The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County presents
Arturo Sandoval: A Master of Afro-Cuban Jazz
With special guest Chucho Valdés
and
Dafnis Prieto Sí o Sí Quartet
Arturo Sandoval
Trumpet
Lisandro Pidre
Piano
Daniel Feldman
Drums
Maximilian Gerl
Bass
Michael Tucker
Saxophone
Samuel Torres
Percussion
William Brahm
Guitar
Arturo Sandoval
A protégé of legendary jazz master Dizzy Gillespie, Sandoval was born in Artemisa, a small town in the outskirts of Havana, Cuba, on November 6, 1949, just two years after Gillespie became the first musician to bring Latin influences into American jazz. Sandoval began studying classical trumpet at the age of 12, but it didn’t take him long to catch the excitement of the jazz world. He has since evolved into one of the world’s most acknowledged guardians of jazz trumpet and flugelhorn, as well as a renowned classical artist, pianist and composer.
Sandoval is one of the most dynamic and vivacious live performers of our time, and has been seen by millions at the Oscars, the Grammy Awards and the Billboard Awards. He has been awarded 10 Grammy Awards and nominated 19 times; he has also received six Billboard Awards and an Emmy Award. He won the latter for his composing work on the score of the HBO movie based on his life, For Love or Country, which starred Andy Garcia.
Sandoval is one of the greatest trumpet players in the world due to his exceptional technical skills, virtuosic performances and profound musicality. He possesses a remarkable range, agility and control over the instrument, allowing him to execute intricate passages efficiently and expressly. Sandoval's ability to blend various styles, including jazz, classical and Latin music, further adds to his versatility and appeal.
Sandoval's contributions to the music world extend beyond his prowess as a performer. He is also a prolific composer, arranger and educator, inspiring countless musicians with his innovative approach and dedication to his craft. Additionally, his remarkable life story, overcoming political oppression in Cuba and finding success on the international stage, adds depth to his legacy and serves as an inspiration to many.
While opinions on who is the "best" trumpet player in the world vary, Sandoval undoubtedly ranks among the most respected and admired musicians in his field. His incomparable collaborations are a who’s who of legends and new-generation voices from the worlds of pop, jazz, classical and Latin music, including Stevie Wonder, Pharrell Williams, Ariana Grande, Placido Domingo, Celia Cruz and Juan Luis Guerra.
Sandoval was a founding member of Grammy Award-winning group Irakere, whose explosive mixture of jazz, classical, rock and traditional Cuban music caused a sensation throughout the entertainment world. In 1981, he left Irakere to form his own band, which garnered enthusiastic praise from critics and audiences all over the world, and continues to do so.
Sandoval is also a renowned classical musician, performing regularly with leading symphony orchestras from around the world. He has composed his own Concerto for Trumpet & Orchestra, which can be heard on Arturo Sandoval: The Classical Album. His classical artistry has earned him respect and admiration from the most prestigious conductors, composers and symphony orchestras. His underscore compositions can be heard in movies such as Clint Eastwood’s The Mule and Richard Jewel, 1001 to 1 starring Beau Bridges, At Middleton starring Andy Garcia and Vera Farmiga. He also was commissioned by the Kennedy Center to compose music for the ballet Pepito’s Story and for The Hot Chocolate Nutcracker, choreographed by Debbie Allen.
Sandoval reaches beyond the scope of mere effort. His struggles while in Cuba and since his defection have given him more energy and strength, urging him to accomplish and surpass his childhood dreams. Filled with a virtuoso capability, he desires nothing more than to share his gift with others who feel the same intense adoration for music as he does. One frequently speaks of Sandoval’s virtuoso technical ability or his specialty in high notes, but those who have seen him playing the piano, lyrically improvising a ballad or enjoying the diversity of his music knows that Sandoval is one of the most brilliant, multifaceted and renowned musicians of our time.
Chucho Valdés
Chucho Valdés is a living legend of Afro-Cuban music, a seven-time Grammy Award winner and a six-time Latin Grammy Award winner. The preeminent composer and pianist of modern Afro-Cuban jazz, Valdés has earned international acclaim for deftly fusing the music of his homeland with jazz, classical music, dance music and rock. His renowned, 60-year career includes seven albums on Blue Note Records (1991-2003), a lifetime achievement award from the Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences and an induction into the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame. The National Endowment for the Arts recently awarded Valdés an NEA Jazz Masters fellowship, considered to be the highest honor for a jazz musician in the United States.
The son of iconic pianist Bebo Valdés, Chucho recorded his debut studio album, Jazz Nocturno, in 1964 at 22 years old. With his band Irakere (1973-2005), Valdés championed an evolutionary sound that honored the golden age of Cuban music while rocketing it into the future. He has enjoyed a distinguished solo career and worked with a traditional quartet, a tribute to Irakere and with his band Afro-Cuban Messengers. On his latest album, last year's Cuba & Beyond, Valdés performs with his electrifying Royal Quartet, featuring Horacio El Negro Hernandez on drums, José A. Gola on bass and Roberto Junior Vizcaino on percussion. A restless visionary forever evolving Afro-Cuban music, Valdés is as creative and playful as ever
Dafnis Prieto
From Cuba, Dafnis Prieto’s revolutionary drumming techniques and compositions have had a powerful impact. His awards and honors include a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship, a Grammy Award, two additional Grammy nominations, two Latin Grammy nominations (including Best New Artist in 2007) and the Jazz Journalists Association's Up & Coming Musician of the Year in 2006.
As a composer, Prieto has created music for dance, film, chamber ensembles and most notably for his own bands, ranging from duets to big bands. He has received commissions, grants and fellowships from Princeton University, Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art and the National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures, among others.
Since his 1999 arrival in New York, Prieto has worked in bands led by Chucho and Bebo Valdés, Henry Threadgill, Eddie Palmieri, Chico and Arturo O’Farrill, Roy Hargrove and Andrew Hill, among others. A gifted educator, Prieto has conducted numerous master classes, clinics and workshops around the world. He was on the jazz studies faculty at New York University from 2005 to 2014, and in 2015 joined the faculty of the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music, where he directs the esteemed Frost Latin Jazz Orchestra. In 2016, Prieto published the groundbreaking analytical and instructional drum book A World of Rhythmic Possibilities. In 2020, he published Rhythmic Synchronicity, a book for non-drummers inspired by a course of the same name that he developed at the Frost School of Music. Prieto is founder of independent music company Dafnison Music, established in 2008.
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