Arturo Sandoval

Hailing from Cuba, Arturo Sandoval has built a global following through his technically impeccable command of the trumpet, where his intense, penetrating sound and rapid bop-derived runs reach the instrument's uppermost range. In the 1970s he gained early recognition performing with the groundbreaking Afro-Cuban fusion outfit Irakere, an achievement that drew the notice of his longstanding idol Dizzy Gillespie; the jazz trumpeter journeyed to Cuba in 1977 and soon took on a mentoring role. During the following decade Sandoval performed internationally before defecting to Florida in the 1990s, after which he maintained a commanding presence in the music scene, collecting multiple honors and several Grammy Awards, among them Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album for the 2012 Gillespie homage Dear Diz (Everyday I Think of You). Though celebrated chiefly for his high-register intensity, he proves equally assured across registers, producing a warm, rounded timbre on flügelhorn while navigating classical literature with the same fluency he brings to jazz and traditional Cuban styles.

Born to an auto mechanic, Sandoval began classical trumpet studies at age twelve and entered the Cuban National School of the Arts three years later, where a Russian classical trumpeter guided his training. Early in the 1970s he joined the founding roster of the Orquesta Cubana de Musica Moderna; by 1973 that ensemble had transformed into the rock-tinged Afro-Cuban band Irakere. His 1977 encounter with Dizzy Gillespie quickly developed into a collaborative partnership that included joint concerts across Europe and Cuba as well as later appearances with the United Nation Orchestra. After contributing to several prominent Columbia releases by Irakere, notably the 1979 album Irakere, he departed the group in 1981 to lead his own ensemble and record within Cuba.

At intervals the Castro government permitted Sandoval to perform at major international jazz festivals and alongside ensembles such as the BBC Symphony and Leningrad Philharmonic. Resenting the travel restrictions imposed by the regime, he waited until his wife and son could leave the country; only then, in July 1990 while on an extended European tour, did he defect at the American Embassy in Rome and relocate to Florida. His debut GRP release, Flight to Freedom, showcased his command of multiple idioms, and throughout the 1990s he toured with an energetic Afro-Cuban unit of his own. He received his first Grammy for Best Latin Jazz Album with 1994's Danzón (Dance On) and repeated the win with 1998's Hot House; the following year he issued Americana.

In 2001 his experiences reached the screen in the HBO film For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story, starring Andy Garcia, while he also completed the studio album L.A. Meetings. On 2003's Trumpet Evolution he revisited repertoire associated with admired predecessors including Louis Armstrong, Roy Eldridge, Timofei Dokshizer, and Bunny Berigan. Subsequent projects included the 2005 recording Live at the Blue Note plus the 2007 albums Arturo Sandoval & the Latin Jazz Orchestra and Rumba Palace.

His first Concord Jazz project, the ballad collection Time for Love, appeared in 2010; Mambo Nights, recorded with the WDR Big Band, followed in 2011, and the Gillespie tribute Dear Diz (Every Day I Think of You) arrived the next year. Setting solo work aside for a time, he composed the score for the 2014 romantic comedy At Middleton. He returned in 2018 with the collaborative album Ultimate Duets!, featuring Stevie Wonder, Alejandro Sanz, Celia Cruz, Pharrell Williams, and additional guests.