Mary Lee Pappas – November 10, 2025
Tito Puente Jr. certainly did his father justice, the legendary Tito Puente, in his performance Saturday night at The Tarkington. Shining in his own right as an excellent bandleader and timbalero, Puente Jr. was highly charismatic, personable, and entertaining in his energized 90-minutes show backed by his fantastic eight piece band. He had some dance moves too.
Check out a snippet of his show here.
“Alexa! Play Tito Puente!” he comically expressed with the motive of continuing his father’s great legacy to a new, young generation and to keep the music ever present. Pretty much every average American recognizes “Oye Cómo Va” as readily as the ABC song and it should stay that way. Puente Jr. Relayed that his dad hadn’t really liked the way Mexican guitarist Carlos Santana had recorded it in 1971 making it a hit, but loved it after the royalty check arrived.
The evening was an homage to his Nuyorican bandleader dad celebrating and capturing his father’s standards in true spirit. Known as “El Rey de los Timbales,” or “The King of the Timbales”, his dad passed away unexpectedly on May 31, 2000. He had been scheduled to headline the third and final night of the Indianapolis Jazz Festival at Military Park in downtown Indianapolis on Sunday, June 18, 2000. Despite this, Puente’s band still showed-up to perform in what became a tremendous celebration of Puente’s life and an ultimate way to end the Fest. There were members of Latin-American media up front…an overjoyed photographer dropped his camera to grab me to dance. That was the exhilarating vibe.
Puente Jr. spoke of his father’s legacy between every song including how his dad was a child prodigy playing drums at five years-old, and how he played thirteen instruments in all. The screen behind the band played a series of performance snippets of his father set to be used for a documentary on his life set to be completed in 2026. “I wanted to bring you guys an extra special treat,“ Puente Jr. said of the footage that showed black and white images of his dad as a boy to film of him performing “Ran kan kan” for Oscar the Grouch and the Grouchketeers on Sesame Street. “Dad, we miss you,” he said gazing at the images.
Fortunately, “Ran kan kan” was on the roster for the night to the audience’s delight. Recorded in 1950 and featured in the 1992 film, “The Mambo Kings”, the song is truly timeless and a dance favorite. “I noticed there’s no dance floor,” Puente Jr. said, “Well, make one!” OK, then! So many Afro-Cuban, Latin Jazz, Mambo classics you could cha-cha to were a part of this fantastic night.
Setlist:
1. Mambo gozon
2. El cayuco
3. Juventud del presente
4. Complicacion
5. Carnival
6. Que sera
7. Ran kan kan
8. Oye como va
Puente Jr. has many albums out including, “In My Father’s Shoes” and “Got Mambo?” If you have the opportunity to see Puente Jr. perform, do it. It’s not just a trip down memory lane, it’s being in the presence and hearing the tradition and greatness of a second-generation acclaimed American musician backed by amazing musicians. It’s kind of a cultural big deal.
Being a New Yorker of a certain era, Puente Jr. at one point freestyled a little going into a classic song with “Clap your hands everybody, everybody clap your hands,” referencing NY born Eddie Cheeba and DJ Hollywood’s “Life at the Armory 1979” intro. The diverse party people in house were having a great time without a doubt.
The sound quality at The Tarkington is perfect and every seat in the raked theatre is a good one without an obstructed view. The performance felt more intimate because of this great performance space.
Please support Latin cultural events in Indianapolis. Buy your tickets early to show your support. This fall several significant Latin artist’s shows have been canceled. Unsurprisingly, Puente Jr.’s show was nearly a full house in the 500-seat theatre.
Check out another show snippet here.
Original article here.
