Cuban pianist, bandleader, composer and arranger Chucho Valdes is a highly accomplished and influential figure in the world of Latin and Afro-Cuban jazz. Born in Quivican in 1941, Valdes is the son of the similarly influential Cuban bandleader Bebo Valdes from whom Chucho first received piano lessons. Having exhibited musical talent from a young age, Valdes eventually enrolled in the Municipal Music Conservatory of Havana, graduating at age 14. Inspired by such jazz pianists as Art Tatum and Thelonious Monk, Valdes quickly formed his first jazz trio and began a fruitful period that found him landing several high-profile performance jobs in hotels around Havana including performing with the Sabor de Cuba Orchestra which was directed by his father. These performances continued throughout the '60s and allowed Valdes not only to perform with the best musicians in Cuba, but begin to formulate his own unique ideas about mixing jazz, classical and Cuban styles of music.
Tracks:
A1. Pa' Gozar
A2. Noches De Mosc?
A3. Mercy's Cha
A4. Tu No Sabes De Amor
A5. Descarga De Kike
A6. El Paso De Encarnaci?n
A7. Descarga Para Banda Y Combo
B1. ?tomo
B2. Cha Cha Ni?a
B3. Bebada
B4. Por La Libre
B5. Mambo Influenciado
B6. Guasabeando Voy
B7. Descarga De Monte Adentro
