Chucho Valdés 85th Birthday Celebration: Jazz Musician in New York

About Chucho Valdés 85th Birthday Celebration

Chucho Valdés is a Cuban pianist and composer whose work sits at the crossroads of modern jazz and Afro-Cuban tradition, shaped by decades of bandleading and arranging. He is known for founding Irakere, a group that brought folkloric rhythms into contemporary jazz structures with disciplined ensemble writing. At Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City, his 85th Birthday Celebration places him in dialogue with special guests Joe Lovano and Terence Blanchard. His performances favor architecture and pulse over display, letting complex rhythms carry the narrative.