Well, a new documentary is inspiring our CCSD music students.

The VOCES documentary, Mamba Legends: The Music Never Ends features former members of the Tito Puente Orchestra who are on a mission to keep this style of music alive for future generations.

Through a partnership with Latino Public Broadcasting, VOCES, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Vegas PBS was asked to help get the word out, so we turned to music students at Rex Bell Elementary School.

More on them in just a bit.

But first, we also recruited the help of the incredible Las Vegas Academy Jazz band and 92-year-old Vegas Musician Mr. Joe Torres.

Two of the students even got to interview Mr. Torres.

It's generations uniting to make sure that the music never ends.

Check it out.

[jazz music] -Hello, I'm Reyli Hernandez.

I play trumpet.

-Hello, I'm Miguel Fonseca Lagos, and I play saxophone.

And we are part of the Las Vegas Academy Jazz 3 ensemble.

We are here with Mr. Joe Torres, one of the founders of Latin jazz.

It's an honor to have you at our school, Mr. Torres.

(Joe Torres) Thank you.

It's my pleasure.

-So, Mr. Torres, you're known as, like the godfather of Latin jazz.

How did you gain that title, and when was the first time you became aware of the title?

-Well, that was a kind of a fluke.

I did a recording, and the DJ, his name is Raul Rico, he said, Boy, you're the godfather of Latin Jazz.

That's it, and it stuck.

That was it.

-Mr. Torres, you're 92 years young.

Please tell us about your musical journey, including your legendary album, Latino Con Soul.

-Well, I recorded that in 1967, and I think I was a little ahead of my time.

Latin jazz wasn't that well known.

["Yo Sali" playing] -You've played with, like many musical performers such as Nat King Cole, Elvis, and Dizzy Gillespie.

Would you be able to tell us more about Celia Cruz?

-Oh, yeah.

Well, Celia Cruz was a dynamic performer.

She was just incredible.

They called her "The Queen," and I played with her at the Hollywood Palladium.

Her energy was just contagious.

-What was your experience like performing and being in movies with Elvis Presley?

-Well, that was a great experience.

Not only was it a great experience, but I made a lot of money.

But we did, I did a couple of movies with him.

In Viva Las Vegas, I played bongos in the actual recording that he did.

I did the soundtrack.

-You opened up in recent interviews that you had to give up your musical career to support your family.

-Well, I really got away from music for about 20 years.

I went back to school.

I went to UNLV, and I started the Latin jazz group there.

[Latin jazz] -Who are three of your biggest influences?

-Well, Tito Puente, of course.

Man, he was-- see, at the time, the timbales player used to play in the back of the band.

When he came, he put the timbales in the front of the band, which was, you know, unheard of.

-What advice do you have for any young aspiring musicians out in the world today?

-Well, the one thing you have to do is you have to learn your instrument.

Listen to the masters.

Concentrate on what you do.

♪♪♪ -Can you tell us about the song "Soulcha"?

-"Soulcha," that was written by Steve Huffsteter.

And, as a matter of fact, I did about two of his tunes on my album.

-Thank you so much, Mr. Torres, for your wisdom and musical talent.

-Well, it was my pleasure, my pleasure.

-We are excited to perform your "Soulcha."

-Good!

That'd be great.

I'm excited to hear you play it.

♪♪♪ -Thank you, Mr. Torres!

[applause] -Well, I can tell you that watching Mr. Torres watching these talented students sight reading and performing his song was an incredible and heartwarming moment.

Bravo to all involved.