Enter the BLU Zone as two incredible & historic local bands, Skatch Anderssen Orchestra & Sammy DeLeon y Su Orquesta, come together as one for an evening of dazzling big band sounds and vibrant Latin jazz rhythms! Directed by Eric Dregne & Sammy DeLeon.
La Gran Combinación brings together two incredible and historic bands in one amazing show. Local bandleader Eric Dregne founded Cleveland’s 17-piece jazz powerhouse, the "Skatch Anderssen Orchestra," in 1991. Likewise, 2016 Latin Legend timbales artist Sammy DeLeon has been running his award-winning “Sammy DeLeon y Su Orquesta” salsa band for the past two decades. Each group features the best musicians in Northeast Ohio, who perform with a precision and dedication that few bands can match. In 2017, Eric and Sammy decided to combine forces and create a super-group that would dazzle the audience with the vibrant rhythms of Latin Jazz. That result is La Gran Combinación.
La Gran Combinación performs a fusion of jazz music and Afro-Cuban percussion and rhythms. Every set comes at you with a relentless wall of sound and an intense burst of musical energy from the first note. It’s a world-wide showcase of Latin legends such as Tito Puente and Machito, plus more modern composers and arrangers like Oscar Hernandez (Spanish Harlem Orchestra), Humberto Ramirez, Arturo Sandoval and the aptly-named “Young Lion from Miami”, Tony Succar. The raw power of five saxes, four trombones, four percussionists, piano and bass guarantee that you’ll experience something incredible. It’s a night of music you won’t want to miss.