Almost 90 Cuban Music Legend Bebo Valdes Cuts A New Album

One of the greatest days of my career as a freelance music journalist was the time I interviewed Cuban music legend Bebo Valdés back when he was an octogenarian. It was an over the phone interview. I was in Tampa and Bebo was in Málaga, Spain, the connection was horrible, and Valdés' voice came across faint and hoarse. But there were moments in which we both shared a laugh or two and I remember an uninhibited, energetic, and generous laugh that to me defines the essence of the master's long and storied journey through music. The article from that interview was published in Global Rhythm magazine and you can read it by going to this link:

http://www.globalrhythm.net/WorldMusicLegends/BeboValds.cfm

Now on the verge of turning 90, the seven-time Grammy-winning statesman, father of Chucho Valdés, an illustrious pianist in his own right, is releasing yet another album. Accompanied by bassist Javier Colina, Bebo drops his much anticipated, Live at the Village Vanguard (Calle 54) on September 2, 2008.

Not just any stage, New York City's Village Vanguard is a mythical venue that has attracted jazz giants since it opened in 1935. Demigods of the caliber of John Coltrane, Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Rollins, Keith Jarrett, McCoy Tyner, Gerry Mulligan, Stan Getz and Bill Evans, who Bebo Valdés remembers on this album, have all recorded live sets at the Vanguard.

Live at the Village Vanguard contains 14 songs, stripped down to piano and bass, recorded in November of 2005. From compositions written by Bebo Valdés (Con Poco Coco, Ritmando El Cha-Cha-Cha, Bebo's Blues) to classics by Ernesto Lecuona (Andalucía, Siboney), via ageless boleros or bolero-tinged songs (Sabor A Mí, Aquellos Ojos Verdes, Tres Palabras, Rosa Mustia, Si Te Contara). There's also a composition by Jerome Kern (Yesterdays) and a few popular classics (Bilongo, El Manisero), without forgetting such monuments as "Waltz For Debby," originally recorded in 1961 by its composer Bill Evans on the same stage.

A lifetime of wisdom and rich musical influences unfolded in one night on one magical stage, all captured on one exceptional album: Bebo Valdés & Javier Colina: Live at the Village Vanguard.