Fiery Latin Rhythms Coming to Glen Cove Village Square

Long Island’s "Mambo Loco" will perform Friday to kick off Week No. 3 of the 2013 Downtown Sounds Concert Series.

Formed in 2005, Mambo Loco specializes in “old school” Latin and Latin Jazz music including an impressive array of classics that originated in Puerto Rico and Cuba during the golden age of the 1940s through ‘60s. They will perform at the Glen Cove Village Square Plaza on Friday at 7:30 p.m.

The lead vocalist and conga player for Mambo Loco is Larry Belford, whose fiery drumming and vocals are the focal point of the band. Belford, who has been performing since he was a child, has a long resume as a musician, having played with many of New York’s best Latin artists including the Bad Street Boys, Charlie Rodriguez, Johnny Pacheco, Roberto Torres and Celia Cruz.

Versatile musician Alfredo Gonzalez plays trombone, violin and percussion for Mambo Loco and also contributes on vocals. Also on vocals is Bill Smith, who plays piano and melodica. Wayne Burgess rounds out the quartet by playing bass and contributing on vocals. 

Every Friday night during July and August, the Downtown BID and the City of Glen Cove join forces to bring Downtown Sounds to the Village Square at the intersection of Glen and Bridge Streets. This annual outdoor concert series, which is free to the public, is designed to use music as a promotional tool to boost the local economy.

For example, the weekly concerts typically bring 600-1,000 people to the city’s streets, which increases patronage of local businesses including many area restaurants, organizers say. The event has grown substantially since its debut in 1997 and the city now closes School Street due to the overflow crowds.

In the event of rain, the performance will be moved to the Wunsch Arts Center at R.M. Finley Middle School on Forest Avenue. For more information, visit www.downtownsoundslive.org or call 516-759-6970.