Arturo Sandoval

He began studying music at the age of 13. After trying his luck with various musical instruments, he finally settled on the trumpet.

After his military service, he was a founder of the group Irakere with saxophonist Paquito D'Rivera and pianist Chucho Valdés, and it became the most important Jazz ensemble in Cuba. They had great worldwide success and their presentation in 1978 at the Newport Jazz Festival in New York introduced them to the American public.

But Arturo sought new musical possibilities and left the Irakere group in 1981 to form his own band. He continued touring the world with his group, playing a unique mixture of Latin music and Jazz, and also as a classical trumpeter, performing with the BBC and Leningrad symphonies in the defunct Soviet Union.

After this success, he left Cuba and lived in Miami, where he became a professor at Florida International University and soon recorded his first album in the U.S. with the title: "Flight to Freedom" for the GRP label.

Sandoval's great musical talent has been associated with many musicians, but without a doubt the most important would be Dizzy Gillespie, whom Sandoval considers his spiritual father. Gillespie is considered one of the great promoters of Afro-Cuban music, and was decisive in Sandoval's subsequent career. The two musicians met in Cuba in 1977 when Gillespie was doing improvisational performances throughout the Caribbean with saxophonist Stan Getz.

Due to the political situation, Cuba had been isolated from American musicians for several years. Gillespie wanted to know what kind of music was being made there, among other things its guaguancó. Sandoval offered himself as a personal musical guide, and later would confess to him that he himself was also a musician.

In addition to his long career in the jazz world, Arturo Sandoval also has a musical career as a classical performer. His recording "The Classical Album" contains trumpet concertos by Hummel and Mozart as well as his own Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra. Sandoval has participated as a composer and performer in several film soundtracks, such as "Vampires in Havana I", "The Pérez Family", "The Kings of Mambo" and "Havana".

Sandoval's own life was also brought to the screen in 2000 and performed by Andy García, with the title "For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story", produced by HBO.

Sandoval has worked alongside Kiara, Oscar D' León, Vicky Carr, Luis Enrique, Mike Couzzi, George Noriega, Lee Levin, Tony Concepción, Julio Hernández, René Toledo, Rita Quintero, Dana Teboe, Ed Calle, Johnny Mathis, Gloria Estefan, Kenny G., Paul Anka, Frank Sinatra and Dave Grusin. He has also performed in concerts with Woody Herman, Herbie Hancock, Woody Shaw, Stan Getz, Tony Bennett, Patti LaBelle and Céline Dion. Horacio "el negro" Hernández, Chick Corea, Poncho Sánchez, Steve Turret, Dave Samuels, Dave Weckl, Aventura (band) and Yanni on his voices album.

In April 2006, Arturo Sandoval opened a music venue in Miami Beach named The Arturo Sandoval Jazz Club. International jazz figures such as Joshua Redman, Roberta Flack, Roy Haynes, Omar Sosa, The Bad Plus, Moe Goldstein and Danilo Pérez have performed on its stage, as well as Sandoval himself.

In 2010 he won the Latin Grammy in the Best Instrumental Album category for his album 'A Time for Love', and this year the trumpeter is celebrating 50 years dedicated to music.

Discography
1976 - Havana - David Amram
1977 - New York - David Amram
1978 - The Best of Irakere - Irakere
1979 - Irakere - Irakere
1982 - To a Finland Station - Arturo Sandoval
1983 - Breaking the Sound Barrier - Arturo Sandoval
1986 - No Problem - Arturo Sandoval
1987 - Tumbaito - Arturo Sandoval
1988 - Straight Ahead - Arturo Sandoval
1989 - Classics - Arturo Sandoval
1989 - Arturo Sandoval - Arturo Sandoval
1990 - Live at the Royal Festival Hall 1989 - Dizzy Gillespie
1991 - Flight to Freedom - Arturo Sandoval
1992 - I Remember Clifford - Arturo Sandoval
1993 - Danzon (Dance On) - Arturo Sandoval
1993 - Dreams Come True - Arturo Sandoval
1993 - Passion - Regina Belle
1994 - Cubano - Arturo Sandoval
1995 - Arturo Sandoval y el Tren Latino - Arturo Sandoval
1995 - Concerto - Arturo Sandoval
1995 - Arturo Sandoval & The Latin Train - Arturo Sandoval
1996 - Double Talk - Ed Calle
1996 - Swingin - Arturo Sandoval
1997 - Just Music - Arturo Sandoval
1998 - Hot House - Arturo Sandoval
1999 - Americana - Arturo Sandoval
1999 - Sunset Harbor - Ed Calle
1999 - Los Elefantes - Arturo Sandoval & Wynton Marsalis
2000 - Ronnie Scott's Jazz House - Arturo Sandoval
2000 - For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story - Soundtrack
2001 - Piedras Y Flores - Amaury Gutiérrez
2001 - L.A. Meetings - Arturo Sandoval
2001 - Swingin' For The Fences - Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band
2002 - My Passion for the Piano - Arturo Sandoval
2003 - From Havana With Love - Arturo Sandoval
2003 - Trumpet Evolution - Arturo Sandoval
2005 - Live at the Blue Note - Arturo Sandoval
2005 - Journey to Chateau de la Fuente - Arturo Sandoval
2007 - Rumba Palace - Arturo Sandoval
2010 - Time for Love - Arturo Sandoval

In 2015 the artist received the Hispanic Heritage Award