Qwest TV is honored to welcome Chucho Valdés as the newest Guest Curator. Valdés is the most influential Afro-Cuban jazz artist of the modern era and has spent the last six decades blending the endlessly rich music of his heritage with all manner of modern sounds. He is also a philanthropist, and received a nomination for the Goodwill Ambassador award of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.
Born in 1941, Valdés first teacher was his father, the much-loved composer, pianist and bandleader Ramón “Bebo” Valdés. By the age of three he was able to echo melodies he heard on the radio, with either hand and in any key. He formed his first trio at the age of 15 and established himself in the clubs and on the streets of Havana. His next group, Sabor de Cuba, is widely considered one of the great orchestras in modern Cuban music. He was also an original member of the Orquesta Cubana de Música Moderna.
A huge part of his career, and an important segment in music history, was Irakere, the iconic group that ran from 1973 to 2005. With Valdés founding and composing most of its music, he pioneered an audacious mix of Afro-Cuban ritual music and Cuban dance, jazz, classical, rock and more. Irakere changed the face of Latin Jazz, establishing an adventurous new springboard for global musical exchange.
With six Grammys and four Latin Grammys, Valdés has also enjoyed a significant solo career with Blue Note. His most recent release, Jazz Batá 2, on Mack Avenue, was selected as one of the 50 Best Latin Albums of the Decade, by Billboard, revisiting the revolutionary idea that Valdés first tested in 1972: blending the piano and the sacred, hourglass batá drums from Yoruba traditions in Cuba.
His Qwest TV playlist reflects the cross-pollination he helped establish in Cuban music: veterans like the famed saxophonist Paquito D'Rivera and Omar Sosa (in tribute to Miles Davis) sit side by side with the exciting young percussionist Pedrito Martinez and Marc Ribot’s cross-cultural effort Los Cubanos Postizos. Elsewhere, we find two documentaries, one on Blue Note, speaking to Valdés recording career, and another on the Late genius Chick Corea, who was always so passionate about Latin music. Valdés’ collaborator, Michel Camilo, also features as well as a concert demonstrating one of modern jazz’ most exciting unions – Chucho Valdés meets Archie Shepp in an AfroCuban extravaganza.
Rowan Standish Hayes
