Winner of six GRAMMY® and three Latin GRAMMY® Awards, the Cuban pianist, composer and arranger Chucho Valdés is the most influential figure in modern Afro-Cuban jazz. Chucho Valdés: Irakere 45 is a celebration of Irakere, the Cuban band that, with its bold fusion of Afro-Cuban ritual music, popular Afro-Cuban music styles, jazz and rock, marked a before and after in Latin jazz.
Leading a nine-piece band comprising of the Afro-Cuban Messengers expanded with two trumpets and two saxophones, Valdés offers a vivid retrospective of his work the decades. It is also a wide angle view of the evolution of Afro-Cuban jazz as the program includes classics of Irakere´s repertoire such as “Misa Negra” “Estela Va A Estallar” (“Stella By Starlight”), ”Juana 1600,” and “Bacalao Con Pan,” but also more recent compositions, originally performed with the Messengers, in new arrangements, such as “Yansa,” “Abdel” and “Lorena’s Tango.” Joining Valdés for a couple of songs will be guest singer Aymée Nuviola.
Knight Concert Hall
The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts
1300 Biscayne Blvd.
Miami, FL 33132
305.949.6722
www.arshtcenter.org
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