The performance will bring one musician with local connections back to familiar territory. Pianist Marc Marcano has played with several bands in and around Joplin since he became a professional musician in the 1960s.

Between arriving in the United States in 1960 and his current foray into the music of South America and the Caribbean, Marcano appeared on countless stages in and around the Joplin area.

Those bands, however, featured primarily rock, blues or rhythm and blues.

He began playing with the group, The Gas Company in the 1960s. Later he played in Manalive with Steve Gaines, John Moss and Gary Clark in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

When he became a U.S. citizen in 1972, Marcano's sponsors were Steve Gaines and his wife, Teresa. Steve Gaines later became the lead guitarist for Lynyrd Skynyrd, the definitive Southern rock band. Gaines died in the 1977 airplane crash that also took the life of his sister, Cassie and lead vocalist Ronnie VanZant.

In the 1970s, Marcano played with The Rockets, a band in Detroit that featured Mitch Ryder, formerly of the group The Detroit Wheels, who had the top-ten hit, "Judy in Disguise." After several years of work with Ryder and The Rockets, Marcano decided to return to the Midwest.

"I signed on as a member of Smoot Mahooti, consisting of John Moss, Bob Macy, Don Shipps, Michael Ray, Steve Duncan and various other musicians at different times," Marcano said.

After several years with Smoot, Marcano joined Son Venezuela in 1994.

The popular Kansas City band mixes salsa, mambo, merengue, and calypso, among other musical forms.

How does Marcano feel about playing these types of music after cutting his teeth in a rock and roll band?

"Both styles of music are challenging, fun and very exhilarating," he said. "As a pianist, it has been a difficult transition because keyboards are the main melodic instrument in the band now in contrast with R&B or rock and roll, in which the guitar is the lead melodic instrument.

"In salsa the piano is a more integral part of the rhythm section and the pianist has to play more melody lines and fewer chords ... and naturally, there is more percussion going on. I love playing both types."

Other Son Venezuela musicians are Luis E. Guilln, lead and background vocals, tambora, and percussion; Kelfel Aqi, lead and background vocals, cuatro, and percussion; Byron Jones, trumpet and flugelhorn; Daniel Adams, alto saxophone and flute; Michael Walker, trombone; Glenn Gray, bass; Fernando Reynoso, congas and percussion; and Luiz Moreira, timbales.

In mid-August Son Venezuela was voted "Best Latin Band" in the Kansas City metro area at the Pitch Weekly Awards that took place at the Uptown Theater.

Marcano says group members are "very proud" of being selected for that award by popular vote of Kansas City music fans.

"I have always believed that music is the universal language that unites all cultures," he said. "Experiencing art from other cultures always expands people's base of knowledge and appreciation of others. Salsa music exemplifies the fun loving approach to life that people from the Caribbean enjoy."

The appearance by Son Venezuela is sponsored by the MSSU Institute of International Studies as part of the "Cuba Semester," which places a semester-long emphasis on Cuban culture, including music. The performance is free and open to the public.