Three Generations of Valdes: Chucho Valdes, Bebo Valdes, Chuchito Valdes Agency Jim Wadsworth Productions

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Three Generations of Valdes

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Three Generations of Valdes
featuring Chuchito Valdes and The Chicago Jazz Orchestra

Chuchito Valdes represents a third generation of Cuban musicians who have contributed significantly to the development of Latin jazz. Chuchito's grandfather, Bebo Valdes (b 1918), was a major pianist, composer and arranger in Cuba before the Castro revolution. He was the musical director of the famous Tropicana Orchestra at the Tropicana Club in Havana and recorded extensively. Chuchito's father, Chucho Valdes (b. 1941), is also a very famous leader, having lead the famous Cuban group Irakere, that birthed numerous famous musicians including Paquito D'Rivera and Arturo Sandoval as well as Chucho himself. Chucho Valdes has gone onto an illustrious career including extensive recordings for the Blue Note label.

Now third generation Chuchito Valdes is making his mark. Nominated in 2007 for a Latin Grammy (results pending as of this writing), Chuchito is also a superb pianist and bandleader. His Afro-Cuban Ensemble performs contemporary Afro-Cuban originals composed by him as well as original arrangements of classic Latin jazz by his father and grandfather.

The Chicago Jazz Orchestra performs with pianist Chuchito Valdes and his ensemble with arrangements of his grandfather, his father, and himself, all great pianists. Many of these arrangements have been transcribed by the Chicago Jazz Orchestra conductor, Jeff Lindberg, and are premieres in the United States.

> Also available with local, regional or college big bands

"CJO conductor Jeff Lindberg dared to address repertoire penned by three generations of the celebrated Valdes family. Yet the most striking aspect of the concert was not the majesty of the repertory, which is well known, but the CJO's eloquence in an idiom it does not often explore.

Whether dispatching a bolero or a cha cha cha, whether dipping into the Valdes family songbook or pushing beyond it, the CJO sounded as if it were born to play Afro-Cuban music. The soloists, too, outdid themselves, with trumpeter Tito Carrillo cultivating a gorgeous tone in Chucho Valdes' "Claudia" and alto saxophonist John Wojciechowski finding shades of blue in much of the Valdes songbook.

When the CJO plans its next recording, it should consider precisely this project."
Howard Reich
Chicago Tribune

Downloads

Chuchito Valdes
> Chuchito Valdes Bio (pdf)
> Chuchito Valdes Reviews (pdf)
> Review from The Indianpolis Star (pdf)
> Chuchito Valdes Interview San Jose Mercury (pdf)

The Chicago Jazz Orchestra
> Chicago Jazz Orchestra Biography (pdf)
> 2007 - 2008 Programs (pdf)
> Ravinia Festival Battle of the Bands Review (pdf)
> Downbeat Review of Clark Terry and The Chicago Jazz Orchestra (pdf)

Audio

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Three_Generations_of_Valdes_01 (mp3)

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Three_Generations_of_Valdes_02 (mp3)

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Three_Generations_of_Valdes_03 (mp3)