Roger Glenn Celebrates 80th Birthday with First Album in Nearly 50 Years: My Latin Heart

Legendary multi-instrumentalist Roger Glenn, known for decades as a vital yet under-recognized figure in jazz and Latin music, will release My Latin Heart on August 22, 2025 via Patois Records. The album marks his return as a bandleader after nearly five decades—an Afro-Caribbean and Brazilian jazz explosion that celebrates his 80th birthday and the full range of his musical vision.

For decades, Glenn has brought his distinctive talents—on flute, vibes, saxophones, marimba, and voice—to recordings and performances with some of the greatest names in music: Cal Tjader, Mary Lou Williams, Mongo Santamaria, Donald Byrd, Herbie Mann, Dizzy Gillespie, Taj Mahal, and many more. Yet, outside of his 1976 cult-favorite LP Reachin’ (produced by the Mizell Brothers), Glenn has rarely taken center stage—until now.

My Latin Heart is a deeply personal statement, recorded with a who’s-who of Bay Area jazz veterans including Ray Obiedo, David K. Mathews, David Belove, Paul van Wageningen, and Derek Rolando, with percussion giants John Santos and Michael Spiro adding additional fire. Across its tracks, the album reflects Glenn’s lifelong fascination with Latin music, and his mastery of blending jazz’s improvisational core with Caribbean and South American rhythmic traditions.

“This music comes directly from my soul,” says Glenn. “I’ve spent my life supporting other artists, but now it’s time to make my own statement.” That statement is bold, rich, and emotionally vibrant. My Latin Heart finds Glenn embracing his multiple instruments with joyful command. He delivers shimmering flute on the dancing “Zambo’s Mambo,” vibraphone sorcery in “Cal’s Guajira” (a nod to his mentor Tjader), and swooning alto flute in “A Night of Love.” On “Angola,” with Santos and Spiro, he invokes sacred Afro-Cuban traditions, while “Congo Square” celebrates the historic fusion of African and European sounds that birthed jazz. The album ends on the high note of “Samba De Carnaval,” a spirited homage to Brazil’s enduring musical heartbeat.

Born in Manhattan and raised in Englewood, NJ, Roger Glenn inherited musical brilliance from his father, trombonist/vibraphonist Tyree Glenn, who played with Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, and Louis Armstrong. Childhood memories of Ellington rehearsals, thanks to his dad, were paired with early exposure to Latin music from his Cuban-loving mother. By his teens, Glenn was leading his own Latin jazz group.

Though he initially studied math and physics in college, Glenn’s passion for music prevailed. After serving in the military during the late ’60s—where he played in an Army band alongside Grover Washington Jr. and Billy Cobham—he returned to New York and recorded with Mary Lou Williams on her historic Mary Lou’s Mass. He later moved to San Francisco, where he joined Mongo Santamaria and ultimately collaborated with Cal Tjader, including on the Grammy-winning La Onda Va Bien.

Glenn’s range knows no limits: he’s played everything from piccolo and clarinet to baritone sax and organ trio settings. He’s toured with Kurt Elling, Taj Mahal, and even performed with the Count Basie Orchestra in Australia. He was recently honored as the 32nd Annual Vibe Summit Honoree by the Los Angeles Jazz Society.

Beyond music, Glenn is a licensed pilot and Civil Air Patrol volunteer, flying search and rescue missions in his spare time. His wide-ranging interests and refusal to be boxed in have contributed to his being a well-kept secret—until now.

As My Latin Heart hits the airwaves—with radio promotion by Kate Smith Promotions and CDs shipping out this week—it signals not just a return, but a radiant arrival. Glenn steps into the spotlight with a full-color self-portrait of his musical life. Multifaceted, untamed, and deeply expressive, My Latin Heart is a long-overdue revelation from an artist who’s always moved to his own rhythm.

👉 Visit rogerglennjazz.com for more.