and serves as the Music and Entertainment Curator for the Stamford ARTWALK, the Annual Greenwich Holiday Stroll, and charities. She has been a session vocalist in New York and Connecticut recording studios and has performed with theatre, dance, and choral troupes. She co-owns the Stamford-based advertising agency Vertex Marketing Communications. For details visit BarbaraEntertains.com.

Internationally renowned bassist and music composer Steve Clarke of Bridgeport just returned from a 2016 tour in the Czech Republic, Germany, & Slovakia of 35 shows in 37 days, and has also toured in U.S. and throughout Europe. Steve recorded 7 funk-Jazz CDs under his own name on Hop-N-Bop Records with the latest featuring guitarist Mike Stern (CDBaby.com/cd/steveclarktrio). He still performs with the 2-time Grammy nominated jazz flautist Sherry Winston, and has performed with Marion Meadows, Victor Fields, Tom Browne, Esteban, Ben E King, The Drifters, The Five Satins, Sam & Dave. He has recorded on 55 other CDs as well. Besides being a freelance bassist, producer, National Sawdust composer at Q-Up Recording Studio, Steve teaches all styles of bass, music theory, improvisation and beginning piano in his private studio in Fairfield County.

A resident of Wilton, drummer/Latin percussionist Bob Ramos has played professionally for over 20 years and has a discography of over 15 recordings. He has performed and recorded with musical luminaries including Johnny Pacheco (Fania All-Stars), Clarence Clemons (Bruce Springsteen), Michael Mugrage (Orleans), bassist Dave LaRue (Steve Morse Band), Lee Renaldo (Sonic Youth), Buddy Cage (New Riders), Martin Atkins (PiL), among others. Bob has appeared on Telemundo and Univision with various Latin Rock bands and performs with Latin/Jazz bands in New York City, popular classic rock groups in Connecticut, and with a Brazilian Bossa/jazz group in New Jersey. He has also worked with classic rock, jam band, experimental, Funk, and Jazz fusion bands. Bob is a musicologist from the Rutgers Graduate School and Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University where he teaches courses for the Latino and Hispanic Caribbean Studies department as well as a music professor at Brooklyn College, CUNY, and Union County College (Cranford and Elizabeth, NJ). He has performed with and managed the Rutgers Salsa Band in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. Currently he performs, records, and teaches group and private music lessons in the Tri-state area.

Jim Olbrys is a guitarist from Stratford who has performed at venues like CBGB, Texas Lone Star Road House, and The Bitter End. He has recorded 3 CDs with singer/ songwriter/filmmaker Ned Farr: The Good Red Road & Desert Motel, both in the soundtrack of Ned’s award-winning film, as well as The Ghost of It All. A graduate of the Jazz Program at New England Conservatory, he has worked as a sound engineer, was on the MTV crew with Billy Joel in the USSR, and was a roadie touring the U.S. with Meatloaf. A trained actor and voiceover artist, he has appeared in print ads, national TV commercials, industrial training films, stage plays, and film. He hosted and produced the radio talk shows “Meantime” and “Here & Now.”

Greenwich resident Al Brooks is a saxophonist (tenor and alto) and flutist who has played for over 20 years with various bands in diverse music styles (jazz, dance, Latin, Big Band). He performs with the Jump Start Big Band, his own SoJourn Jazz Group, and the Lehman College Jazz Band. Al earned a Jazz Diploma from Mannes College of Music, an M.A. in German, and an M.A. in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) at Columbia University. He is a Certified Public Accountant and English as a Second Language college instructor.

Stamford drummer Lou Perry has toured the US with notable bands and performed for celebrities including Jerry Van Dyke and comedians like Lonnie Shor. Lou studied Classical Percussion at the Julliard School of Music along with private lessons with renowned drummers like Sam Ulano and Joe Morello. In 1970, he joined the NYC show band The Mark V touring the U.S. and performing around the Metro area at famous venues like original Copacabana. Lou also toured with Ira Sullivan in Miami and in recent years began playing with pianist John Colianni, guitarist Bucky Pizzerelli, Jerry Bruno Productions, singer Louis Vanerio (actor in movies like A Bronx Tale), his own trio with bassist Bob Cranshaw and freelance work.