From the very first moment one hears the ebullient sound of Chucho Valdés’ piano solo — as each hand dances swiftly across the black and white keys like a figure skater darting across the ice before the final spin, creating a separate reverberation that echoes throughout the concert hall – jazz becomes a multi-layered, melodic dialogue between the Cuban artist and the listener. Yet besides fashioning a conversation of intricate harmonies and perfunctory improvisations, one cannot help to think that the light-fingered Valdés also speaks to the social injustices, interpersonal relationships, and cultural transitions of the world through his rhythmic steps.

Winner of eight Grammy awards (inclusive of three Latin ones), composer, and creditor of several doctorates, Valdés is nothing short of revolutionary. From his pivotal studies of piano playing at the age of three to his conception of the Combo idea, this legendary virtuoso has not only been paving his way to success, much like his father, renowned pianist Bebo Valdés, but introducing Cuban music to the rest of the world through his meshing of several styles, forming a unique Afro-Cuban variety.

Hoping to elicit more musical shifts and collect a few more accolades in the process, Valdés is kicking off a U.S. tour and coming back to New York City on January 21 to perform at Carnegie Hall after being absent from its stage for 25 years.

Despite his tight schedule and preparation for the jazz festival in Panama, Valdés found a few moments to share with GALO the music he grew up on, where the chants on his last album came from, and his upcoming plans.

GALO: You live in Spain now. What was the reason for moving to Malaga?

Chucho Valdés: I´m in Malaga because my father lives here, and he is 93 and has Alzheimer’s, so I’m here close to him.

GALO: Your latest album, Chucho’s Steps, earned you your eighth Grammy win. How does it feel to have accomplished such a feat that many musicians only dream of—do you hope for another?

CV: It makes you think that you are on the right path, and keeps you working to always do something new and to always investigate how to do a unique work. I always want another award; it is great to have recognition for the work you are doing!

GALO: You have dabbled in various musical styles during your tours, albums, and various bands, each time doing something different. However, each of these styles, though diverse in nature, held an inkling of a link to the past. Is this where the name for the album came from – a musical journey of your past and future footsteps?

CV: The name of the album has a double meaning; it is a tribute to the classic Coltrane CD Giant Steps and also a way to show the steps I had in my whole career.

GALO: Your new album has a lot of different textures inclusive of an array of piano soloing as well as an evidential complexity in composition. Was there any improvisation present on the album? Are there any significant changes on it from your previous work?

CV: This CD is like a revolution of the Cuban clave that is there in a different way: we changed the beats from 6/8 to a 7, 11 and 13. That made it change the concept of the rhythm, the clave, the melody and the improvisation. It’s a work that I have been developing for a long time with my group.

GALO: On the album, a great deal of religious chanting can be heard. Can you tell us why you chose to have such chants on it—where did the revelation for them come from? 

CV: Religious chanting like this is part of the Yoruba culture and religion which is very rich. All the saints in that religion have a chant and, for example, “Yansá” is a piece that includes this.

In the opening notes of “Yansá,” we evoke Yoruba mythology’s “Queen of the Wind and Storms.” In conjuring up this powerful Goddess, I musically create the powerful cacophony of violent storms she can bring, with the melodic resolution found in the call and response of a chorus. This interpretation, of this classic deity, weaves the clave rhythm in and out of the composition in a very non-traditional manner, providing a modern insight to an ancient religious belief.

GALO: Having played around with various styles of jazz in your career, do you think that classical jazz has a place in the age of modernism? Is jazz evolving with the times? 

CV: Without classic jazz, modern jazz wouldn’t exist. It’s the root of the modernism that came after. I think that it always will have its place in the market.

GALO: In 1970, you introduced your Combo idea in a quintet format in Poland at the Jamboree International Jazz Festival placing you among the five best piano players inclusive of Bill Evans. Can you tell us more about this moment as well as explain the Combo idea? 

CV: For me it was one of the most important moments in my career and this quintet revolutionized the sound that had only been an idea until that moment. [The concept behind it is] we include a Bata drum and “Black Mass” was the piece from which we developed this idea.

GALO: I believe you were already playing at the age of three and you started your own jazz trio at the age of 15.

CV: I started to play the piano at three, and at five my father put me with a piano teacher. At the age of nine, I started at the conservatory at the fourth level of piano studies. I graduated at the age of 15. The piano was my “everything” [and still] is my “everything!”

GALO: You come to the States when visas become available from the U.S. government. Why do you find it essential for Cuba to have its music heard by the world, and especially by Americans, as well as the element of creating a door for the exchange of music? 

CV: I think that Cuban music, as with music from the rest of the world, has to be heard around the entire world — without any barrier, because music is a universal language and is part of everyone.

GALO: This month you have quite an array of concerts coming up, inclusive of a US tour, from the Panama Jazz Festival to your upcoming performance at Carnegie Hall on January 21. After all these years of performing, what do you find to be the most exciting part of the show?

CV: For me the whole concert is important because the public at all the venues I play at deserves the best musical quality. But I think that the first part of a show, when you start playing for a new audience, is the most exciting part.

GALO: What has been your favorite performance thus far and why?

CV: I don´t remember one exactly, but to do concerts with my father was a gift for me, and made it very special.

GALO: Many artists and musicians work on their particular art form every day. Do you find yourself playing on a daily basis for practice or perhaps the pure enjoyment of the music itself?  

CV: I practice every day, many hours a day, and also rehearse with my band every day. It is like a laboratory for us where every day, new stuff shows up.

GALO: The famed Cuban pianist Bebo Valdés is your father. Was he your inspiration with your involvement in jazz and was music a common phenomenon in your home?

CV: There was music every day in my house since the day I was born. I was privileged to spend time with many famous Cuban legends who were working with my father Bebo on new songs. It was all about the music and, of course, all about jazz. I saw many jazz legends perform live at the Tropicana in Havana when I was a child.

GALO: Who did you grow up listening to? Do you find any of these inspirations appearing in your own musical style at times?

CV: I grew listening to Art Tatum, Thelonius Monk, Bud Powell, Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, and Miles Davis. All of them are part of my musical style as well as McCoy Tyner, Bill Evans, Dave Brubeck and Cecil Taylor.

GALO: Your son, Chuchito, is also a pianist. What do you think of his playing? Do you hope he will follow in your footsteps? 

CV: I think that he plays really well and I hope he find his own way.

GALO: What do you do when you’re not playing music?

CV: I watch boxing and play with (and teach music to) my youngest son who is five.

GALO: Can we expect a new album this year?

CV: Yes, I´m working on new material, and I think it might be ready by the end of this year.

For upcoming tour information visit http://www.valdeschucho.com.

Cincopa WordPress plugin