Composers
Arturo Sandoval
Few names are as well known in the world of Latin Jazz, as Arturo Sandoval. Arturo stands as the most prolific and idolized trumpeter of the past two decades. With credentials in Jazz, Latin Jazz and Classical music, Arturo Sandoval is perhaps the most recognizable, most respected and sought after trumpeter of the genre.
Born in a small Cuban village, Arturo began playing the trumpet at the age of thirteen. He was trained as a classical musician and continued to perform and win honors throughout his education in Cuba. Sandoval's first major musical expedition came when he joined the Cuban jazz group Irakere, along with saxophonist Paquito D'Rivera and pianist, Chuco Valdez, both of whom are also Latin masters. Irakere's popularity surged and in 1978, at the Newport Jazz Festival, they were unveiled to an American audience that loved their sound.
In 1981 Sandoval left the group to pursue his own musical goals. He formed his own group and toured playing both Jazz and Latin music. In keeping with his classical training, he performed with the BBC Symphony in London as well as the Leningrad Symphony in the former U.S.S.R. The political situation in Cuba during this era stifled Arturo's career, so in 1990 Arturo sought and was granted political asylum and relocated to Miami. Once in the U.S., Arturo began teaching as a full professor at the Florida International University, where he still holds a full professorship. Sandoval has also lectured at the Conservatoire de Paris, UC Santa Barbara, University of Miami, Purdue University and many other around the globe. He has put out over twenty albums including his 1991 Flight to Freedom just after reaching the U.S. Other albums include: I Remember Clifford, Hot House, Danzon, Swingin', From Havana With Love and Trumpet Evolution. Sandoval has also contributed to movie soundtracks such as: "The Mambo Kings" and "Havana."
Only the greatest of artists are recognizable solely by their first name. Arturo Sandoval has long since reached that place where jazz and Latin Jazz enthusiasts alike respond with anxious anticipation at the mention of anything performed by, Arturo.
