Chucho Valdés

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Chucho Valdés (b. October 9, 1941), born Jesús Dionisio Valdés, is a pianist and arranger. He was born in Quivicán, Cuba. He founded the group Irakere in 1972. Irakere is a word which means "forest" or "woods", and some of the best African percussionists came from a region called Irakere about 200 years ago. Irakere is one of Cuba's best-known Latin jazz bands, and Chucho Valdés, together with pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba, is revered as Cuba's greatest jazz pianist.

His father Bebo Valdés, also a pianist, is the former director of Havana's famous "Tropicana" night club. Bebo Valdés, now in his 80's, is still performing, and won a Latin Grammy award in 2003 together with Israel "Cachao" López and Patato Valdés, and in 2005 together with flamenco singer Diego El Cigala.

Chucho has won three Grammy awards - one in 1978 for the album Live at Newport by Irakere, a second in 1998 for his contribution to the CD Havana by his band Crisol (formed in 1997), with two songs Mr. Bruce and Mambo para Roy written by Chucho, and the third in 2003 for his album Live at the Village Vanguard.