Valdés is revered as one of Cuba’s greatest jazz pianists. His father is the famed Cuban pianist and former director of Havana’s famous “Tropicana” night club band Bebo Valdés. He has won five Grammy Awards and three Latin Grammy Awards.

Chucho has won four Grammy awards: in 1978 for the album Live at Newport, in 1998 for his contribution to the CD Havana by his band Crucible (formed in 1997), with two songs Mr. Bruce and Mambo for Roy written by Chucho, in 2003 for his album Live at the Village Vanguard, and in 2011 for his album Chucho’s Steps.

On 16 October 2006, Chucho Valdés was nominated Goodwill Ambassador of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

In 2008 Sony released an album of Chucho playing with his father Bebo Valdés.

Chucho Valdes blends flamenco, jazz, Afro-Cuban rhythms and Comanches on her new album “Border-free” (“Without Borders”).

Valdes at 71, is one of the great figures of Latin jazz, and adds more hits to his award-winning career.

Cuban pianist, has this to his father, Bebo Valdés, who died in Sweden in March, at age 94, and who dedicated one of the songs from his new album “Border-free”.

In his new album, Chucho Valdes, paid tribute to the song “Afrocomanche” to an unknown episode in the history of Cuba. “In the late nineteenth century, 700 Comanche Indians were deported from the U.S. to Cuba, where they mixed with Afro-Cubans. His descendants were called afrocomanches “says Chucho.

The musician does see to be “the best” of all the albums he has made with the Afro-cuban Messengers quintet. “On this record I broke gender barriers, but always mixing them with Afro-Cuban music,” adds Chucho. The album pays tribute to flamenco to Arabic music and classical music.

Sources: Wiki/Youtube/Internetphotos/www.thecubanhistory.com
Chucho Valdés and his Musical ‘Afro-Cubans Messengers
THe Cuban History, Arnoldo Varona, Editor

Chucho Valdes y sus ‘Afro-Cubans Messengers’ (Video Musical)

Chucho Valdés (born Jesús Dionisio Valdés; October 9, 1941 in Quivicán, Cuba) is a Cuban pianist, bandleader, composer and arranger.

Valdés is revered as one of Cuba’s greatest jazz pianists. His father is the famed Cuban pianist and former director of Havana’s famous “Tropicana” night club band Bebo Valdés. He has won five Grammy Award and three Latin Grammy Awards.

Chucho has won four Grammy awards: in 1978 for the album Live at Newport; in 1998 for his contribution to the CD Havana by his band Crisol (formed in 1997), with two songs Mr. Bruce and Mambo para Roy written by Chucho; in 2003 for his album Live at the Village Vanguard; and in 2011 for his album Chucho’s Steps.

On 16 October 2006, Chucho Valdés was nominated Goodwill Ambassador of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

In 2008 Sony released an album of Chucho playing with his father Bebo Valdés.

Chucho Valdés fusiona el flamenco, jazz, ritmos afrocubanos y comanches en su nuevo disco “Border-free” (“Sin fronteras”).

Valdés a sus 71 años, es una de las grandes figuras del jazz latino, y suma más éxitos a su galardonada trayectoria.

El pianista cubano, tiene presente a su padre, Bebo Valdés, que murió en Suecia en marzo pasado, a los 94 años, y a quien le dedica uno de los temas de su nuevo disco “Border-free”.

En su nuevo disco, Chucho Valdés, quiso rendir homenaje con la canción “Afrocomanche” a un episodio desconocido de la historia de Cuba. “A finales del siglo XIX, 700 indios comanches fueron deportados de Estados Unidos a Cuba, donde se mezclaron con los afrocubanos. Sus descendientes se llamaron afrocomanches”, comenta Chucho.

El músico hace ver que será “el mejor” de todos los discos que ha hecho con el quinteto Afro-cuban Messengers. “En este disco he roto las barreras de los géneros, pero siempre mezclándolos con la música afrocubana”, añade Chucho. En el disco le rinde tributo al flamenco, a la música árabe y a la música clásica.