Chucho Valdés (born October 9, 1941), born Jesús Dionisio Valdés, is a
CubaThe Republic of Cuba is an island country in the Caribbean. It consists of the island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city. Cuba is home to over 11 million people and is...
n
pianistA pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers....
,
bandleaderA bandleader is the leader of a band of musicians. The term is most commonly, though not exclusively, used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhythm and blues or rock and roll music....
,
composerA composer is a person who creates music, usually by musical notation, for interpretation and performance. The level of distinction between composers and other musicians varies, which affects issues such as copyright and the deference given to individual interpretations of a particular piece of...
and
arrangerIn investment banking, an arranger is a provider of funds in the syndication of a debt. They are entitled to syndicate the loan or bond issue, and may be referred to as the "lead underwriter". This is because this entity bears the risk of being able to sell the underlying securities/debt or the...
. He was born in Quivicán, Cuba. In 1972 he founded the group
IrakereIrakere is a Cuban band founded by pianist Chucho Valdés in 1973 that won the Grammy Award for Best Latin Recording in 1980 with its album Irakere....
, one of Cuba's best-known Latin jazz bands. Together with pianist
Gonzalo RubalcabaGonzalo Rubalcaba is a Grammy Award-winning Cuban jazz pianist and composer.He emigrated from Cuba, not for political reasons, and lived for some years in the Dominican Republic...
, Valdés is revered as one of Cuba's greatest jazz pianists. His father is the famed Cuban pianist and former director of
HavanaHavana is the capital city, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city is one of the 14 Cuban provinces. The city/province has 2.4 million inhabitants, and the urban area over 3.7 million, making Havana the largest city in both Cuba and the Caribbean region...
's famous
"Tropicana"Tropicana is a world known cabaret and club in Havana, Cuba. It was launched in 1939 at Villa Mina, a six-acre suburban estate with lush tropical gardens in Havana's Marianao neighborhood.-Influence:...
night club band
Bebo ValdésBebo Valdés is a Cuban pianist, bandleader, composer and arranger. He was a central figure in the golden age of Cuban music, led two famous big bands, and was one of the 'house' arrangers for the Tropicana Club.Valdés started his career as a pianist in the night clubs of Havana during the 1940s...
.
Chucho has won five Grammy awards - one in
1978-Events:*January to May - The Bee Gees dominate the singles and album charts as Saturday Night Fever becomes a cultural phenomenon. At one point, the album was selling 1 million copies per week....
for the album
Live at Newport by Irakere, a second in
1998
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1998.-Events:
*January 28 - "Weird Al" Yankovic gets LASIK surgery to cure his myopia...
for his contribution to the CD
Havana by his band Crisol (formed in 1997), with two songs
Mr.
Chucho Valdés (born October 9, 1941), born Jesús Dionisio Valdés, is a
CubaThe Republic of Cuba is an island country in the Caribbean. It consists of the island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city. Cuba is home to over 11 million people and is...
n
pianistA pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers....
,
bandleaderA bandleader is the leader of a band of musicians. The term is most commonly, though not exclusively, used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhythm and blues or rock and roll music....
,
composerA composer is a person who creates music, usually by musical notation, for interpretation and performance. The level of distinction between composers and other musicians varies, which affects issues such as copyright and the deference given to individual interpretations of a particular piece of...
and
arrangerIn investment banking, an arranger is a provider of funds in the syndication of a debt. They are entitled to syndicate the loan or bond issue, and may be referred to as the "lead underwriter". This is because this entity bears the risk of being able to sell the underlying securities/debt or the...
. He was born in Quivicán, Cuba. In 1972 he founded the group
IrakereIrakere is a Cuban band founded by pianist Chucho Valdés in 1973 that won the Grammy Award for Best Latin Recording in 1980 with its album Irakere....
, one of Cuba's best-known Latin jazz bands. Together with pianist
Gonzalo RubalcabaGonzalo Rubalcaba is a Grammy Award-winning Cuban jazz pianist and composer.He emigrated from Cuba, not for political reasons, and lived for some years in the Dominican Republic...
, Valdés is revered as one of Cuba's greatest jazz pianists. His father is the famed Cuban pianist and former director of
HavanaHavana is the capital city, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city is one of the 14 Cuban provinces. The city/province has 2.4 million inhabitants, and the urban area over 3.7 million, making Havana the largest city in both Cuba and the Caribbean region...
's famous
"Tropicana"Tropicana is a world known cabaret and club in Havana, Cuba. It was launched in 1939 at Villa Mina, a six-acre suburban estate with lush tropical gardens in Havana's Marianao neighborhood.-Influence:...
night club band
Bebo ValdésBebo Valdés is a Cuban pianist, bandleader, composer and arranger. He was a central figure in the golden age of Cuban music, led two famous big bands, and was one of the 'house' arrangers for the Tropicana Club.Valdés started his career as a pianist in the night clubs of Havana during the 1940s...
.
Chucho has won five Grammy awards - one in
1978-Events:*January to May - The Bee Gees dominate the singles and album charts as Saturday Night Fever becomes a cultural phenomenon. At one point, the album was selling 1 million copies per week....
for the album
Live at Newport by Irakere, a second in
1998
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1998.-Events:
*January 28 - "Weird Al" Yankovic gets LASIK surgery to cure his myopia...
for his contribution to the CD
Havana by his band Crisol (formed in 1997), with two songs
Mr. Bruce and
Mambo para Roy written by Chucho, and the third in
2003See also:* 2003 in music Record labels established in 2003-Events:* January - following an investigation by The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry and London detectives, police raids in England and the Netherlands recover nearly 500 original Beatles studio tapes, recorded during...
for his album
Live at the Village Vanguard.
On 16 October 2006, Chucho Valdés was nominated
Goodwill Ambassador The FAO Goodwill Ambassadors Programme was initiated in 1999. The main purpose of the programme is to increase public awareness and to disseminate information on issues related to food security, hunger and poverty in the world...
of the
Food and Agriculture OrganizationThe is a specialised agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and debate policy...
of the United Nations (FAO).
In 2008
Sonyis a multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan, and one of the world's largest media conglomerates with revenue exceeding ¥ 7.730.0 trillion, or $78.88 billion U.S. . Sony is one of the leading manufacturers of electronics, video, communications, video game...
released an album of Chucho playing with his father Bebo Valdés.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/23/arts/music/23choi.html
Chucho's son, Chuchito, is a modern Jazz pianist and, like his antecedents, a gifted musician.
Selected discography
- 1998 - Bele Bele en la Habana
- 1999 - Briyumba Palo Congo
- 2000 - Live at the Village Vanguard
- 2001 - Solo: Live In New York
- 2002 - Fantasia Cubana: Variations on Classical Themes
- 2003 - New Conceptions
- 2005 - Canciones Ineditas
- 2008 - Juntos Para Siempre (with Bebo Valdes)
External links