Chucho Valdes - Teatro Colon (2003)

01.Son de la loma (Miguel Matamoros) 5:20

02.Habanera (C Valdés) 2:25

03.Blue Monk ( T Monk) 5:35

04.Embraceable You (Gershwin) 4:00

05.Comparsa (Ernesto Lecuona) 5:50

06.Esta tarde vi llover/My Foolish Heart (A Manzanero/Rogers-Hart) 5:30

07.A Ernesto (C Valdés) 5:50

08.Amanecer (C Valdés) 3:20

09.Son en Do menor (Carlos Fariñas) 6:45

10.Estás en mi Corazón (Ernesto Lecuona) 4:55.

(Review)
Listening to Chucho Valdes enthrall an Argentinean audience at Buenos Aires' iconic Teatro Colon feels a little bit like hearing Art Tatum miraculously transposed to the present day. Like Tatum, genre distinctions don't exist for Valdes -jazz, classical and Afro-Cuban music converse freely in his solo piano playing. But Valdes' flourishes are much more restrained than Tatum's: His playing is crisp and clear-eyed, and his choice of material ranging from Thelonious Monk to the Cuban classic "Son de la Loma" - inspired. A marvelous recording by a living legend for any fan of piano music.

(Bio)
Chucho Valdés (born Jesús Dionisio Valdés in Quivicán, Cuba, October 9, 1941) is a Cuban pianist, bandleader, composer and arranger. In 1972 he founded the group Irakere, one of Cuba's best-known Latin jazz bands. Together with pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba, 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.

Chucho has won four Grammy awards: in 1978 for the album Live at Newport by Irakere; 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 Valdes - Jazz Cuba Vol 1 (1964)

01.Bebada
02.Descarga Pa' Gozar
03.Tanganika
04.Mambo Influenciado
05.Atomo
06.Indestructible
07.Guasabenado voy
08.Varadeo Cha
09.Congo
10.Niño
11.Descarga de Kike
12.Pilín Pilón
13.Por la libre
14.Descarga de Monte Adentro
15.Rabo de Nube.

Son of the pianist and bandleader Bebo Valdes, Chucho Valdes' mid 1960s band included three of the musicians who would go on to form Irakere some ten years later—Valdes himself on piano, Paquito D'Rivera on saxophones and clarinets, and Carlos Emilio Morales on electric guitar.
This 1964 album is number-one-with-a-mango, Latin jazz heaven from start to finish—sunny, dancefloor friendly, improvisation centred music featuring a breathtakingly virtuosic frontline. Valdes' inventive arrangements draw from bop and hard bop, chachacha and other Cuban dance styles, European classical music and African-American gospel. There's less santeria-derived roots percussion work than was to come with Irakere, but supple congas and timbales rhythms, rather than kit drums, are used to drive most of the tunes forward.
Valdes and D'Rivera are already fully on song, and the biggest revelation is guitarist Morales, captured playing a fluent, pure jazz style which he returned to all too infrequently with Irakere. His abandoned, rapid-fire, single note runs are amongst the most magical passages on the disc. When he plays the themes in agile, exhilarating unison with D'Rivera, you're reminded of saxophonist Stan Getz's live recordings with guitarist Jimmy Raney in the early 1950s.
The final track, "Rabo De Nube," was recorded in 1981, and is a little masterpiece: a mid tempo, expansive and declamatory, five minute solo piano showcase with flute and guitar (both uncredited) introduced towards the end.
After this album, you might reasonably imagine you'd heard the best Jazz Cuba could offer.
Personnel: Chucho Valdes & Combo (tracks 1-14): Chucho Valdes: piano; Paquito D'Rivera: saxophone and clarinet; Julio A. Vente: flute; Alberto "El Man" Giral: trombone; Carlos Emilio Morales: electric guitar; Enrique Kike Hernandez: bass; Emilio Del Monte: drums. Chucho Valdes Quintet (track 15): Chucho Valdes: piano; other personnel not credited.

Chucho Valdes & Irakere - Babalu Aye (1998)

01.Solo Te Echaron un Medio
02.Por Romper el Coco
03.Feliz Cumpleanos
04.Esta Noche
05.Tres Dias
06.La Comparsa
07.Babalu Aye.




Jesus "Chucho" Valdes (piano)
Jose Miguel (vocals, timbales)
Maikel Ante (vocals)
Carlos Emilio Morales, Jorge Luis Valdes Chicoy (guitar)
Roman Filiu (alto saxophone)
Irving Michel Acao (tenor saxophone)
Basilio Marquez, Julio Padron (trumpet)
Jorge Reyes (bass)
Enrique Pla (drums)
Adel Gonzalez (congas).

