Chucho Valdés Royal Quartet at SFJAZZ Center

Chucho Valdés Royal Quartet
SFJAZZ
San Francisco, CA, USA
June 13, 2026

Born to a musical family in Quivicán, Cuba in October 1941, Chucho Valdes's given name is Dionisio Jesús Valdés Rodríguez. His father, pianist, composer, and bandleader Ramón Bebo Valdes, introduced him to the piano at age three. Valdés graduated from the Conservatorio Municipal de Música de la Habana at 14 and started his own jazz trio at age 18. His first CD, Jazz Nocturno (Areito, 1964), initiated a stream of other memorable recordings.

After initially gaining fame abroad with Bebo Valdes, Valdés maintained a parallel career as a solo performer. Generating considerable acclaim (including Grammy awards), he has continued to diversify over the years, both onstage and in his recordings. His latest album, Cuba and Beyond (InnerJazz Music, 2024), highlights his latest project. It brings three Havana-born musicians together: bassist Jose Armando Gola, two-time Latin Grammy winner Roberto Jr Vizcaino, and legendary drummer Horacio "El Negro" Hernandez

Taking the stage at SFJAZZ for the third evening of a four-night run, Valdés faced the audience and pressed his hands together in recognition of his standing ovation. Sitting down, "Congadanza" kicked off with his hard-charging solo. Vizcaíno and Hernández faced off, employing their sticks on congas and drums, respectively and miming swordplay with their sticks to conclude.

Said to capture the sounds and rhythms of Cuban country farmers, Valdés's popular tune "Punto Cubano," followed. Led off by some stately piano, the tune featured Gola on electric bass.  

Announcing "Chick Corea," Valdés noted the beginning of the late pianist's composition "Armando's Rhumba," which was followed by "My Foolish Heart." For the former, enthused piano led into a bass solo followed by Vizcaíno sizzling his congas with his sticks. Hernández employed brushes to begin "My Foolish Heart"; the romantic tune featured light percussion by Hernández, while Vizcaíno added subtlety with ganza-style shakers.

"Ponle La Clave (Put The Time On It)" was followed by Valdés's classic "Son de Almendra." Congas and bass led off as Chucho looked on. Following adjustments to his drum kit, Hernández joined in and then Valdés.

The evening's version of Ravel's "Pavane For A Dead Princess" featured a dynamic bass solo; players traded short, sometimes exaggerated riffs. Wayne Shorter's classic composition "Footprints" then offered powerful, percussive piano.

The lights dimmed for "Abdel," which featured lyrical and lovely piano. "Mozart a la Cubana," the rhythmically diverse encore, saw Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Sonata in C Major paired with Cuban danzón rhythms and incorporated electric bass and fusion tonalities.