Latino-Hispanic

Follow the extraordinary journey of jazz legend Paquito D’Rivera from child prodigy to multiple Grammy winner.

VOCES — Paquito D’Rivera: From Carne y Frijol to Carnegie Hall airs Thursday, October 15 at 10:30 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming live on the WXXI and PBS apps.

Through music and memories, celebrate the life and legacy of jazz legend Paquito D’Rivera. Trace his journey from child prodigy in Cuba to a stellar career as a multi-GRAMMY Award-winning musician, composer, and beloved Latin jazz ambassador.

American Masters “American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez” aired Tuesday, October 6 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming live on the WXXI and PBS apps. It Repeats Saturday, October 10 at 3pm on WXXI-TV and livestream, The Program is available on-demand through 11/4/26. Watch the local video of the WXXI panel below for thoughts on the film.

A founding figure of the Chicano Movement, filmmaker and playwright Luis Valdez is best known for his play Zoot Suit, the Ritchie Valens biopic La Bamba and the theatre company El Teatro Campesino.

The son of migrant farmworkers who became a revolutionary artist, Luis Valdez changed American culture. In the 1960s, his El Teatro Campesino performed on flatbed trucks and helped mobilize farmworkers to win their first union contract. In 1979, his “Zoot Suit” was the first Chicano play ever performed on Broadway. His feature film, “La Bamba” was a breakout blockbuster in 1987 that authentically depicted Mexican American life and shared it with the world. Founded in 1965, Valdez’s El Teatro continues to be a beacon for Latino/a creators. American Pachuco is the story of a pioneering artist who gave voice to the overlooked and opened pathways for generations.

Watch the trailer:

A Discussion of the film with WXXI Panel:

WXXI hosted a screening of American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez,a film that follows the legacy of the filmmaker and playwright. After the screening. Julio Sáenz, WXXI Chief Content Officer, moderated a panel discussion with Annette Ramos, Latinx Community Leader, Social Justice Advocate, Arts Curator & Executive Director Rochester Latino Theatre Company; Ricardo Figueroa, Director, School of Film and Animation at Rochester Institute of Technology & John Traver Endowed Professor; and Jason Barber, Co-Founder and Curator of ¡Presente! Film Series, Educator /Community Engagement Expert/Artist. This is their conversation.

Hosted by three-time Grammy Award winner Debby Boone, this is a dazzling musical comedy salute to the history-making women of 1960s and ’70s TV Variety. 

Showstoppers! Great Women of TV Variety airs Saturday, October 17 at 3 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming live on the WXXI and PBS apps.

The program features classic performances from Carol Burnett, Lily Tomlin, Diahann Carroll, Cher, Mitzi Gaynor, Toni Tennille, Ella Fitzgerald, Ann-Margret, Vikki Carr, Leslie Uggams, and many more. Collectively these trailblazing icons reinvented a TV genre, both in front of and behind the camera, with razzle-dazzle showmanship and a dynamic creative vision that entertained tens of millions.

Repeats Sunday, October 18 at 2:30 p.m. on WXXI-TV.

 Revered as Mexico’s greatest living singer, Vicente Fernandez blends an operatic vocal range with a deep understanding of the roots of ranchera music.

Vicente Fernandez: Un Azteca en el Azteca airs Saturday, October 10 at 4 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming live on the WXXI and PBS apps.

 In this special, the Grammy-winning mariachi singer performs a historic farewell concert at Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca, the largest stadium in Latin America. Filmed on April 16, 2016, the concert attracted a crowd of over 85,000 fans, creating a memorable send-off to the King of Ranchera.