The Cuban pianist and composer Chucho Valdés has been named Jazz Master 2025 by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). The recognition, one of the highest honors in the world of jazz, highlights Chucho's exceptional artistic contribution throughout his career.
"The National Endowment for the Arts and the Kennedy Center are more than excited to announce the Jazz Masters 2025 of @NEAarts: Chucho Valdés, Gary Giddins, Marilyn Crispell, and Marshall Allen," reads the announcement posted on social media two days ago.
Alongside Valdés, who turned 82 last October, the Jazz Masters 2025 also include pianist Marilyn Crispell, saxophonist Marshall Allen, and jazz critic Gary Giddins. The ceremony will take place on April 26, 2025, at the Kennedy Center, where an annual tribute concert will be held.
In a video uploaded a few hours ago to social media, Chucho expressed his excitement and gratitude for the new recognition, which adds to the many others he has received throughout his virtuous career.
"I am happy and grateful to be a @neaarts 2025, the greatest distinction for a Jazz musician in the USA," he said in the post, which has prompted congratulations from colleagues and followers around the world.
"I want to thank the Kennedy Center because I have received the NEA Jazz Master. It is the highest recognition that the American nation gives to a musician," he is heard saying in the video, where he also took the opportunity to "congratulate other artists who have received it." "I am super happy, super grateful, and more music," he added.
Chucho Valdés, son of the also legendary pianist Bebo Valdés, has left an indelible mark on music with his innovative style and his ability to fuse jazz with elements of Cuban music.
Throughout his career, Chucho has been awarded numerous prizes, including seven Grammy Awards and five Latin Grammy Awards. Additionally, he was recognized with the Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018 and was inducted into the Latino Composers Hall of Fame that same year.
His prolific career highlights not only his virtuosity as a pianist but also his role as a cultural ambassador, bringing the richness of Cuban music to international audiences and his influence on musicians around the world.
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