Chucho Valdés - Canto a Dios (2006)

Claudia (Chucho Valdés)
Nanu (Chucho Valdés)
Canto a Dios (Chucho Valdés)
Tributo a África (Shaka Zulu) (Chucho Valdés).






Chucho Valdés (p), & Yaroldi Abreu (perc.), Enrique Pla (dr), Carlos Emilio (g), Lazaro Rivero (cb), Javier Zalba (as), César López (ss), Fernando Acosta (ts), Yasek Manzano (tp),
Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Cuba; Coro Nacional de Cuba.

Jesus "Chucho" Valdes - Lucumi (2004)

01.Jica
02.Dembo
03.Moane
04.Mambo Influenciado
05.A Jessica
06.Osun
07.Adiva
08.Oyambo
09.Amanecer.




Jesus "Chucho" Valdes (piano).

Chucho Valdes - Canciones Ineditas (2002)

01.Balada a Caridad y Emilio
02.Amanecer
03.Calle 7ma.
04.Que Puedo Hacer
05.Ileana
06.Keisy
07.Ofelita
08.Danzon
09.El Bolero
10.Improvisacion
11.Jessie y Leyanis
12.Marcia
13.Realidad
14.Para Pilar
15.Mambo en Re Menor
16.Sentimental
17.Zanaith
18.Niebla
19.Concierto.

Chucho Valdes (born October 9, 1941), born Jesus Dionisio Valdes, is a Cuban pianist, bandleader, composer and arranger. He was born in Quivican, Cuba. In 1972 he founded the group Irakere, one of Cuba's best-known Latin jazz bands. Together with pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Valdes is revered as one of Cuba's greatest jazz pianists.
His father Bebo Valdes, also a pianist, is the former director of Havana's famous "Tropicana" night club. Bebo Valdes, who will turn 90 in 2008, is still actively performing, and won a Latin Grammy award in 2003 together with Israel "Cachao" Lopez and Patato Valdes, and in 2005 together with flamenco singer Diego El Cigala for the CD 'Lagrimas Negras'.
Chucho has won five Grammy awards - one in 1978 for the album Live at Newport by Irakere, a second 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, and the third in 2003 for his album Live at the Village Vanguard.

Chucho Valdes

Chucho Valdes - Live at the Village Vanguard (1999)

1.Anabis
2.Son XXI (Para Pia)
3.Punto Cubano
4.My Funny Valentine
5.To Bud Powell
6.Drume Negrita
7.Como Traigo la Yuca
8.Ponle la Clave
9.Encore-Lorraine's Habanera.


Chucho Valdes (piano)
Mayra Caridad Valdes (vocals)
Francisco Rubio Pampin (acoustic bass)
Raul Pineda Roque (drums)
Roberto Vizcaino Guillot (congas, bata drums)

Chucho Valdes

Chucho Valdes at Marciac Jazz Festival 2008 (Divx)

Chucho Valdes es más que un sonido de América Latina aquí en el Festival de Jazz de Marciac en Francia, de 2008, con un invitado de lujo como Paquito D'Rivera.

DivX :1400k
Audio:48kHz 320k

Jazz y algo más

"Chucho Valdés Trio/Jazz Batá"

Conceptualmente hablando, estas grabaciones fueron un antecedente directo de la banda Irakere. Los primeros cinco tracks - grabados en lo 70 para el LP Jazz Batá - fueron realizadas con una versión cubana de un trío tradicional de jazz: Piano, Bajo y los tambores batá, que reemplazó a la típica batería de Jazz".

Este CD es de una colección nueva de Malanga Music, se estableció con el fin de recuperar el material raro por figuras legendarias en la historia de música cubana. Este material había sido previamente guardado bajo llave en las bóvedas juntando polvo, pero dos años de investigación extensiva en archivos del estudio Areíto de La Habana han sacado a luz este valioso material.

Todos estos CDs han sido digitalizados directamente de los master originales, y muchos de ellos nunca han sido previamente editados en CD.

01. Irakere
02. Son Nº. 2
03. Neurosis
04. Laureen
05. Palia
06. Tema De Chaka
07. Rabo De Nube
08. Zanaith
09. Son Para Leyanis
10. Claudia.
Total Time: 77:35 mins.

Esta edición del CD incluye el LP completo "jazz Batá" (el LP Areíto, 1972, tracks del # 1-5) y los demás tracks (excepto"Tritón") del álbum "Tema de Chaka" (el LP Areíto, 1982, tracks # 6-10).

Chucho Valdés (p), Carlos del Puerto (b), Oscar Valdés (percussion), Carlos Emilio Morales (g), Germán Velazco (sax, fl), Enrique Plá (d) & Jorge El Niño Alfonso (congas).
(Recomendado*****)