Join Highland Park residents at Donaldson County Park for a FREE concert at Donaldson Park featuring Forbidden Tropics. 

Forbidden Tropics is an Afro-Peruvian Jazz band from New Jersey. Our music blends Afro-Peruvian rhythms such as Festejo, Lando, Zamacueca, and Panalivio with sophisticated harmonic elements of Jazz. In 2022, we released our latest album "Peruvian Rhapsody", and it's available on all streaming platforms. Since then, we've played at many venues in New Jersey including the New Jersey Jazz Society, the New Brunswick Jazz Project, the Red Bank Jazz Arts Project, and William Paterson University. We also headlined the Middlesex County Jazz Festival back in 2023. 

The current band members are Alejandro Ataucusi (guitar), Robbie Sko (keyboard), James Nascimento (bass), Robin Estela (cajon, cajita, and donkey jaw bone), and Mike Dick (drums). 

Alejandro Ataucusi (guitar) from Perth Amboy, NJ is a composer, educator and band leader of Forbidden Tropics. He has been the guitarist for the William Paterson University Latin Jazz Ensemble since 2013. He has played with many well-known Latin and Jazz artists such as Jimmy Bosch, Claudio Roditi, and members of the Tito Puente Orchestra such as Ray Vega, Mitch Frohman, and Jose Madera. Alejandro is endorsed by Godin guitars, Hanika guitars, Udo Roesner amps, and Aquila strings.

Robbie Sko (keyboards) is a multi-instrumentalist who produces a wide variety of music from Neo Soul to French House using Ableton Live. He performs on keyboards with ensembles of all sizes in addition to DJing and mentoring students on how to play rhythm instruments and produce their own music.

James Nascimento (bass) from Staten Island, NY, attended Curtis High School and graduated from its performing arts program in 2013. His education continued at Rutgers University where he received his BM (2017) and MM (2019) in Jazz Studies. At Rutgers, he studied with Kenny Davis and played in Latin jazz ensembles. Now, James freelances throughout New York and New Jersey playing mostly Jazz and Rock.

Robin Estela (cajon, cajita, and donkey jaw bone) was born in Trujillo, Peru and moved to the United States with his family at the age of 11 years old. This is where his vocation and admiration for the Afro-Peruvian and Andean music began, developing his arts on different instruments such as the cajon, donkey jaw bone, cowbell, etc. He had the opportunity to play and learn from the great exponents of Afro-Peruvian music such as Marcos Napa, Cesar Ferreyra, and Fredy "Huevito" Lobaton. 

Mike Dick (drums) has been a member of Forbidden Tropics since 2021. His affinity for sound led him to study acoustical engineering and music at the Hartt School of Music as well as Jazz Performance at New England Conservatory. In addition to performing music internationally, Mike is a composer and a board-certified member of the Institute of Noise Control Engineering.

 Select food vendors will be available with refreshments to purchase.  For more information, please contact the Department of Community Services at 732-819-0052. Raindate is Thursday, July 24th.