Janeen Puente's fiery Latin songs will heat up the Oxnard Salsa Festival

If you shake the Puente family tree, a wealth of luscious musical fruit is bound to fall.

That's a delicious treat for Latin music lovers. But, at first, it felt like a curse to singer Janeen Puente, granddaughter of legendary salsa music superstar Tito Puente.

The famed percussionist, who died in 2000, casts a large shadow, but it's one that his granddaughter managed to embrace while also finding a unique voice and place in the music world as leader of the Janeen Puente Orchestra.

The ensemble will perform Sunday in Plaza Park as part of the 18th Oxnard Salsa Festival. The event kicks off tonight with a performance by the Susie Hansen Latin Band and it will continue all weekend with music, food, a marketplace and family activities.

The festival originated in 1994 to showcase Oxnard's multicultural heritage and agricultural roots, according to Ruth Ballin, the festival's executive director.

"About 12 or so years ago, as the popularity of salsa music and dancing was reignited, the festival became a celebration of all things salsa," Ballin said. "It has grown from a one-day event in the park with just a few hundred attendees to Oxnard's largest free community festival, with a weekend attendance of close to 50,000 people. It has become a signature event for downtown Oxnard."

Two years ago, Puente attended the festival to support other performers. A New York native, she grew up listening both to Latin music, including Celia Cruz, La India and her grandfather, as well as to pop stars like Mariah Carey and Madonna.

She blended her grandfather's Latin style with American pop and found a musical voice that suited her. After moving to California, she met percussionist Eddie Del Rios and they formed a band.

"It has morphed over the years as we have added and changed musicians," Puente said. "I think we have the right sound now, with musicians who have great timing and strong melodic abilities."

Ballin concurred. "Janeen has the Latin rhythm in her genes," she said. "For the Salsa Festival, she has the stage presence, great vocals and amazing band members to wow the audience. She performed last year for the first time and the crowd loved her. So she was on our list to invite back again."

Puente has developed a new set for the festival. She will mix songs from their 2010 "Mi Camino" CD with new originals and a few traditional hits.

"We'll be doing an homage to Celia Cruz, which will include 'Carnaval,' and people love that," Puente said. "Latin music is so full of life. Even if you don't understand the lyrics, and even if you can't dance, you can't help but clap your hands and tap your toes because the music is alive. It's a living organism."

Puente occasionally performs some of her grandfather's hits, but for the most part she leaves that up to her uncle, Tito Puente Jr., and to her father, Ron Puente, both skilled musicians.

"I play percussion, but you won't see me doing that in public," she said. "That was what he did, and this is what I do. What I did get from my grandfather, though, is a passion for the music. Initially I did think of my lineage as a curse, but now I know it's a blessing."

Source Jeff Favre

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