Chucho Valdes & The Afro-Cuban Messengers

There was not any free seat in the
Melbourne Recital Centre, in fact, every
single seat was occupied by a person who
couldn’t wait to hear Chucho Valdes, and
most were tapping their feet at the Latin
jazz rhythms. I asked a man seated to my
left if he knew a lot about jazz. He
answered “I do not know too much about
jazz but it is Chucho Valdes the
Godfather of Latin jazz and six time
Grammy award-winner”. For him, this was
enough and I must confess I think he was
right.

Six musicians appeared on the stage and a
few seconds later Valdes sat down at his
piano and started playing "Yansa”. Valdes
and the Afro-Cuban Messengers deftly
evoked Yoruba mythology's "Queen of the
Wind and Storms." In conjuring this
powerful Goddess, Valdes juxtaposed the
powerful cacophony of violent storms with
the melodic resolution found in the call
and response of a chorus. His
interpretation of this classic deity
weaves the clave rhythm in and out of the
composition in a very non-traditional
manner, providing a fresh modern insight
to an ancient religious belief.

After this inspired opening he presented
himself saying: “Hello everybody, this is
Chucho Valdes and the Afro-Cuban
Messengers with music from my last CD
Chuchos’s Steps”, and then, people
applauded warmly. Chucho's Steps, is as
much of a discovery for the preeminent
pianist as for his audience. In his first
solo project since 2003's New
Conceptions, Valdes speaks through his
distinctive and extraordinary
compositions and arrangements, reflecting
upon his own evolution throughout the
previous years.

Each one of the musician of this band has
a special talent. For instance, when Juan
Carlos Rojas Castro played a solo of
Congo drums for almost five minutes, it
was impossible to not have the sensation
that we were seated in front of a
virtuoso. And when Lazaro Rivero Alarcon,
bass , Yaroldy Abreu Robles, percussion,
Carlos Manuel Miyares Hernandez, tenor
saxophone , Reinaldo Melian Alvarez,
trumpet and Dreiser Durruthy, Bambole,
voice Leader & drums bata (on "Yansa")
showed their gifts also the audience was
mesmerised.

A memorable moment was when his sister
Mayra Caridad Valdés entered the stage
dressed as elegant ‘Santera’, and started
singing Besame Mucho. Most
marvellous was that she encouraged people
to follow the lyrics of the song, and
they sang with her with valour and
determination.

Recounting stories of his growth Valdes,
joined by the Afro-Cuban Messengers, pays
tribute to those that have influenced him
and aided his musical development. For
example, the title track of their CD, a
tribute to John Coltrane and his
masterpiece Giant Steps, rounds off a
harmonic structure in 50 bars without
repetition.

Valdes’s illustrious career has garnered
him 6 Grammy awards and 16 nominations
over the past three decades. His most
recent being a 2010 Grammy and a 2009
Latin Grammy for the record Juntos
para Siempre, in which he
collaborated with his father, Bebo
Valdes, a major player on the Cuban jazz
scene in his own right. Valdes has
recorded over eighty CD's and performed
with everybody who is somebody in the
world of jazz, from Herbie Hancock and
Dizzy Gillespie, to Wynton Marsalis and
Chick Corea. His reputation as one of the
greatest living Cuban jazz pianists has
earned him appearances on the greatest
stages in music, including Carnegie Hall,
The Kennedy Center and The Hollywood
Bowl.

Chucho Valdes & The Afro-Cuban
Messengers