On August 22, Grammy-winning label Concord Theatricals Recordings released the new 17-track album Jaime Lozano & The Familia: Songs by an Immigrant Vol. 3 across all streaming platforms. To celebrate, the exceptionally accomplished and productive Mexican-born composer, lyricist, librettist, musician, singer, and director Lozano brought together ten featured vocalists and collaborators from his chosen Latine-and-allies family of performers, backed by a lively 17-piece band – Lozano on keyboard, guitar, and vihuela, Yahir Montes and Saúl Cosme on guitars, Joel Mateo on drums, Jonathan Gómez on percussion, Ruben Rodriguez on bass, Alberto Toro and Alex Hamlin on reeds, Hugo Moreno and Alejandro Bert on trumpet, Nick Grinder and Michael Boscarino on trombone, Taya Ricker and Ludovica Burtone on violin, Sunjay Jayaram on viola, Agustín Uriburu on cello, and George Sáenz on accordion – for a blockbuster concert at NYC’s Sony Hall that delivered the authentic stylings and compelling stories of the immigrant experience across three generations in the US.
The ardent company wowed the crowd in the historic large-scale venue, keeping everyone standing, moving, singing, and clapping along to the meaningful original songs, all with music by Lozano (one composed with Tony, Grammy, Emmy, and Pulitzer Prize winner Tom Kitt, and two with Tommy Newman), rich orchestrations and arrangements by Lozano and Jesús Altamira, and lyrics by Lozano and six of his masterful associates (Neena Beber, Nathan Tyson, Marina Pires, Florencia Cuenca, and Newman, and five by longtime colleague and friend Georgie Castilla).
Between numbers, the ever amusing and congenial Lozano introduced the artists and works, and, in his signature style, joked about everything (most of all himself and his desire to make the album a hit, encouraging his fans to play it on repeat – even during the concert, with their cell phones in silent mode!). But he also made significant comments about the theme of the album and concert, its pressing importance, now and always, to our country and our immigrant population, and the outstanding talent and humanity of the performers, with his spot-on observation, “More than big, beautiful voices, they have big, beautiful hearts.” I couldn’t agree more, and that’s what made the night even more special than the music inherently is.
A set list of thirteen songs, comprised of ten from the current recording and three from previous albums, with lyrics in both Spanish and English, ranged in style and subject from traditional up-tempo Mexican rhythms and beats to slower-paced ballads, wistful musings to empowering anthems, tributes to beloved women, and a show tune from a new musical based on a well-known fairytale, embodied by a simpatico “familia” of lead vocalists – Mexican regional singer Xavier Zazueta and musical theater artists Krystina Alabado, Mayelah Barrera, Max Mendoza Crumm, Tamar Greene, Joel Perez, Didi Romero, and Cuenca, all heard on the latest album release, along with Rodney Ingram and Pires – conveying the challenging situations, delivering the emotions, and giving voice to the central figures of the narrative numbers.
Among the standouts in an across-the-board phenomenal show were Cuenca’s powerhouse vocals on the impassioned “Hoy Voy a Cantar” (“Today I’m Going to Sing,” for which she co-wrote the lyrics with her husband and professional partner Lozano) and the earlier “No Podemos Regresar” (“We Can’t Return,” with music and lyrics by Lozano and Newman), which she consistently imbues with profound feeling, here enhanced by the band’s gentle plucking of strings; “Mi Ángel” (music by Lozano, lyrics by Castilla), written in loving homage to Lozano’s mother and performed by Zazueta in an unforgettable NYC debut; Crumm flawlessly hitting the high notes and explaining why this song exists in “Because of Yours” (music by Lozano and Kitt, lyrics by Lozano and Castilla); “Te Veré Otra Vez” (“I’ll See You Again”) from Roja (Red), the new bilingual musical adaptation of Little Red Riding Hood (with music and lyrics by Lozano and Newman), fusing Mexican folk music and Mestizo folklore, sung by the young and highly impressive Barrera; and Greene’s soft and sensitive rendition of the heartrending “Lemonade” (music by Lozano, lyrics by Tysen), recounting a hopeful attempt to raise much-needed money by setting up a lemonade stand.
Rounding out the thoroughly engaging and affecting concert were the bouncy “Regalos” (“Gifts”) and the expressive “Wherever I Go” (music by Lozano, lyrics by Castilla), sung respectively by Perez and Alabado; two heartfelt numbers performed by Pires – “Te Soñé” (“I Dreamed of You,” with music and lyrics by Lozano), honoring the late Broadway actress Doreen Montalvo, and “Mountain in the Sky” (music by Lozano, lyrics by Pires), which built to a resonant crescendo; and “Far from Home,” with Romero inviting the audience to join in on the chorus, and the romantic “So That I Can Live,” about the relationship between Mexican artists Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo (both with music by Lozano and lyrics by Beber).
The show closed with the full cast and band performing the popular and uplifting “Familia” (by Lozano and Castilla, heard on Vol. 2 of the Songs by an Immigrant series), which expresses the overarching message of the strong sense of community among this close-knit, gifted, and caring group, and extends to all Latine (and other) immigrants. If you missed this superlative celebration, you can stream the songs of the just released Vol. 3 (as well as the first two volumes) – on repeat! – and be entertained and moved by these sensational and empathetic artists.
Running Time: Approximately two hours, without intermission.
Jaime Lozano & The Familia played on Monday, August 25, 2025, at Sony Hall, 235 W 46th Street, NYC.
