On December 10th, over 400 people attended the Institute of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture’s (IPRAC) third annual Navi-Jazz concert held at Mambo Café. This unforgettable evening was filled with excitement and countless memorable moments. It included a silent auction of several art pieces by master artist Antonio Martorell, four Southwest airline tickets and several products from Verizon wireless. Prior to the start of the concert, community partners were treated to a VIP reception where a traditional Puerto Rican cuisine was served by the wait staff of Nellie’s restaurant.
In the past three years, Navi-Jazz has brought some of the most talented Puerto Rican Latin jazz musicians to Chicago. This year’s event featured Latin Grammy Award winning artist, Paoli Mejías as well as Antonio Quijano, Endel Dueño, and Edgar Abraham and his Latin Jazz Project.
Navi-Jazz has become a signature event of IPRAC. It was made possible by this year’s generous contributions by sponsors and community partners, which included Verizon, Southwest Airlines, Baker & McKenzie LLC, Hoy, Fifth Third Bank, FV Plumbing, Hispanic Housing, ASPIRA Inc of Illinois and the Puerto Rican Cultural Center.
For more info on IPRAC go to www.iprac.org or facebook.com/iprac
By Julio Urrutia