Lázaro Valdés was born in Havana, Cuba on December 17th, 1940.
Yulaima Nunez Tejera, Lazaro Valdes and Zayda Rodriguez Abreau
He started piano classes with the members of his prestigious family of musicians namely his father Oscar Valdes and uncles Alfredito and Vicentico. As a teenager, his first concert was Beethhoven’s “Clair of the Moon” at the Mariano Amphitheatre in Havana, Cuba. At 18, Valdes began his professional career with Benny More’s “Giant Band” in 1958 and performed on many hit recordings including “Que Solo Las Mujeres Acaricien Tu Cara” and “Guantanamera”.
Valdes has worked with several renowned Cuban orchestras such as “Casino de la Playa”, “Orquesta Riverside”, “Sabor a Cuba”, “Conjunto el Nino Rivera” and Teatro Marti’s Ochestra under the direction of Ridrigo Prats. He launched his first band “Te Con E” in 1972. The band made its debut at the Cabaret Tropicana alongside Cuban divas Elena Bourke and Omara Portuondo. He was the musical director of the Parisien Cabaret at the National Hotel and Havana’s East Beach Cabaret circuit between 1995 and 1997.
Valdes has toured Germany, Angola, Mongolia, Italy, Peru, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Hungary, Russia, Spain and Thailand among other places. He has lectured at many universities on “The Origins and Roots of the Cuban Son” and “The Birth of Ragtime in Cuba”.
Orlando Diego Nodal Barrera and Osmaro Vega Arias
Since 2003, Valdes has been playing with his quintet “Son Jazz”. His powerful sound fuses Son, Timba and Jazz with the Danzon, Contradanza (musical artforms in Cuba) and classical music. The group is comprised of:
- Lázaro Valdés – (piano, congas, bongo, percussion, and Artistic and Musical Director).
- Orlando Nodal Barrera – (drums, timbal, bongo, percussion and vocals).
- Yalaima Nuñez Tejera – (lead vocalist, congas, piano, percussion and flute).
- Osmaro Vega Arias – (congas, bongo, percussion)
- Zayda Rodríguez Abreu – (bass, voice, and piano)
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