The "King of Salsa" will give State College a spicy taste of Latin music tomorrow night.

The legendary percussionist Tito Puente and his nine-member ensemble will perform a concert of Latin jazz at 8 p.m. tomorrow in Eisenhower Auditorium.

For more than 30 years, Puente has been recognized as a leader in fostering the development of Latin music and promoting it throughout the world. His tours have taken him to Europe, Latin America, Africa and Asia, and he has recently gained popularity in Japan.

Puente said music is international and that people all over the world love his Latin sounds. He said everyone can relate to the music, especially since most of it is instrumental.

"They enjoy what we play for them," Puente said. "We have no language barrier."

Puente said he is glad to be a pioneer and feels that Latin music is becoming more popular as a result of his work. "It's beginning to get the recognition that it deserves."

Spending about 300 days a year on the road, Puente said the constant touring gets difficult and is thinking about retiring from the road in a couple of years to dedicate the rest of his life to teaching young musicians. He is the first Hispanic musician to have a scholarship named after him, and he said he may set up a Latin percussion school.

Puente has an honorary doctoral degree in music and will soon receive another from the University of California at Los Angeles.

Joe Conzo, Puente's public relations person and chairman of his scholarship fund, said Puente always tailors his performances to the audience.

"His concerts are dynamic. You want to get up and dance," Conzo said. "His music has such a driving force that it is unbelievable."

Conzo explained how Puente constantly looks for different approaches to music. He said Puente can take a tune from the bebop era of the 1940s and give it a Latin feel, turning it into something completely different.

"Tito is an innovator . . . he is opening doors for other musicians to follow in his footsteps," Conzo said.

The 67-year-old percussionist was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., of Puerto Rican descent and began playing music as a child. He said that although his parents were not musically inclined, they had encouraged him to pursue a musical career.

Puente began playing the piano but soon became devoted to percussion. "God gave me that gift of rhythm," he said.

Puente became a semi-professional musician at an early age with a group called The Happy Boys, and then got a job with the Noro Morales Orchestra at age 16. He was called to serve in the military, and when he returned, began concentrating on his studies at the Juilliard School of Music.

In 1947, Puente formed a nine-piece group called The Piccadilly Boys and by 1949, became known as the "King of Timbales." Over the last few decades, he has collaborated with a number of jazz artists, including Woody Herman and Buddy Merson.

Puente has more than 400 compositions to his name, including the hit "Oye Como Va," which was made famous in the 1970s by Carlos Santana. He netted his fourth Grammy this year and is about to record his 100th album.

Puente has appeared on American talk shows, including the "David Letterman Show" and the "Tonight Show," and in two major movies: "Radio Days" and "Armed and Dangerous." Puente will play himself in the upcoming film, "The Mambo King Plays Songs of Love," which is scheduled for release this December.