Black Music Sunday: ¡Feliz cumpleaos! Let's celebrate Chucho Valdes' 81st birthday

[Judi Lynn]

Denise Oliver Velez for Community Contributors Team
Community
Sunday October 09, 2022 · 7:59 AM Central Daylight Time



Jesus Chucho Valdés plays in Madrid, July 2007.

Sept. 15-Oct. 15 is Hispanic Heritage Month here in the U.S. Lest anyone forget that some of our greatest Latino musical artists were and are Afro-Latino, for this week’s Black Music Sunday, we’re going to pay tribute to multiple award-winning pianist and composer Chucho Valdés, born as Dionisio de Jesús Valdés Rodríguez on Oct. 9, 1941, in Quivicán, Cuba.

Young Chucho—now 81—was the son of prominent Latin jazz pianist Ramon Bebo Valdés, and began playing the piano as a toddler. He would grow up to become one of the most famous innovators in the world of Afro-Latin jazz and in spite of the fraught politics between the United States and Cuba, he would garner some of the most prestigious awards in the American musical academy.

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Gretchen VanMonette wrote a biography of Valdés for Musician Guide:

Due to the political and social embargo the United States imposed upon Cuba the last half of the 1900s, it is not unusual for many people in the United States to shrug at the mention of Jesus "Chucho" Valdes. Yet throughout the world, the Cuban bandleader is considered one of the most influential pianists of his generation. Valdes began playing piano at the age of three and discovered jazz two years later. His father, prominent jazz pianists Bebo Valdes, encouraged his son's musical path. In fact, the young musician often played with the orchestras his father directed. At the age of 16 Valdes formed his first jazz trio. He continued to study music and would perform with various jazz groups throughout his early years. While performing with the Orquesta Cubana de Musica Moderna, he decided to form the long enduring and popular group Irakere.

While grooming his son, Chuchito, to take over his role as bandleader, composer and arranger of Irakere, Valdes focused his energies elsewhere. "In Irakere, I developed myself as a composer and arranger, and in the process I let go of the piano a little bit," Valdes told Ben Ratliff in an on-line article at latinolink.com. "I want to play the piano... it's now or never," he explained. Not only revered as incredible jazz musicians, Irakere was considered the best salsa dance band in Cuba. Cuban musician Jose Luis Cortes suggested that Irakere could easily be considered the Rolling Stones of Cuba, referring to the super-star rock band.

Since its formation in 1973, Irakere has made quite an impact on Cuban music. "Irakere is one of the bands that symbolize modern Cuba, one of the most popular bands, very much present as part of the Havana cultural scene and all over the island," said Qbadisc record label owner Neb Sublette during a 1994 National Public Radio interview. Sublette recalls seeing Irakere perform at La Tropical, a giant beer garden in Havana, and watching thousands of "young, mostly black, kids dancing their brains out to this 15-piece band blowing away."

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In the film, Valdés talks about recording “Bacalao con Pan” (“Dried Salted Codfish with Bread”) which was danceable; it was their first tune using bata drums, which are part of the Afro-Cuban sacred tradition, brought by enslaved Africans to Cuba from Yoruba-land.

Here’s a live version.

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Here’s “Drume Negrita,” with vocals by Chucho’s sister Mayra Caridad Valdés.

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More:
https://www.democraticunderground.com/index.php

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CARLOS SANTANA BACALAO CON PAN