Puente fills father's shoes, with a twist

He's the son of Tito Puente Sr., the undisputed King of Latin Dance. But don't call Tito Puente Jr.

the prince. (My dad) was the king: El Rey, Puente says. But I sure as hell ain't the prince.

I'm more like the court jester in the royal family.
Whatever you call him, Puente has made his own name in the music world, scoring hits with his house music sound and recently releasing En los Pasos de Mi Padre ( In My Father's Shoes ), an album of '50s-era Tito Puente Sr. hits with a modern flair.

I know those are big shoes to fill; very, very big shoes to fill.
So even though the name's familiar, the sound, Puente says, is his own.
You'll have to come see for yourself what I'm about, the percussionist says.

I am playing my father's music, but I give it my own little twist, my own arrangements, own sound. It's got a little rock, and that gives it a more modern sound.
Puente will perform three shows with the San Antonio Symphony Pops this weekend.

It's a new direction for a man who has forged his path with songs that mix house music, jazz and Latin with a little mambo and merengue for flavor.
Touring especially with a 5-month-old daughter at home takes its toll, but the trade-off is worth it, Puente says.
I do it in the spirit of my late father (who died in 2000).

To perform his music, it's great, he says. And I do it for my little girl. Her grandpa was one of the kings of Latin music, and I want her to know that.

And while he works to honor his father's legacy, and plays the timbales with the same passion for which his father was renowned, Puente never had an actual lesson from dear old Dad.
Not even one lesson, and I never asked, either, he says.
Puente Sr.

learned the art of performing on the street, his son says. That's how he wanted us to learn. He knew how to move an entire country, get a crowd to its feet.

You can't learn that in a classroom.
Puente hopes to have the symphony crowd on its feet this weekend, as well.
Bring your dancing shoes, he says.

It's going to be a great show: high energy, up-tempo music.
And that makes it perfect for Fiesta.
I love the fact that there's a party going on when I get there, he says.

We're going to have a good time.
San Antonio Express-News publish date April 20, 2007

-- Tito Puente Jr. says, 'I am playing my father's music, but I give it ..

. my own arrangements, own sound. It's got a little rock, and that gives it a more modern sound.

' -->