The Latin Recording Academy recognized the career of Cuban saxophonist Paquito D’Rivera, who along with Amanda Miguel, Miriam Hernández, Rosario, Rita Lee, Abraham Laboriel, Manolo Díaz and Yordano, were honored this Wednesday with the Award of Excellence.
Upon receiving this, perhaps his most special Latin Grammy, D’Rivera said that his passion for music began when his “father came home with a Benny Goodman record and I fell in love, with what he would later tell me ‘it’s swing, New York, Carnegie Hall”, according to a quote from the site Millennium.
Paquito D’Rivera, in addition to showing off his alto saxophone and clarinet skills, as seen in the video projected for his profile; He also showed his gifts for comedy when he went on stage and as predicted by Víctor Manuelle, presenter of the gala, this source points out.
Each of these artists, with different styles and in different genres, have managed to connect with the public over the years, becoming people’s companions at a distance, thanks to their interpretations, their compositions and their performances.
“We are very excited about this event, with which we celebrate the life trajectory that we know and respect forever,” said Manuel Abud, CEO of the Latin Recording Academy at the beginning of the Awards for Excellence ceremony.
Born in Marianao (Havana) 74 years ago and baptized Francisco de Jesús Rivera Figueras, Paquito played in public at the age of seven, for which he was considered a child prodigy. He learned from his father, Tito D’Rivera, a renowned saxophonist of the time.
At the age of twelve he came to the Havana Conservatory to study clarinet, composition and harmony and at seventeen he made his debut with the National Symphony Orchestra as a soloist. Soon he was part, together with the pianist Chucho Valdés, of the Cuban Orchestra of Modern Music. This group was followed by the legendary Irakere.
Chucho Valdés and Paquito D’Rivera meet again in Barranquijazz
In 1980, taking advantage of a tour of Spain and overwhelmed by the political situation on the island, he requested asylum and months later he arrived in the United States. In addition to his virtuosity, D’Rivera is characterized by his lively humor and his positions on communism and the Cuban government.
Paquito D’Rivera has won more than ten Grammys, counting those awarded by the Academy to Latino artists.
What explains on his websitethis award “is awarded by vote of the Board of Directors of The Latin Recording Academy to artists who have made creative contributions of exceptional artistic importance in the field of recording during their careers.”
