For the past four years, the New Regency Orchestra has been causing a sensation with its powerful twelve-piece horn section and well-rehearsed five-piece rhythm section. The orchestra's dancers breathe new energy and arrangements into the heyday of Latin jazz and salsa.

The orchestra is the brainchild of artistic director Lex Blondin, who is the man behind the Total Refreshment Centre and the co-founder of the Church of Sound. His longstanding passion for jazz led him to discover the explosive Afro-Cuban rhythms that were popular in 1940s New York thanks to Mario Bauzá, the godfather of Afro-Cuban jazz. This lively music was made for dancing and found a home at the New York Palladium, a place that was crucial to the development of the scene because it was a defining place of freedom and expression.

The 18-piece Afro-Cuban jazz big band is one of London's most exciting ensembles. It brings the New York of the 1950s to life, featuring the contemporary power and energy of some of London's best Latin and jazz musicians. The NRO's repertoire reinterprets some of the best pieces from this golden era. They perform pieces by René Hernández and Tito Puente from the early 1950s and salsa by Rafael Labastida and Orlando Marín from the 1970s with fresh London flair.