Aguanile Bonco – 1977
Irakere
A rare glimpse at the top Cuban band
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Irakere, which was led by pianist Chucho Valdes, was arguably the finest Cuban band of the 1970s and ‘80s.
Their music blended together Afro-Cuban jazz with salsa, fusion and aspects of pop and r&b; basically they played jazz under a disguise to avoid problems with the Castro regime.
In the 1970s Irakere featured the remarkable trumpeter Arturo Sandoval and altoist Paquito D’Rivera as their solo stars along with Valdes and several percussionists.
This performance from the 1977 Montreal Jazz Festival, which has solo and group singing, gives one an idea of how exciting Irakere could sound during their prime years.
-Scott Yanow
