Gatekeepers of NYC culture, Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Garcia and the Uprising All Stars will celebrate the Masters of the Music Universe with a live concert followed by a DJ set in tribute to the legends that have made NYC groove.

This will be the beginning of an epic concert series featuring tastemaker musicians and DJ’s leading up to a collaborative live music project featuring Stretch Armstrong, Bobbito Garcia and the Uprising All Star musicians.

Assembled under the watchful eyes (and ears!) of 10x grammy winner Eddie Palmieri, and led by Jimmy Bosch (Eddie Palmieri, Fania All Stars, Ruben Blades, etc), the Uprising All Stars will honor the legacy of Charlie Palmieri with current legends Little Johnny Rivero (Eddie Palmieri, Sonora Ponceña, etc), Grammy-nominated Doug Beavers (Eddie Palmieri, Spanish Harlem Orchestra, etc) and vocalist/Broadway actor, Quique Gonzalez (“I Like it Like That,” La India, etc).

The band also features future stars Luques Curtis (Eddie Palmieri, Christian McBride, etc), Zaccai Curtis (Curtis Bros., Cindy Blackman, etc) and Jonathan Powell (Eddie Palmieri, Blood, Sweat and Tears, etc) among other notable rising stars.

After the live show, legendary DJs Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Garcia will lead listeners, dancers and fans on an historical journey through some of the most world-influential groove music in NYC culture. Most of all, they will raise you up and set you free to dance all night.

Charlie Palmieri spearheaded the Descarga jam session style of recording in Latin music. His recordings for legendary companies like Alegre Records in the ’60s stimulated competition among companies like Tico and Fania Records, leading them to form their own All Star Salsa bands in response. This intense musical evolution led to the Salsa explosion of the ’70s.

Few genres have had more influence over the course of popular music than Funk. Through messengers like, James Brown and their exhilarating stage shows, R&B, Jazz and Soul blended into Funk, which became the foundation of NYC’s Hip Hop revolution. Like Salsa, Funk evolved to be truly timeless.

NYC native Stretch Armstrong is an internationally recognized DJ and cultural influencer with an incomparable career. After DJing in clubs in the late 80’s as a teenager, Stretch soon became a household name via the “Stretch and Bobbito” radio show, through which the world was first introduced to future household names like Nas, Jay-Z, Eminem, Wu-Tang Clan, Busta Rhymes, Lauryn Hill and The Notorious B.I.G. It’s no uncommon to hear someone say the first time they heard an anthemic song or important artist was from Stretch. As a club DJ who has never been confined to one genre, Stretch, a progenitor of what would become known as “open-format” (incorporating a multitude of musical genres) has spun all over the world for nearly three decades, thriving in small and large venues alike.

NYC native Bobbito García is a freelance creative who has put an indelible footprint on multiple urban movements. During the 1990s, the legendary air personality was one-half of the “Stretch and Bobbito” program on WKCR. The duo introduced the world to an unsigned Nas, Biggie, and Wu-Tang, as well as an unknown Jay-Z, Eminem, and the Fugees. The total record sales for all the artists that premiered on their platform exceed 300 million. In 1998, the Source Magazine voted them as “The Best Hip Hop Radio Show of All Time.“

Stretch And Bobbito: Radio That Changed Lives
“During the 1990s, Stretch and Bobbito introduced the world to an unsigned Nas, Biggie, Wu-Tang, and Big Pun, as well as an unknown Jay Z, Eminem, and the Fugees. The total record sales for all the artists that premiered on their show exceed 300 million. The late-night program had a cult following in the art/fashion world and prison population as well. All would loyally tune in for the offbeat humor just as much for the exclusive tunes. Stretch and Bobbito brought a unique audience together, and created a platform that changed music forever.

Band Roster:
Director : Jimmy Bosch / Trombone
Joseph Gonzalez – Lead Vocal
Nelson Gonzalez – Tres Guitar/Vocal : TBD
Zaccai Curtis – Piano
Luques Curtis – Bass :
Jonathan Powell – Trumpet
John Walsh – Trumpet
Doug Beavers – Trombone:
Little Johnny Rivero – Congas
Camilo Molina – Timbales
Erik Piza – Bongo