Would you be happier as a struggling musician or living a life without music? I know my answer. Anthropologists have yet to find a culture in the history of man that didn’t have some form of music and/or dance as part of their life. For many, like myself and my friend Arturo Sandoval, music is an essential part of our life force, like food, water, love and the air we breathe.
I had the pleasure of meeting the legendary Cuban trumpet player several months ago at his new home outside Los Angeles. We shared a magical afternoon of stories and music and promised each other find a way to work together. That promise was fulfilled in part when he became one of the featured performers in my current score for a Canadian film called High Chicago. Arturo has a sound like no other living trumpet player I know. Beyond that, he is a very talented composer, piano player and gracious and humble human being. When he plays, all of these qualities come through his horn, along with passionate heart of a child prodigy growing up in Cuba, a land filled with amazing musicians.
In addition to checking out Arturo’s own music, I highly recommend you watch the film based on his life (an HBO Original Drama staring our friend Andy Garcia). It is called “For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story” and is available on DVD. It is a beautiful story of Arturo’s escape from Cuba to follow his passion and commitment for freedom through musical expression, and highlights his relationship with his mentor Dizzie Gillespie and the love affair with the other love of his life, Marianela, who is still his wife to this day.
BACKGROUND:
By the age of 16 Arturo was playing in Cuba’s all-star national band and later in the Orquesta Cubana de Musica Moderna. He met his idol Dizzy Gillespie in 1977, who became his mentor and welcomed him into the The United Nations Orchestra. Back in Cuba, Sandoval co-founded the band Irakere with Chucho Valdés and Paquito D’Rivera. They quickly became a worldwide sensation. Their appearance at the 1978 Newport Jazz Festival introduced them to American audiences and garnered them a recording contract with Columbia Records.
Although best known for his combination of Jazz and Latin music, Arturo enjoys a successful recording career that crosses many musical styles. He has recorded with Johnny Mathis, Gloria Estefan, Kenny G, Paul Anka, Frank Sinatra and Dave Grusin, and has played in concerts with Woody Herman, Herbie Hancock, Woody Shaw, Stan Getz, Céline Dion, Tito Puente, and recently with Alicia Keys, Patti LaBelle and Justin Timberlake.
Learn more about Arturo, his music and his life at www.arturosandoval.com.
