Bebo Valdés : NPR

Cuban Piano 101: A Century Of Historic Grooves

Harold López-Nussa is part of a rich legacy of Cuban pianists. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Courtesy of the artist

Cuban Piano 101: A Century Of Historic Grooves

October 6, 2016 • The piano is as much a defining sound of Cuban music as percussion. This week on Alt.Latino, we cover the way the country interprets Africa through the keyboard.

Cuban Piano 101: A Century Of Historic Grooves

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Black, Latino And Proud: Black History Month With Alt.Latino

Herencia De Timbiqui, one of the many Afro-Latino artists on this week's show. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Black, Latino And Proud: Black History Month With Alt.Latino

February 6, 2014 • The show kicks off its Black History Month coverage with the creators of the LatiNegr@s Project, which is dedicated to documenting the stories and perspectives of Black Latinos.

Black, Latino And Proud: Black History Month With Alt.Latino

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A Sonic Altar: Celebrating The Day Of The Dead

A woman disguised as "Catrina" poses for a photo in Guadalajara, Mexico. La Catrina is the Mexican representation of death, created 100 years ago by Mexican artist Jose Guadalupe Posada. Hector Guerrero/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Alt.Latino

A Sonic Altar: Celebrating The Day Of The Dead

November 1, 2013 • Alt.Latino observes the holiday by offering music and memories to loved ones we lost this year, with special dedications from our listeners.

A Sonic Altar: Celebrating The Day Of The Dead

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Bebo Valdés, Giant Of Cuban Music, Is Dead

Bebo Valdés rehearses at the Latin Grammy Awards in 2004. Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images

A Blog Supreme

Bebo Valdés, Giant Of Cuban Music, Is Dead

March 22, 2013 • The pianist and composer/arranger was a prime mover in the international musical exchange that was Havana in the middle of the 20th Century. Late in his career, he enjoyed a new wave of fame as his accomplishments came to light anew. The father of Chucho Valdés, he was 94.

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Baron/Hulton Archive

Take Five: By Instrument

Swing Strings: Five Jazz Violinists

April 27, 2010 • The violin was partly responsible for bringing non-Americans to jazz. In the very early days of the genre, it was a European, Stephane Grappelli, who really carved out a place in jazz for the violin in the post-WWII era. Hear five examples of the way the instrument has blended seamlessly into decades of jazz.

Mambo! Afro-Cuban Takes On Jazz Classics

Conguero Poncho Sanchez gave Frank Foster's swing classic, "Shiny Stockings," a new identity as a mambo. Charley Gallay/Getty Images Entertainment hide caption

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Take Five: A Jazz Sampler

Mambo! Afro-Cuban Takes On Jazz Classics

February 22, 2010 • Jazz musicians have long mined Broadway, the Great American Songbook, and even pop music for material. Here are five Latin interpretations of songs written by jazz musicians, a process that isn't as easy as playing the chords of a jazz composition over a mambo rhythm.

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Music Reviews

Bebo Valdes Brings Havana To Village Vanguard

Fresh Air

November 13, 2008 • Bebo Valdes left Havana 50 years ago, but at the piano, it's as if he's still there. He's not reviving anything; he just kept on doing it the old way, long after music in Cuba had moved on. On Live at the Village Vanguard, Valdes shares billing with his frequent duo partner, bassist Javier Colina.

Bebo Valdes Brings Havana To Village Vanguard

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Music Interviews

Bebo Valdes' Long Musical Journey

January 19, 2006 • At 87, Cuban pianist and composer Bebo Valdes is busier than ever — and he's getting more recognition than ever before. But just 10 years ago, he was hardly recognized as a lounge pianist in Stockholm.

Bebo Valdes' Long Musical Journey

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Basic Jazz Record Library

Various Artists: 'The Original Mambo Kings: An Introduction To Afro-Cubop 1948-1954'

August 1, 2001 • In the 1940s and 1950s, some of the greatest jazz and Latin musicians performed together in New York and Havana. This festive album, The Original Mambo Kings: An Introduction to Afro-Cubop 1948-1954, features Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Bebo Valdes and many others who capture the spirit of the era.

Various Artists: 'The Original Mambo Kings: An Introduction To Afro-Cubop 1948-1954'

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