Eight Grammy awards are among the several accolades that mark his 80-year career: Chucho Valdés is 83 years old and has been playing the piano since he was 3. Valdés is quite simply one of the most influential Cuban artists ever and one of the great performers of Latin music. He was among the ones who re-defined the distinctive traits of Cuban music in recent years. Valdés founded and conducted many bands, but the one that stands out is Irakere, which turns 50. With its tangled blend of Afro-Cuban ritual music, popular genres, jazz, rock, fusion and Caribbean traditions, Irakere is considered a turning point in Latin music. There is a before and after Irakere. Not to mention that Chucho Valdés is a great jazz and classical music pianist: he collaborated with Chinese piano star Lang Lang and one of the greatest modern composers, Leo Brower.
All these influences in him are tiles of a music mosaic that is hard to define yet easy to enjoy.
Chucho once recalled that, ever since he was a student, he wondered how to pick the most varied elements and combine them as a sort of music alchemist curious about the result. With the passing of time and the sum of the lived experiences, Valdés has found his path. Research led him to study not just Afro-Cuban music: “I’m always looking for new things”. He finished the most ambitious project of his career at the age of 80: “La Creación”, a three-movement suite for voices, a small ensemble and a big band. It tells the story of Creation according to the Afro-Cuban religion known as Santería.
His long artistic life makes Valdés one of the most charismatic artists of recent decades, regardless of genre.
