Friday night was our first time but won’t be our last with MUSE/IQUE. This weekend, the program is “Like It Like Harlem,” a look at how Puerto Ricans and Cubans arrived in New York City and changed American music, making Harlem a musical playground.

The show is part of the 2025 season: “Make Some Noise: Music and Stories of American Defiance and Hope” which is just the right message for these trying times. The program notes “When artists make loud choices and take bold stances, they teach us that nothing is impossible.” This one covers salsa, boogaloo, mamba and conga on both the East Coast and the West Coast. .

It at all possible, get to the concert early. A live band was playing salsa music and people were dancing. We don’t really dance salsa, but we can do a quick Argentine tango. After warming up, we cooled down inside as we learned about Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, Johnny Pacheco, Pete Rodriguez, Desi Arnaz, Carlos Santana and José Feliciano.

The program was educational and joyful, featuring Panamanian American Brooklyn native Rogelio Douglas, Jr (vocals) and Yvette González-Nacer (vocal, violin). There’s also some dancing, choreographed by Joan Rodriguez with a focus on modern dance (barefoot and flexed feet) to Afro-Latin beat.

If you like intimate live music, try “Like It Like Harlem.”  If you can’t make it this weekend, there will los be concerts in September (“Made in Memphis” at the Pasadena Memorial Park) and October (“Have You Heard of Etta James?” at the Huntington on Friday and Saturday and then at the Skirball Cultural Center)

For tickets or more information, visit MUSE-IQUE.com.