The acclaimed living legend of Afro-Cuban music, Chucho Valdés, winner of 15 Grammy and Latin Grammy Awards, is an internationally renowned composer and pianist celebrated for his masterful ability to blend elements of Afro-Cuban musical traditions, jazz, classical music and rock into a deeply personal style.
The ‘Chucho Valdés Royal Quartet’ will perform pieces from the album ‘Cuba & Beyond’ (InnerJazz, 2024), winner of the 2025 Latin Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Album. The album features tracks such as ‘Tatomania’, ‘Mozart a la cubana’ and ‘Armando’s Rhumba’, his personal tribute to pianist and lifelong friend Chick Corea.
Chucho Valdés, on piano, will be joined by José A. Gola (double bass and electric bass), Roberto Jr. Vizcaíno Torre (percussion) and Horacio Hernández ‘El Negro’ (drums).
Throughout his acclaimed musical career spanning more than 70 years, Chucho Valdés has received the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ from the Latin Recording Academy; been inducted into the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame; received the NEA Jazz Masters 2025 honour, the highest recognition a jazz musician can achieve in the United States; and the Leonard Bernstein Grand Prize (United States) ‘For the Elevation of Music in Society’.
Dionisio Jesús ‘Chucho’ Valdés Rodríguez was born into a family of musicians in Quivicán, in the province of Havana, Cuba, on 9 October 1941. His first teacher and greatest influence was his father, Ramón ‘Bebo’ Valdés, a pianist, composer and orchestra leader. By the age of three, Chucho was already playing the piano by ear, using both hands and performing melodies he heard on the radio in every key. At the age of five, he began taking private lessons in piano, music theory and solfège, eventually completing his studies at the Havana Municipal Conservatory of Music, where he graduated at just 14 years old.
He gained worldwide recognition as the founder, principal composer and arranger of ‘Irakere’ (1973–2005), which he established alongside Paquito D’Rivera. This small big band became renowned for its distinctive fusion of Afro-Cuban ritual music, popular Afro-Cuban styles, Cuban dance music, jazz, classical music and rock.
Chucho Valdés has accompanied singers and trios, as well as composing works for orchestras and large ensembles. His most recent major composition was ‘La Creación’ (The Creation), written to celebrate his 80th birthday in 2021. This three-movement suite for small ensemble, voices and big band tells the story of creation according to the Regla de Ocha, the Afro-Cuban religious tradition.
LINE-UP:
Chucho Valdés, piano
José A. Gola, double bass and electric bass
Roberto Jr. Vizcaíno Torre, percussion
Horacio Hernández ‘El Negro’, drums
Approximate duration: 90 minutes
