Cuban legends Chucho Valdes and the Afro-Cuban Messengers roll through Sydney in June

Multi–Grammy Award winner Chucho Valdes – accompanied by his extraordinary band The Afro-Cuban Messengers – will be appearing at the Sydney Opera House on Wednesday 12 June 2013. 

Chucho Valdes and the Afro-Cuban Messengers

Cuban pianist, bandleader, composer and arranger Valdes is the son of the similarly influential Cuban bandleader Bebo Valdes, from whom he first received piano lessons. He subsequently enrolled at the Municipal Music Conservatory of Havana and graduated at age 14.

In 1973, he formed the innovative and highly influential Latin jazz ensemble Irakere. With its unique mix of jazz, rock, funk, classical and traditional Cuban rhythms, Irakere was an explosive and creative ensemble that quickly caught the attention of audiences and the band’s Grammy winning 1979 self-titled concert album  sparked international interest.  Despite many personnel changes over the years, Irakere became a musical institution, some of its members—such as trumpeter Arturo Sandoval and saxophonist Paquito D’Rivera—having long since become stars in their own right.

The four-time Grammy winning and three-time Latin Grammy winning virtuosoSince the ’80s, Chucho Valdes has released a steady flow of albums including 1986’s Lucumi (Messidor), 1998’s Bele Bele en la Habana (Blue Note), 2000’s Live at the Village Vanguard (Blue Note), 2002’s Fantasia Cubana: Variations on Classical Themes (Blue Note). In his most recent work, Chucho’s Steps (2010), leading the Afro-Cuban Messengers, Valdés glanced back at his work with Irakere, paid tribute to his influences, and suggested a path forward, especially regarding his work with Afro-Cuban rhythms.

“With Irakere, there was a period of experimentation, of finding how to mix Yoruba rhythms [from the music in the liturgy of the Afro-Cuban religion known in the United States as Santería] and adapt them to Cuban dance music and jazz,” he explained in a recent conversation. “Now I have retaken that storyline, but with a different focus.”

Performing in Sydney for the very first time, Valdés will be joined by his esteemed Havana-based quintet The Afro-Cuban Messengers, performing music from his new, yet-unreleased 2013 album, the eagerly awaited follow-up to “Chucho’s Steps”, which won the 2011 Grammy for Best Latin Jazz Album.

Have a look at this live performance from 2010:

What: Chucho Valdes and the Afro-Cuban Messengers

When: Wed 12th June

Where: Sydney Opera House

Info: Sydney Opera House website