Chucho Valdés facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Chucho Valdés
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Chucho Valdés in 2022
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Dionisio Jesús Valdés Rodríguez |
| Born | October 9, 1941 Quivicán, Mayabeque, Cuba |
| Genres | Afro-Cuban jazz |
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| Instruments | Piano |
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Dionisio Jesús Valdés Rodríguez, known to many as Chucho (born October 9, 1941), is a famous Cuban pianist, bandleader, and composer. He has had a very long career, lasting over 50 years!
Chucho was one of the first members of the Orquesta Cubana de Música Moderna. Later, in 1973, he started his own group called Irakere. This band became one of Cuba's most well-known Latin jazz groups.
Music runs in his family! His father, Bebo Valdés, was also a famous pianist. Chucho's son, Chuchito, is a talented pianist too. Chucho Valdés has won many important awards, including seven Grammy Awards and four Latin Grammy Awards, for his amazing solo music.
Contents
Chucho Valdés's Musical Journey
Early Music and Bands
Chucho Valdés started recording his own music in 1964 in Havana, Cuba. He played with a jazz group that included talented musicians like Paquito D'Rivera. This group's members changed often throughout the 1960s and 1970s.
In 1967, Chucho and his bandmates joined many other Cuban musicians to form the Orquesta Cubana de Música Moderna. This big band played with famous singers such as Elena Burke and Omara Portuondo.
Founding Irakere
In 1973, Chucho and other musicians from the Orquesta Cubana de Música Moderna created a new band called Irakere. This group was special because it mixed different styles of music, like songo music and Afro-Cuban jazz.
At the same time, Chucho continued to make his own music as a solo artist. He signed with Blue Note Records, which helped his music become known all over the world. Because of this, Chucho's music has received great reviews and he has won many Grammy Awards.
Family and Teaching
Chucho's father, Bebo, was a legendary pianist and director of the Tropicana Club orchestra. Bebo left Cuba in 1960 and didn't record music again until the 1990s.
In the late 1990s, Chucho decided to focus more on his solo career. His son, Chuchito, then took over as the pianist and director of Irakere. Chucho and his father Bebo sometimes played music together until Bebo passed away in 2013. Since 2010, Chucho has been performing with his own band, the Afro-Cuban Messengers.
Chucho also loves to teach younger musicians. He has taught at the Havana National school in Cuba and in other places, even with famous musicians like Herbie Hancock.
Chucho has six children: Chuchito Valdés Cortes, Emilio Valdés Cortes, Yousi Valdés Torres, Leyanis Valdés Reyes, Jessie Valdés Reyes, and Julian Valdés Salcedo.
Awards and Special Recognitions
Chucho Valdés has won many important awards for his music.
Grammy Awards
He has won four Grammy Awards as a solo artist:
- In 2001, for his album Live at the Village Vanguard.
- In 2010, for Juntos Para Siempre, which he made with his father Bebo Valdés.
- In 2011, for Chucho's Steps, with his band the Afro-Cuban Messengers.
- In 2017, for Tribute to Irakere: Live in Marciac.
- In 2022, for Mirror Mirror with Eliane Elias & Chick Corea.
Other albums that were nominated for a Latin Jazz Album Grammy include Bele Bele en la Habana (1999), Briyumba Palo Congo – Religion of the Congo (2000), and New Conceptions (2004).
He was also part of two groups that won Grammy Awards:
- In 1980, for the album Irakere by Irakere.
- In 1998, for the album Habana, by Roy Hargrove's Crisol.
Latin Grammy Awards
Chucho has also won these Latin Grammy Awards:
- In 2004, for New Conceptions.
- In 2009, for Juntos Para Siempre.
- In 2019, for Jazz Batá 2.
Other Honors
- On October 16, 2006, Chucho Valdés was named a FAO Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations.
- In May 2011, he received an Honorary Doctorate of Music from Berklee College of Music.
Solo Albums
Here are some of the albums Chucho Valdés has released as a solo artist:
- 1964: Jazz nocturno
- 1964: Guapachá en La Habana (with Guapachá)
- 1970: Chucho Valdés
- 1972: Jazz batá
- 1976: Piano I
- 1981: Tema de Chaka
- 1986: Invitación
- 1988: Lucumi
- 1988: Straight Ahead (with Arturo Sandoval)
- 1991: Solo Piano
- 1998: Bele Bele en la Habana
- 1999: Briyumba Palo Congo
- 1999: Live (with Hilton Ruiz)
- 2000: Live at the Village Vanguard
- 2001: Solo: Live in New York
- 2002: Canciones inéditas
- 2002: Fantasía Cubana: Variations on Classical Themes
- 2003: New Conceptions
- 2005: Cancionero cubano
- 2008: Canto a Dios
- 2008: Tumi Sessions
- 2008: Juntos para siempre (with Bebo Valdés)
- 2010: Chucho's Steps
- 2013: Border-Free
- 2016: Tribute to Irakere: Live in Marciac (Live)
EPs (Extended Plays)
- 1964: Por la libre
- 1964: No me digan na (with Guapachá)
See also
In Spanish: Chucho Valdés para niños
