Fans of salsa music have been waiting a long time to hear a performance of pianist Larry Harlow's 1977 classic “La Raza Latina, a Salsa Suite," and now the song is being performed live in New York for the very first time. 

The ambitious 32-minute symphonic work traces the history of salsa music in four steps—from Africa to the Caribbean, then on to New York and into the future.

Harlow, a Jewish New Yorker, fell in love with Latin music and traveled to Cuba in the 1950's to study Afro-Cuban music. In 1973, his opera, Hommy, was the first Latin music performance at Carnegie Hall.

Harlow will recreate “La Raza Latina, a Salsa Suite" along with a 40-piece orchestra at the Lincoln Center’s Out Of Doors festival on Saturday night. They are joined by drummer Bobby Sanabria’s band, Panamanian singer Rubén Blades, and Cuban singer Adonis Puentes.

Listen below to excerpts from Harlow's musical history of salsa music:

"Salsa Suite Pt 1 Africa"

"Salsa Suite Pt 2 Caribbean"

"Salsa Suite Pt 3 New York"

"Salsa Suite Pt 4 Futuro"