Tuning Into the Rhythms of Miami

A medley of music from Miami and interviews with composers will hit the local airwaves today on a special KCLU program called “To The Beat of the Subtropics.”

The program, the first of a series that will air at 9:06 p.m. Thursdays through Jan. 4, was designed to showcase the rich musical heritage of Miami, which draws on Cuban, Haitian and other ethnic influences. It will be aired as part of “Jazz Latino,” a regular program hosted by Raul Rico Jr. 8 p.m. to midnight Thursdays.

“The series is supposed to show that the most vibrant aspect of Miami is in its music,” said Elizabeth Perez-Luna, the executive producer and writer. “We are trying to get away from the image of the Miami Sound Machine.”

Highlights of the 30-minute program, hosted by Miami Herald columnist Leonard Pitts Jr., include interviews with well-known, Miami-based musicians such as Arturo Sandoval, a Cuban trumpeter who has worked with American jazz musician Dizzy Gillespie; Michael Tilson Thomas, director of the New World Symphony, and Don Goldie, a trumpeter who has performed with the Jacky Gleason Orchestra.

One program will be dedicated solely to Haitian music while another will focus on big-band jazz musicians.

The music--some to be played live--will include jazz, Latin, R&B;, blues, Caribbean and classical. Listeners can tune into the Cal Lutheran University station at 88.3 FM.