The legendary Cuban pianist and composer Chucho Valdes returns to the American music circuit as part of the Sounds of the Caribbean meeting, where he will share the bill this September 21 with his countryman topfunk and the American singer of Puerto Rican origin Wille Colón.
Valdés, founder of the emblematic group Irakere and winner of several Grammy awards, will then present “The Creation”, a tribute to Yoruba culture.
“Today we finished in Colombia and I’m already with one foot in the Hollywood Bowl for this concert with great artists like Willie Colón Cimafunk presenting “The Creation”, it will be a very nice night! Do not miss it”, wrote the famous musician.
The organizers of Sounds of the Caribbean have described the event as “a most forceful poster with Afro-Cuban jazz, salsa, funk, hip-hop and much more”.
Valdés has just performed at the Barranquijazz Festival with his compatriot, the saxophonist and clarinetist Paquito D’Rivera, another legend of Cuban music, who has lived in the United States for decades.
Valdés and Rivera worked together again after several years without their careers coinciding. Regarding the reunion, Valdés told the agency Eph: “The fault was a Brazilian musical piece called Chorrinos”.
The pianist said that he had been moved when he saw some videos on YouTube of a clarinet quartet that Rivera was in. “I was shocked and said to myself, I’m going to call Paquito and I suggested that we work together again because for me he is one of the great musicians, not only of Cuban music, but of music,” he explained.
Chucho Valdés and Paquito D’Rivera meet again in Barranquijazz
Cimafunk, one of the most successful exponents of the new generations of Cuban musicians, has collaborated with Chucho Valdés on several occasions and recorded the song “Salvaje” together with the pianist on his new album The food.
