Miami/Cuban pianist, composer and arranger Chucho Valdés will celebrate his 85th birthday with a special concert at the Knight Concert Hall in Miami, accompanied by two prominent figures of American jazz: saxophonist Joe Lovano and trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard. The performance is part of the Arsht Center’s Live at Knight series.
The concert will also be the start of the Chucho Valdés 85th Birthday Celebration tour, which will later have presentations in other American cities. Among them is New York, where Valdés will arrive on October 16 and 17 at the Rose Theater at Jazz at Lincoln Center.
Founder and director of Irakere, a decisive group for the renewal of Afro-Cuban jazz since the 1970s, Valdés reaches the age of 85 with a career spanning more than six decades as a pianist, composer, arranger and conductor. The Arsht Center highlights in his career 94 albums as a leader, more than 295 original compositions and 15 Grammy Awards, including seven Latin Grammys. He is also NEA Jazz Master, one of the main jazz distinctions in the United States.
For the celebration he will be accompanied by Joe Lovano, a Grammy-winning saxophonist who has worked with musicians such as Herbie Hancock, Charlie Haden, McCoy Tyner and Bill Frisell, and who has already shared the stage and recordings with Valdés. The other guest will be Terence Blanchard, trumpeter, composer of jazz, opera and film music, winner of eight Grammys and twice nominated for an Oscar for his soundtracks.
