Bebo Valdés

Dionisio Ramon Emilio " Bebo " Valdés Amaro ( born October 9, 1918 in Quivican, † March 22, 2013 in Stockholm) was a Cuban musician in the field of jazz and Cuban music.

Life and work

Valdés did not begin until the age of twelve playing the piano, as a friend of his mother gave him his first lessons. He made rapid progress and soon moved to the National Conservatory in Havana. At the age of 20 years he appeared regularly as a pianist and arranger with a jazz orchestra, the daily two concert performances in dance bars and had another on the radio. His breakthrough came in 1945, when he joined the band of trumpeter Julio Cueva joined, with whom he developed an innovative style blend of Cuban Guaracha and U.S. Swing. From 1948 he was musical director of Tropicana Cabaret in Havana - the main venue for modern music of the country, which was also American artists such as Woody Herman and Nat King Cole occurred ( he is also on the album Cole Español ( 1958) to hear ). As musical director, he was arranger and accompanying pianist for the star singer at the Tropicana, Rita Montaner. In parallel, he wrote, in Mambo, Bolero and Latin Jazz versed in the same way, Beny Moré and arrangements for Pio Leyva. He led the Bata Drum, a ritual instrument of Santería in the entertainment music. Under Valdés ' line in 1952 with Con Poco Coco the first one produced in Cuba Vinyl Recording of an Afro- Cuban Descarga ( Jam Session ). In 1959, Valdés formed his own orchestra Sabor de Cuba, which his son Chucho belonged.

Due to the Cuban after the 1959 revolution under Fidel Castro increasingly restricted individual freedoms he emigrated to Mexico in October 1960 and then to the U.S., while his family remained in Cuba. At a concert tour with the Lecuona Cuban Boys in Europe, he fell in love with in 1963 in the Swedish Rose Marie Pehrson, who became his second wife and by whose side he settled in Stockholm. He worked there as a little-noticed pianist in restaurants, hotels and on cruise ships.

The Cuban exile jazz musician Paquito D' Rivera helped him end 1994 on a late restart his international career when he pulled him out of oblivion and the Frankfurt Music Publishers Götz Wörner persuaded, to his label Messidor with Valdés Album Bebo Rides Again take - Valdés ' first album after 34 years. For the recordings D' Rivera had also planned to Bebo's son Chucho included, who had already produced several albums in Messidor. However, Chucho said its already confirmed participation from shortly before his scheduled departure from Havana. Through the participation of guitarist Carlos Emilio Morales and drummer Amadito Valdés ( no relation) came with the album yet, the first carried out in collaboration with Cuban exile and living in Cuba musicians music production since the Cuban revolution. The first joint recordings of Bebo Valdés and Chucho finally came in 1996 in Berkeley (USA) for D' Rivera Album Cuba Jazz: 90 Miles to Cuba about. By 2000 produced documentary Calle 54 of the Spanish Academy Award winner Fernando Trueba on the Latin Jazz, in the Bebo Valdés appeared alongside other variables of the genre, he became known to an even wider audience. Between 2002 and 2009 he won for his albums El arte del sabor, Lágrimas negras, Bebo de Cuba and Juntos para siempre total of three Grammy Awards and six Latin Grammy Awards. The captured with the Spanish flamenco singer Diego el Cigala album Lágrimas negras 2003 was provided by the New York Times with the title "Best Album of the Year ".

With his first wife, the singer Pilar Rodríguez, he had the sons " Chucho " ( Jesus ), and Raúl Ramón and daughters Miriam and Mayra. Both his son Chucho and his grandson Chuchito are also internationally successful jazz pianists. His son he saw in 1978 for the first time since 1960 back when he gave a concert in New York. 2008 published Bebo Valdés and Chucho jointly Juntos para siempre recorded album ( "Forever together " ), and then went on joint concert tour. From his second marriage the sons Raymond and Rickard come. Since 2007, Valdés was living in the Spanish Benalmádena in Málaga ( Andalusia), where his still living in Cuba son Chucho spent in the last few years a lot of time with him. Since his emigration in 1960 Bebo Valdés returned not once returned to Cuba. By his own admission he did not do so until after the end of Castro 's rule, as he was " not stand dictatorships " could. Despite its clear political rejection praised him after his death also controlled by the Communist Party media on the island as great Cuban artists. Chucho Valdés had to the international press already expressed by the Latin Grammy won for the album Juntos para siempre 2009 shared his anger about the fact that although he himself, but his father was not mentioned by the Cuban media. The " Festival Internacional Jazz Plaza 2013 " was finally explicitly dedicated to the consent of the cultural authorities father and son.

In March 2013 Bebo Valdés died, for some time at the Alzheimer 's disease suffering, 94 -year-old in Stockholm. Thither two weeks had brought him before his death, his children from his second marriage after his health had deteriorated.

Discography (selection)

• Chico & Rita (Soundtrack, 2011)
• Juntos para siempre ( with Chucho Valdés, 2008)
• Sabor de Cuba ( Archiv Produktion 2007)
• Bebo and Cachao ( Israel " Cachao " López, 2007)
• Bebo de Cuba (2005)
• Lágrimas negras ( with Diego el Cigala, 2005)
• Descarga Caliente ( with the Havana All Stars, Archiv Produktion 2004)
• We Could Make Beautiful Music Together examined ( with Federico Britos, 2004)
• El arte del sabor (2001)
• Mucho sabor (1995 )
• Bebo Rides Again (1994 )
• Todo ritmo ( Archiv Produktion 1992)
• Mambo Caliente, Mambo Reef (1955 )
• Con poco coco (1952 )