Chucho Valdés Symphony

Seamlessly joining Afro-Cuban rhythms with New Orleans jazz and Western classical traditions, Chucho Valdés’ symphonic repertoire celebrates a genre he helped to build. Chucho’s musical education includes formal studies and countless nights on the best stages in Cuba as the pianist with his father, Bebo Valdés, and his orchestra Sabor de Cuba, and also the seminal Orquesta Cubana de Música Moderna. In the early 70s, Chucho distilled his experiences into the foundation of Irakere, an ensemble that marked a before and after in Afro-Cuban jazz. Chucho was the director, pianist, main composer and arranger of Irakere for more than 30 years. But since 2005, he has focused on his personal career, highlighting his work as a pianist and leading small ensembles. Now in his mid-70s, Chucho’s technique and creative output are as prodigious as ever. Chucho is available to perform with orchestras as a soloist or with his Jazz Batá quartet.

Tribute to Irakere

‘Irakere’ means ‘forest’ in the Yoruba language of West Africa. Four decades ago, Chucho Valdés founded Irakere, a revolutionary band that introduced African drum traditions to Cuban dance music. A small, Cuban-style big band with an explosive mix of jazz, rock, classical, Afro-Cuban and traditional Cuban music, Irakere was discovered by Dizzy Gillespie in a visit to Havana on a 1976 jazz cruise. In 1978 CBS producer Bruce Lundvall signed the band for the label. After winning a Grammy Award for Best Latin Recording in 1979, the group went on to create an extraordinary body of work that includes great dance recordings such as Homenaje a Beny Moré (Pimienta 1989) and Indestructible (Sony 1997); explorations of Afro-Cuban religious music such as Babalu Ayé (Bembe 1999) featuring the great Orisha music singer Lázaro Ros; as well as ambitious projects such as Tierra En Trance (Areito 1983) and Misa Negra (Messidor 1987).

With the fresh sound of his Afro-Cuban Messengers, Chucho Valdés honors Cuba’s African roots with an Irakere revival.