Chucho Valdés

Cuban pianist, bandleader, composer, and arranger Chucho Valdés is a highly accomplished and deeply influential figure in the world of Latin and Afro-Cuban jazz. A founding member of the seminal Cuban ensemble Irakere, Valdés first emerged to acclaim in the 1970s and is recognized worldwide for his distinctive fusion of Afro-Cuban, post-bop jazz, and classical and rock traditions. Over his 60-year career, he has performed alongside such luminaries as Dizzy Gillespie, Tito Puente, Arturo Sandoval, Roy Hargrove, and his father, esteemed pianist Bebo Valdés. He is the winner of six Grammy Awards and four Latin Grammy Awards, including for 2000's Live at the Village Vanguard, 2010's Chucho's Steps, and 2018's Jazz Batá 2. He is a 2018 recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Science, the same year he was inducted into the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame.