Chucho Valdés

Born in 1941 in Quivicán, near Havana, Chucho Valdés is one of the most influential figures in Afro-Cuban jazz. As the son of pianist Bebo Valdés, you received early musical training and graduated from the Havana Municipal Conservatory at just 14. In 1973, you founded the legendary band Irakere, which fused Latin jazz with rock, classical music, and Afro-Cuban tradition, becoming one of Cuba's most influential ensembles. Over a career spanning more than 60 years, you have collaborated with greats such as Dizzy Gillespie, Chick Corea, Roy Hargrove, and your father, and you have won multiple Grammy and Latin Grammy Awards, including for "Live at the Village Vanguard" and "Jazz Batá 2". Your music combines virtuosic piano playing with complex rhythms, improvisation, and deep roots in Cuban musical tradition. Well into your 80s, you continue to perform on major international stages and at renowned festivals, always with that distinctive style that makes jazz, classical music, and Afro-Cuban tradition one organic whole.