Arturo Sandoval records duet album with music greats

July 13, 2018

Although he has won 10 GRAMMYs and is considered one of the best trumpet players in the world, Arturo Sandoval assures us that he remains devoted to his music with the same intensity as he did before becoming famous. Precisely for this reason, he decided to make an album (Ultimate Duets) in which he worked with some of the best exponents of music today, from Prince Royce (bachata) to Pharrel Williams and Ariana Grande.

From his home in Los Angeles, Sandoval tells us how the idea came about: "After more than forty years doing many things in music, I felt that something was missing and one day it occurred to me that it would be interesting to record a duets album with singers that perhaps no one would associate with jazz. I made a list with more than twenty names of artists that I deeply admire but who sing different genres. I sent out the invitation and the first ones who answered me are the ones on this album."

The first big surprise is his duet with bachata singer Prince Royce, with whom he recorded the soul song "Don't You Worry About a Thing," which Steve Wonder popularized in the 70s. "It was very pleasant to record with Prince Royce; he is a very talented young man and has a great voice, but above all he is very down-to-earth. We had a great time in the recording studio, just as you can see in the music video."

Other songs that are part of this ambitious musical project are: "Corazón Partío," with Alejandro Sanz, the emblematic "Granada," with Plácido Domingo, Juan Luis Guerra's dynamic merengue "La Bilirrubina" and the unforgettable "Químbara" with Celia Cruz. "It was very moving to include something with Celia, whom I always admired and loved dearly. I couldn't make a duets album without her, the eternal queen of salsa."

Although on this album he flirts with a wide variety of genres, Sandoval assures us that he will not move away from jazz: "It is my main genre and I would never abandon it, but I am also a big fan of music in general. I have always liked salsa, merengue, pop… Good music is what matters most to me, which is why I am so happy with this album."

The pianist also says that on this album he reconfirmed one of his great theories: "That if a song is good, it will always be good, no matter who, when or how it is sung."

Although he has always been devoted to music, he accepts with a touch of humor and modesty how he feels about other activities related to it. For example, he reveals that singing is not his "strong suit" and that dancing he "holds his own better." "I dance a bit of everything, I won't say I'm a good dancer, but I'm not that bad either," he says before bursting out laughing.

Where he feels like a fish in water is with the trumpet. Although he clarifies that this is not a matter of chance: "To be a good trumpet player, you have to be committed to spending many hours practicing. The trumpet is an instrument that demands a lot of dedication and practice, I practice every day."

And he explains why: "I believe there are only two ways to play the trumpet: as you wish or what you want… The first way is to leave it to chance, but since what I seek is to play what I want, and that means doing it as professionally as possible, I do my breathing exercises and practice with the trumpet daily."

Apart from music, Sandoval is a man completely devoted to his family. He has been married to his wife Marianela for 43 years and with her he had a son (Arturo), who gave them their only granddaughter. "People don't know that I am a very indulgent grandfather. Just yesterday I was sweating bullets, standing in line at Disneyland (California), to take my granddaughter on all the rides. Before becoming a grandfather, I wasn't one to go to parks like that, but it's incredible how children change our world."

Source: El Nuevo Herald