1. Chucho Valdés
Chucho Valdés was born in the Quivicán-Province of Havana, Cuba in 1941, exposed to music through the work of his legendary pianist father Bebo Valdés. When he was 8, he began studying music at the Municipal Conservatory. He completed his work at the conservatory, and then began a four-year gig with his father’s Sabor De Cuba Orchestra. In the early 60s, Valdés performed throughout Cuban including the Salón Internacional, the Musical Theater of Havana Orchestra, and the recording of his first album entitled Chucho Valdés y su Combo. In 1967, the Orquesta Cubana de Musica Moderna was formed with Valdés at the piano. In 1972, he recorded an album entitled Jazz Batá with a trio including Orquesta bassist Carlos Del Puerto and percussionist Oscar Valdes. This trio became known as Irakere, and was soon enlarged to include saxophonist Paquito D’Rivera, trumpet players Arturo Sandoval and Jorge Verona and more. Valdés guided Irakere through many popular albums including Bailando Asi and Calzada Del Cerro. His writing and playing pushed the envelope of current Cuban Jazz and gained the band popularity as a dance ensemble. Valdés became artistic director of the Havana Jazz Festival in the nineties, which led to collaboration with trumpet player Roy Hargrove. Under the name Crisol, the two musicians recorded the album Habana at the Festival, featuring a combination of the best Latin Jazz players from Cuba and the United States. He then recorded a series of albums in the United States for Blue Note Records including Live at the Village Vanguard and New Conceptions. Tightening embargo restrictions prevented U.S. travel at the turn of the century, so Valdés created several works in Cuba, including the solo piano album Cancionero Cubano, the Irakere reflective album 30 Años, and the Irakere documentary Latin Jazz Founders. Valdés served as the most visible proponent of Cuban Jazz at the end of the century and his work both as a solo artist and in Irakere helped evolve the art of Latin Jazz.

2. Gonzalo Rubalcaba
May 27, 1963 marked Gonzalo Rubalcaba’s birth into one of Havana’s more active musical families. His father, Guillermo Rubalcaba, ran a charanga orquesta, which brought a young Gonzalo in touch with a variety of Cuba’s influential pianists including Peruchin and Frank Emilio. These musicians exposed Rubalcaba to a variety of classic Bebop such as Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, and Thelonious Monk. He became passionate about both piano and drums, but switched to piano exclusively when he began studies at Manuel Samuell Conservatory at age 9. During his education, Rubalcaba also played throughout Havana’s nightclub scene then toured France and Africa in 1980 with the legendary Orquesta Aragon. Rubalcaba created his own group in 1985, Grupo Projecto, a Cuban fusion group. A year later, Rubalcaba appeared at the Havana Jazz Festival with Charlie Haden on bass and Paul Motion on drums. Haden became one of Rubalcaba’s biggest supporters, helping secure an appearance at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1990, which was recorded and released as Discovery: Live at Montreux. He recorded a series of albums for the German record label Messidor in the eighties, including Mi Gran Pasion and Live in Havana. Haden then encouraged his record label Blue Note to sign Rubalcaba, which led to a series of defining albums for Rubalcaba including the 1999 album Inner Voyage and Grammy winning 2001 release Supernova. He remained a collaborator with Haden, participating in two Grammy award winning releases, the 2001 album Nocturne and the 2004 release Land of the Sun. Rubalcaba now lives in South Florida with his family and continues to push the Cuban art of Latin Jazz forward.

3. Emiliano Salvador
Born on August 19, 1951 in Puerto Padre, Cuba, Emiliano Salvador was raised on a steady diet of classic Basie and Ellington, played by his father’s big band, Los Perversos. In his younger years, Salvador focused his practice upon piano, percussion, and drum kit, and then during his teens, he pursued higher musical studies at the Escuela Nacional de Arte. At the age of 19, Salvador joined the Grupo de Experimentación Sonora del ICAIC, an experimental group within the Cuban Film Industry. This troupe of daring musicians, led by Leo Brouwer, brought together all types of music, including Classical, Jazz, Cuban, and film music. Upon leaving the group, Salvador directed fellow GES alumni Pablo Milanés’ band at a regular gig in “El Gato Tuerto”, a Havana hotspot for the Filin Movement of the seventies. Extensive live performances and recordings with Milanés earned Salvador abundant attention, and he was soon in demand by a variety of singers from Cuba and beyond. Over the next several years, he recorded and performed with the likes of Soledad Bravo, Silvio Rodríguez, and Chico Baroque. Determined to move his own music forward, Salvador recorded Nueva Vision in 1978, a groundbreaking combination of jazz and Cuban music that included several top Cuban jazz musicians including Paquito D’Rivera, Arturo Sandoval, and Jorge Verona. This album became popular worldwide, solidifying Salvador’s position as a spearhead for Latin Jazz. Salvador and his Latin Jazz group recorded several more albums and toured the world, leading to performances with a variety of Jazz legends, including Art Blakey, Dizzy Gillespie, Freddie Hubbard, and Joe Henderson. Salvador released his last album Ayer Y Hoy in 1992, and then on October 22, 1992, he suffered a heart attack leading to his death. Salvador’s “New Vision” moved Latin Jazz to a new level, and his recorded legacy remains a necessary study for the Latin Jazz pianist.

4. Hilario Duran
Soon after Hilario Duran’s birth in 1953, he developed an interest in the piano by default - his parents bought a piano for Duran’s older sister. His father had a wide collection of both classical and jazz albums that further inspired Duran’s musical passion. He began formal studies at the Conservatory Amadeo Roldán in 1968, and when Chucho Valdés left the Orquesta Cubana de Musica Modera in 1976, Duran took over the piano responsibilities. In 1981, Arturo Sandoval left Irakere and formed his own group, employing Duran as his pianist. Sandoval was a demanding bandleader, bringing out the best in Duran who also worked as musical director. Sandoval’s band toured the world and recorded many influential albums, including the highly regarded 1986 Messidor recording Tumbaito. Duran formed his own group Perspectiva in 1990 recording a series of well-received albums including Encuentro en La Habana. The next year, Duran began an important musical partnership when he recorded on saxophonist Jane Bunnett’s album Spirits of Havana. Duran and his family moved to Toronto Canada in 1998, where he released several albums under his own name such as Habana Nocturna and New Danzon. He began a career as an educator, teaching piano and Latin Jazz ensembles at Humber College and Carleton University. Duran also continued his association with Bunnett, working on a number of her albums, including the 2000 release Ritmo & Soul. Duran has become an integral piece of the Toronto jazz scene, continuing the Latin Jazz path he began in Cuba.

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