Arturo Sandoval

Biography

Arturo Sandoval was born on November 6, 1949, in Artemisa, a small town on the outskirts of Havana, Cuba. He began playing music at age 12 or 13, starting with classical trumpet studies at the Cuban National School of Arts for three years, and soon joined a village band and earned a spot in Cuba's all-star national band by age 16. Deeply inspired by Dizzy Gillespie's fusion of Latin and American jazz, Sandoval immersed himself in jazz while drafted into the military in 1971, playing with the Orquesta Cubana de Musica Moderna.[1][2][3][4][5]

Fun Facts

• Sandoval defected from Cuba in 1990 during a concert tour in Spain, seeking artistic freedom, which led to his U.S. citizenship.
• He won 10 Grammy Awards, an Emmy for the HBO film score about his life, multiple Billboard Awards, and the 2013 Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama.
• Despite being a full-time professor, he maintains a rigorous touring schedule with over 27 albums as leader and hundreds of session appearances.
• He performed classical trumpet with major orchestras like the BBC Symphony in London and the Leningrad Symphony in the former Soviet Union.

Associated Acts

• The Dizzy Gillespie United Nation All Star Orchestra
• Irakere
• The Latin Crossings - original

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Dizzy Gillespie - Protégé and primary stylistic influence who introduced Latin influences to jazz (Inspired Sandoval's fusion of Afro-Cuban and jazz elements) [1960s onward]

Key Collaborators

• Paquito D'Rivera - Co-founder of Irakere ensemble (Irakere albums and performances) [1970s]
• Chucho Valdes - Co-founder of Irakere ensemble (Irakere albums and performances) [1970s]
• Dizzy Gillespie - Direct collaboration and mentorship (Joint performances and recordings) [1970s-1990s]
• Tony Bennett - Cross-genre collaboration (Recordings and performances) [2000s]

External Links

• Spotify
• MusicBrainz

Tags: #afro-cuban, #jazz, #latin-jazz