U.S. Postal Service Celebrates Latin Jazz

By I Sep. 9, 2008

The U.S. Postal Service celebrates the musical heritage of Latin jazz with the dedication of the Latin Jazz commemorative stamp. Attendees to the stamp’s dedication ceremony, which took place Monday at the National Postal Museum in Washington, D.C., included Postal Service vice president of Government Relations and Public Policy Marie Therese Dominguez, 2008 National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master Candido Camero and Daniel Sheehy, acting director of the Latino Center at the Smithsonian.

The Latin Jazz stamp features a bold, graphic design by San Francisco-based artist and Latin jazz fan Michael Bartalos. Eager to capture the upbeat, energetic and romantic spirit that characterizes much of Latin jazz, Bartalos created a tropical evening scene that depicts three musicians playing bass, piano and conga drums and conveys the multicultural aspects of the music, its percussive and improvisational nature and its rhythmic complexity.

MP3 downloads of Camero’s performance at the ceremony will be available on the U.S. Postal Service web site.

More info: usps.com/news