The Uniondale Public Library’s Bookmark Café was filled with the lively sounds of Latin music on Sunday as composer and pianist Matthew Fishteyn performed a mix of jazz, folk and Latin melodies in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month.
Fishteyn, a seasoned performer who has been playing since age 6 and studied at the Special Music School of America — a New York City public school dedicated to music education — guided the audience through an interactive performance that blended cultural history with music.
“Are we in the dancing mood?” Fishteyn asked, encouraging the attendees to stand. “This is what I call the pre-workout workout — the workout before the workout.” People in the audience clapped, swayed to “El Hombre Divertido” (“The Fun Man”), by Dominican musician Wilfrido Vargas, and joined in as Fishteyn led call-and-response sections of the performance.
Although the concert focused on Latin music, which Fishteyn said is his repertoire, he explained that he frequently blends genres, and calls his a variety act.
“I’m actually a blues piano player,” he said. “People ask me all the time, ‘Can you do one style?’ and I say, ‘No, it’s boring for me.’ I do a little Brazil, blues, some Bee Gees, even Ozzy Osbourne.”
Audiences want variety in concerts, Fishteyn said, adding, “Everyone’s tired of the same music on the radio.”
He performed a range of songs, including the folk tune “Chico Chico”; “Quizás, Quizás, Quizás,” by Osvaldo Farrés; “Summer Samba,” translated from its Portuguese roots, “Samba de Verão,” by Marcos Valle; and “Sway,” a 1953 Latin-influenced hit written by Mexican composer Luis Demetrio, widely known thanks to Dean Martin’s version.
Uniondale resident Carlos Blata couldn’t help but sing along as the rhythms filled the room.
His daughter, Sofia, had a request: “La Cucaracha.”
“I was in a game, playing with friends, the other day, and I was singing it,” Sofia said. “So my dad asked him to play it.”
Originally from Maracaibo, Venezuela, Blata and his wife, Leonor, said the music brought them back home.
“Absolutely, very much I feel like I’m home,” Carlos said. “It was so exciting. We love that.”
Ilgar Guo, the library’s adult services director, said he was pleased with the turnout, especially given the weather: It was a warm, sunny day.
“Some people came in to watch when they heard music and enjoyed the performance from a distance,” Guo said.
Fishteyn offered some musical history as well. “It’s Hispanic Heritage Month — we’re celebrating history, celebrating musical heritage,” he said.
He introduced the audience to the work of the renowned Brazilian composer Antonio Carlos Jobim, a founder of bossa nova, a genre rooted in jazz, poetry and unique rhythms. “Musicians were playing in cafes and experimenting with a new style,” Fishteyn said. “It was like the jazz movement — poetry, literature, everything, with music. A whole new form of identity.”
Fishteyn’s approach to the music was personal and engaging. He encouraged audience participation, explaining the roots of each style and emphasizing how Latin influences shaped global music.
Born in Brooklyn and now living in Staten Island, Fishteyn placed first in the Young Musicians Competition at Wagner College after graduating from the Special Music School. He is known for seamlessly switching genres — from jazz to rock ’n’ roll — and turning concerts into interactive experiences.
By the end of the afternoon, Fishteyn had led a rich celebration of Latin music, engaging the audience and honoring the cultural contributions of the Hispanic and Latino communities.
Hispanic Heritage Month, celebrated from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, honors the history, culture and lasting contributions of those communities to the United States.
