The Cuban saxophonistPaquito D'Rivera celebrated the reunion withChucho Valdes in Paris after participating in a series ofthree concerts organized by the Philharmonic of that city in honor of the Cuban pianist's 80th birthday.
“Justice takes time, but it comes, and this meeting of ours was as inevitable as it was happy and long-awaited for us and for thousands of music lovers around the world. Now we only have to complete the cycle in our impoverished and tyrannized land,” D'Rivera expressed on his social networks.
Accompanied by the Cuban violinist and singer Yilian Cañizares, the American musician Joe Lovano, the group El Comite and D'Rivera himself, the master of Latin jazz and founder of the legendary Irakere offered three concerts in which he included songs from his latest album and classics from their repertoire.
“Still excited about this weekend at the Paris Philharmonic. Thanks to everyone who accompanied me, especially Paquito D'Rivera, Yilian Cañizares and Joe Lovano,” said the pianist in a Facebook post.
Turning 80 on October 9, Chucho Valdés maintains a creativity and energy from which new projects continue to emerge. The last of them,The Creation, an Afro-Cuban suite performed by more than 20 musicians, will take you to the stages of several countries, including the United States, France and Spain.
"Chucho is the most virtuoso in the world and at the same time the most moving, he can play 24,000 notes in a minute or two; everything he plays gives off emotion," said Cuban musician Harold López-Nussa, invited to the presentations these days.
After leaving the Iraqere group in 1980,D'Rivera and Valdés met again on stage on October 5 within the framework of the Oslo Freedom Forum, which was held in Miami, during the second day of talks and conferences in which the Cuban artist and activist participatedTania Bruguera.
More than 40 years of professional separation did not prevent the immediate harmony of both through music and each other's life experiences. “The language of Art through the only filter it has and can pass is that of Freedom,” said the activist on her social networks, sharing images of the historic reunion of two greats of Cuban music.
In recent days, Valdés condemned the repression deployed by the island's regime regarding theCivic March for Change of 15N. Sharing a white rose on your social networks,The pianist expressed his disappointment in the new repressive wave and the persecution in Cuba for decades of those who think differently and are victims of the violence and terror unleashed by a totalitarian State.
His statements are reinforced by the artist's position defending the reasons of the people who came out en masse and spontaneously to demonstrate duringthe historic 11J protests in Cuba, demanding freedom, dignity and an end to the dictatorship that prevents Cubans from living together in peace in a prosperous, inclusive and democratic country.
For exercising your freedom of expression,Valdés was accused of being a "counterrevolutionary" by the Spanish digital portalCubainformation, a medium aimed at defending the Castro dictatorship that receives public funds from the government of the Basque Country.
In an article signed by the columnist Paco Azanza Telletxiki he criticized the clear positioning of the pianist during the social outbreak of July 11. "It is clear that Chucho Valdés' reaction to such serious events was not the result of chance or confusion. He knew what he was doing and saying," said the Spanish journalist.
Pianist, composer and arranger, Chucho Valdés has received six Grammy Awards and four Latin Grammy Awards, plus another for Musical Excellence (2018) for his entire sixty-year career. He is a member of the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame.His concerts in Paris were acclaimed by the public and critics..
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