Wednesday, October 14, 2026
By Maggie Miles | Outer Banks Voice on September 22, 2026
In 1971, Tito Puente Jr. was born into Latin jazz royalty. His father, Tito Puente, whose parents moved from Puerto Rico to Spanish Harlem in New York City shortly before he was born, was a multiple Grammy Award winning musician and bandleader, famous for hits like “Oye Como Va.”
“My father was one of the pioneers of Latin jazz music, along with Eddie Palmieri and Charlie Palmieri. They really combined the Afro-Cuban sound with the big band swing tunes music of the 1950s era, along with the late great Dizzy Gillespie and Chano Pozo,” said Puente. That sound, which was very unique to New York clubs, ended up spreading around the world.
A performer himself who plays with a full Latin jazz ensemble, Puente will be headlining Duck Jazz Fest, which takes place Oct 10-11. Puente takes the stage on Sunday, the 11th, at 5:25 p.m., playing his father’s music as well as his own originals. The theme of the festival this year is “Reigniting Jazz,” and it will feature musicians who were scheduled to play last year before the performances were cancelled due to weather.
While on the Outer Banks, Puente will also teach a Latin jazz symposium to band students at First Flight High School. It’s part of an initiative to introduce the sounds of Latin jazz at schools in the United States and around the world.
But Puente, who grew up in New York City and now lives in Miami, didn’t immediately follow in his father’s footsteps. Early on, he was a self-declared metalhead, playing in heavy metal bands in the city. But things changed when his mom convinced him to go traveling with his dad and his band when they were touring in places such as Japan, Indonesia, and Jakarta.
“My mom said, ‘Why don’t you go travel with your father and stop hanging around with these rock guys for a little while?’ And I guess the influence rubbed off on me…It was incredible seeing people that did not know English or Spanish loving Afro-Cuban and Latin jazz music, and that’s what inspired me to start playing,” he recalled.
When his father died in 2000, Puente went deep into his music catalog for the first time and decided he would dedicate his life to honoring and continuing his father’s legacy.
“I learned more about my roots…I really embraced it, embraced who I am, and embraced the music that he left on this planet,” said Puente. But he also notes that “I’ve got tickets to go see Metallica in three weeks at the Sphere, so I’m going to Vegas and I’m still a metalhead.”
Though Puente started performing his father’s music after his death in 2000, he didn’t begin giving his master classes at high schools, universities and music schools until 2010.
“It took me about 10 years to grow the courage to talk to young kids,” said Puente. “But now I have teenagers and grandchildren, so I’m very good at yapping away with all these youngsters.”
He’s also friends with international superstar Bad Bunny, who samples classic Latin jazz music and salsa music in his popular reggaeton songs. They’ve known each other since Bad Bunny was a teenager, and Puente was recently invited to one of his shows in Puerto Rico.
“He’s traveling the world and making sure that our culture and our people and the Puerto Rican community come together everywhere he goes,” said Puente. “He’s spreading the love from the island, which is incredible.”
Puente sees himself as a bridge between generations, and at First Flight High School, he will lead a master class and hands-on session for students, covering Latin jazz history, clave rhythms, and instruments including congas, timbales, bongos, piano, and bass.
“Having the opportunity for our students to learn directly from a professional musician and experience Latin Jazz in a hands-on setting is something that can have a lasting impact on them,” said David Lee, Director of Bands at First Flight. “I’m looking forward to seeing our students step outside of their comfort zones, discover something new, and hopefully develop an even greater appreciation for the diversity and possibilities within jazz and music as a whole.”
The First Flight High School Honors Jazz Band will have its own performance on the Duck Jazz Fest stage at 12:15 p.m. on Oct. 11, and Puente hopes to have the opportunity to share the stage with them. The Town of Duck is also offering beginner-friendly salsa dancing class at 6 p.m. on Oct. 8 at the Duck Amphitheatre, where festival goers will have the opportunity to learn basic salsa steps, explore the rich cultural roots of Latin jazz, and feel confident dancing along during festival weekend.
Most of all, Puente is hoping to bring his love of the Afro-Cuban sound to the Outer Banks.
“It’s cultural music, but it is American music too. A lot of people don’t realize that a lot of this stuff was invented in the streets of Harlem, New York, where blues, jazz, of course big band swing music was all really created,” he said. “So, I want to see everybody learn how to dance, and that way, when I come up, we’ll all dance together like one big Zumba class.”
Visit the Town of Duck to learn more about the Duck Jazz Fest.
See what people are saying:
Ricardo
It’s interesting how you can switch from metal to jazz through the power of family. I loved how well-written the article was.