(headline image: Chucho Valdés – Photo-by Frederique Menard Aubin)
At 82 years old, Cuban pianist, composer, and arranger Chucho Valdés has received seven Grammy Awards and six Latin Grammy Awards.
Chucho Valdés will lead a world tour to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Irakere, the Cuban band he founded. Known for its masterful fusion of Afro-Cuban ritual music, Cuban popular music, jazz, rock, and classical music, Irakere has been a pivotal force in Latin jazz. The “Chucho Valdés & Irakere 50” tour will feature popular songs like “Juana 1600,” “Zanaith,” “Estela va a estallar,” “Xiomara Mayoral,” and “Bacalao con pan.”
Joining Valdés for this tribute are his son, Julián Valdés (percussion), members of his quartet: José A. Gola (electric and acoustic bass), Horacio Hernández (drums), and Roberto Jr. Vizcaíno Torre (percussion), as well as Eddie de Armas Jr. (trumpet), Osvaldo Fleites (trumpet), Luis Beltrán (saxophone), Carlos Averhoff Jr. (saxophone, son of a deceased former member of Irakere), and vocalist Ramón Alvarez.
The tour will kick off in Spain at the International Canarias Jazz & Más Festival, with confirmed concerts at:
- Auditorio de Tenerife: July 5
- Auditorio Jameos del Agua in Lanzarote: July 6
- Teatro Pérez Galdós in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria: July 7
- Festival Cruïlla in Barcelona: July 11
- Palau de la Música in Valencia: July 14
- Noches de Botánico in Madrid: July 18
- Festival de Jazz de Vitoria: July 20
- Festival FIJAZZ in Alicante: July 21
- Festival Pirineos Sur: July 25
Valdés, who has also been honored with the Latin Recording Academy’s Lifetime Achievement Award, recently received a Grammy for Mirror Mirror, an album recorded with pianists Eliane Elias and the late Chick Corea. He also won a Latin Grammy for I Missed You Too, an album marking his reunion with saxophonist and clarinetist Paquito D’Rivera, a longtime friend and key member of Irakere.
Irakere was founded by Valdés in 1973, selecting top soloists from the legendary Orquesta Cubana de Música Moderna, a big band formed in 1967 featuring Cuba’s best musicians. In 1973, while still part of the larger orchestra, Irakere recorded “Bacalao con pan,” a hit that showcased their musical depth and ambition. This song anticipated the success of timba, a danceable genre still popular in Cuba.
By 1975, Irakere had become an independent group and remained active until 2005. Their international breakthrough came in 1977 when American jazz musicians, including Dizzy Gillespie and Stan Getz, visited Cuba and were captivated by Irakere’s performances. Bruce Lundvall, president of CBS Records, subsequently signed them and arranged for their appearance at the Newport Jazz Festival in New York.
On June 28, 1978, Chucho Valdés and Irakere made an unannounced closing performance at Carnegie Hall, propelling them onto the global stage. Later that year, their album “Irakere,” featuring recordings from New York and the Montreux Jazz Festival, won the Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Recording.
Author: World Music Central News Room
World music news from the editors at World Music Central