Irakere
Irakere ( Yoruba for vegetation) is a Cuban band that was founded in 1973 by the pianist Chucho Valdés. The band plays mainly Afro - Cuban jazz and traditional Cuban music with excursions into classical and disco and fusion music.
History
The band had their first success in 1974 with the song " Bacalao con Pan" ( " cod with bread "). Irakere was soon on an international tour: Back in 1978, the group met Montreux Festival and the Newport Jazz Festival on jazz. The recording from Newport was published in 1979 under the name of Irakere and won the following year, the Grammy Award for Best Latin Recording; that was the first Grammy for a group from Cuba. In 2007, the album an extra honored by inclusion in the "Latin Grammy Hall of Fame", which is selected historic photographs consistent quality or particular importance reserved.
While there was a large fluctuation in the wind section, the core of the rhythm section remained the same. From the beginning of the founding of the pianist Chucho Valdés remained, the drummer Enrique Plá and guitarist Carlos Emilio Morales. Among the other members were so well-known musicians such as flutist José Luis Cortés, who later founded NG La Banda, the percussionist Miguel " Anga " Diaz, who emigrated to France later, saxophonist Paquito D' Rivera in 1980 during a tour of Spain left the band and emigrated to the United States, and trumpeter Arturo Sandoval, in 1981 the group for a solo career and left in 1990 went to the United States. Other members were the flautist Orlando " Maraca " Valle, bassist Carlos Del Puerto, the singer and percussionist Oscar Valdés, the saxophonist Carlos Averhoff, César López, Roman Filiu, Irving Acao Michel and Javier Zalba, the trumpeter Jorge Varona, Basilio Márquez and Julio Padrón and other musicians.
The Group uses a wide range of percussion instruments such as Bata, Abacuá and Arará drums, Chequerés, Erikundis, maracas, claves, cowbells, Bongó, Tumbadoras and Güiro.