Arturo Sandoval. Unusual facts from the biography

Arturo Sandoval, "Blow your life through your horn"

As a world-renowned Cuban jazz trumpeter, Arturo Sandoval enchants the audience with his virtuosic playing and provokes admiration for significant contributions to Latin jazz.  The musician has solidified his legacy as one of the greatest trumpeters of his generation. Let’s investigate the key moments and the most interesting facts from his life.

• At the start of his career, Arturo Sandoval played classical music and performed it with great skill. However, his main passion was focused on jazz. Apart from the trumpet, he also played piano.
• Sandoval learned basics of music theory during his playing in the village band at age 13.
• Arturo studied classical trumpet at the Cuban National School of Arts during three years.
• Arturo had a very difficult life. He was born in a poor family that struggled to make ends meet. Later, he was restricted for listening to American jazz, because the government did not accept this genre. However, even in the darkest times, he held on to music that encouraged him.
• Arturo admired American trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie from an early age. This musician’s influence was so significant on Arturo that he called Dizzy Gillespie his “spiritual father”. Sandoval's musical style and approach to playing the trumpet was shaped by Dizzy Gillespie's innovative technique and bebop improvisations. One can feel this influence listening to Arturo’s solos and dynamic performances. His artistic view was also shaped by Charlie Parker and Clifford Brown.
  
• Although Arturo faced a great challenge as he had to hide his passion, at least he could play in the Afro-Cuban band Irakere, led by pianist Chucho Valdés. During the period of the 1970s and 1980s, Sandoval ascended to fame as a member of Irakere, whose music mixed various styles. Working with this ensemble, Sandoval not only displayed his impressive trumpet skills, but also contributed to the groundbreaking fusion of Afro-Cuban rhythms, rock, classical, jazz, and funk. Thanks to this innovative band’s approach, their music earned international recognition and a Grammy Award in 1980.
• During his musical journey, Arturo had an honor to meet many great musicians. However, one of the most significant encounters was his meeting with Dizzy Gillespie in 1977 during his visit to Cuba. Since then, these two musicians started playing together. Arturo Sandoval and Dizzy Gillespie collaborated on different musical projects such as recording sessions, live performances, and educational initiatives. They shared the stage on numerous occasions, enchanting audiences with their trumpet duets.
• Dizzy Gillespie played a vital role in Arturo's development as a musician. Having recognized his talent, Dizzy became a mentor for him, guiding Arturo on his personal journey and encouraging him to pursue musical goals.
• Although Arturo achieved great success with Irakere, he longed for creative freedom and could have it only beyond Cuba's borders. In 1990, during his tour in Europe with Dizzy Gillespie, the musician defected to the United States in search of a political asylum. He settled in Miami, Florida, and continued establishing himself as one of the most significant figures in jazz.
• Arturo Sandoval’s discography represents many styles: classical, fusion, bebop, Latin jazz. Apart from Dizzy Gillespie, he also collaborated with Herbie Hancock, Woody Herman, Josh Groban, Johnny Mathis, Frank Sinatra, Rod Stewart and many others.
• Sandoval regularly performs with the leading symphony orchestras. He even composed “Concerto for Trumpet & Orchestra”.
• During his career, Arturo Sandoval received numerous awards, including ten Grammy Awards, an Emmy Award, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
  
• Arturo also established a jazz club at Miami Beach called ‘The Arturo Sandoval Jazz Club’. There, jazz fans can enjoy their favorite music six nights a week. Arturo Sandoval himself performs on stage of the club at least once a month.
• Arturo Sandoval is one of the world-renowned musicians who tested KGUmusic products. During his visit to Ukraine in 2018 for a concert, he used our trumpet mouthpiece CLASSIC booster and was very satisfied with its performance. Arturo proved that the booster makes transition from one note to another very clear even at fast speeds.