Chucho Valdés
Chucho Valdés, born Dionisio Jesús Valdés Rodríguez on October 9, 1941, in Quivicán, Mayabeque, Cuba, is a renowned Cuban pianist, bandleader, composer, and arranger. A pivotal figure in Afro-Cuban jazz, Valdés's career spans over 60 years, marked by his innovative fusion of Afro-Cuban music, jazz, classical, and rock elements. He is the son of the legendary pianist Bebo Valdés and began playing piano by ear at the age of three. By 14, he graduated from the Municipal Conservatory of Music of Havana and formed his first jazz trio at 15.
Valdés's professional debut was in 1959 with the Sabor de Cuba orchestra, directed by his father. His first recorded sessions as a leader occurred in 1964, and he became a founding member of the Orquesta Cubana de Música Moderna in 1967. In 1973, he founded Irakere, a groundbreaking Cuban band that gained international fame and was signed by CBS after catching the attention of Dizzy Gillespie. Valdés remained with Irakere until 2005.
As a solo artist, Valdés has won seven Grammy Awards and six Latin Grammy Awards. Notable albums include "Live at the Village Vanguard" and "Juntos Para Siempre" with his father. His contributions to music have been recognized with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences and induction into the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 2025, he was named an NEA Jazz Master, the highest honor for jazz artists in the United States. Valdés continues to create and perform, exemplified by his recent ensemble, the Royal Quartet, and the album "Cuba & Beyond."
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