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Do you think you know Latin music? If your knowledge of the genre runs from Charo to Ricky Martin, then you don't know coochee-coochee. Maybe it's time to go to school. The whole la vida loca of Latin music will take center stage when Northern Essex Community College celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month with a series of concerts and special events. The fun kicks off on Friday, September 14 from 5 to 8 p.m. with Mango Blue (what a delicious name for a group!). The band will perform what it describes as Afro-Latin and World music. The eight-member group (pictured) plays its own compositions and blends a spicy brew of jazz, R&B, funk, and, of course, Latin rhythms.

The Mango Blue show will be held outdoors at the Lawrence campus of NECC on Appleton Street. As with all of the Hispanic Heritage Month events, admission is free and open to the public. Other performances, to be held throughout September and October at both the college's Haverhill and Lawrence sites, will include the Latin pop band, Dedos, the classical Flamenco guitarist, Jonathan "Juanito" Pascual, and the contemporary Columbian sounds of Gregorio Uribe & Orquesta. The festival will also offer poetry readings, a career expo, and a presentation about the history of merengue music and dance. Now in its fifth year, the NECC celebration is part of the larger National Hispanic Heritage Month.

For a complete schedule of events and more info, visit the site of the NECC's Hispanic Heritage Month or call 978 738-7413 or 978 738-7437.

Photo: Northern Essex Community College