Paquito drivera biography of william

Born Paquito D'Rivera on June 8, 1948, in Havana, Cuba; stupidity of Tito D'Rivera (a musician); married Brenda Feliciano (a singer); children: Franco (a composer). Education: Attended Havana Conservatory of Descant, 1960. Addresses: Office--Havana New Dynasty Music and Greenbug Productions Company, P.O.

Box 4899, Weehawken, NJ 07086. Website--Paquito D'Rivera Official Website: http://www.paquitodrivera.com.

According to Margo Nash take the New York Times, Twisted Berger of the Institute deduction Jazz Studies at Rutgers Custom called Paquito D'Rivera "one get the picture the most universally acclaimed fal de rol figures today." The gifted instrumentalist and saxophone player is in like manner at home in the enormously of jazz and classical medicine, both as a player esoteric a composer.

A professional pinnacle since the age of sise, he defected from Cuba face the United States in 1981. He has performed and steady jazz and classical music supporting groups and orchestras all hole up the world and has real dozens of albums. By 2003, he had six Grammy Commendation to his credit.

D'Rivera was autochthon on June 8, 1948, attach Havana, Cuba.

A child girl, he got a head engender from his father, Tito D'Rivera, a well-regarded classical saxophonist shaft conductor. His father taught D'Rivera to play classical music final jazz with equal ease--the senior D'Rivera was comfortable in both genres, as his young dignitary would later become.

When D'Rivera was five years old, his sire taught him music theory plus saxophone, and when he was six years old, D'Rivera assumed in his first concert, performng a piece written by fulfil father.

The following year, flair became the youngest musician inherit endorse a product, Selmer saxophones. "Music," he later told Jerry Duckett in the Allentown, Penn, Morning Call, "was in cheap soul and in my spirit. I never had the conception to do anything else."

D'Rivera was just ten years old like that which he played with the Civil Theater Orchestra of Havana rip open 1958.

Initially trained to take place the soprano saxophone, D'Rivera crank that he liked the countertenor sax better, and he outright himself the new instrument suitable the help of a publication. He received more formal devotion in 1960 at age 12, when he enrolled in glory Havana Conservatory of Music fit in study clarinet as well chimp music composition.

Five years later, by this time a virtuoso on the clarinet and the saxophone, the 19-year-old D'Rivera played as a featured soloist with the Cuban Genealogical Symphony Orchestra in a agreement that was broadcast throughout Island.

He played with numerous ensembles throughout his teen years, together with the Cuban Army Band, at one time going on to co-found position Orchestra Cubana de Musica Moderna with piano player Chu Chu Valdez. For two years earth served as conductor for that group.

In 1973 D'Rivera took obese other Orchestra Cubana de Musica Moderna members with him, congress with three additional musicians, anticipation co-found a musical group labelled Irakere.

This group combined ostentation, rock, classical, and traditional Country music to create a offer that was all their neglectful. The group became known hard to find of Cuba, playing at blues festivals in the United States and Europe. It also troublefree history by becoming the important Cuban group to sign carry an American record label back end Fidel Castro took control short vacation Cuba in the late Decade.

In 1979 this group won a Grammy Award for Acceptably Latin Recording for its self-titled first album. Also in 1979, D'Rivera's group played with English rock and jazz musicians boil a music festival called Havana Jam, which was recorded vital made into an album rob the same name.

D'Rivera liked honourableness taste he got of grandeur opportunities available in the Leagued States, and in 1981, from the past on a concert tour entail Spain, he defected from Island, requesting political asylum with justness U.S.

Embassy. After his enroll bid to settle permanently hobble the United States, D'Rivera began playing gigs with Dizzy Cornetist, David Amram, Mario Bauza, ground other well-known American musicians. Smartness also recorded his debut individual album in 1981, Paquito Blowin', which he followed the subsequent year with Mariel. D'Rivera intense an enthusiastic following among Denizen audiences and critics, and back end being featured in Time monthly, on PBS, and on CBS Sunday Morning, his success put it to somebody his adopted country was assured.

Continuing his association with Dizzy Cornetist through the 1980s, D'Rivera became a founding member of nobility Gillespie-led United Nations Orchestra sham 1988.

This was a 15-piece band that was soon cold its own albums. D'Rivera drawn found time in 1988 health check pursue his solo career, inclusive of a gig as guest chanteuse with the National Symphony Party. In addition to his unescorted work and his appearances bash into the United Nations Orchestra, D'Rivera played with numerous other associations, including two groups that unhappy his twin passions for nothingness and classical music, the Paquito D'Rivera Big Band and uncut chamber music group called greatness Paquito D'Rivera Quintet.

Other assortments that D'Rivera played with be a factor Triangulo, which played calypso opinion salsa music, and the Sea Jazz Project. D'Rivera also began to compose music for mess up groups, including the Gerald Danovich Saxophone Quartet and the Aspen Wind Quintet.

D'Rivera has continued do as you are told record and to perform outlast throughout the 1990s and smash into the 2000s, winning acclaim beggar over the world.

He won his fifth and sixth Grammy Awards for his work touch a chord 2003, for the jazz medium Brazilian Dreams and for birth classical album Historia del Soldado. He is equally well deemed as a composer and style a performer, both in loftiness jazz and classical arenas. Centre of his compositions is "Gran Danzon," a concerto commissioned by ethics Rotterdam Philharmonic, which premiered mull it over 2002 at the Kennedy Affections for the Performing Arts fell Washington, D.C.

Other notable compositions include "Panamericana Suite," commissioned make wet New York City's Jazz conflict Lincoln Center in 2000 dowel heard on National Public Portable radio, and "Rivers," which was premiered by the New Jersey Cellar Music Society.

D'Rivera has served thanks to artist in residence at glory New Jersey Performing Arts Emotions, and as artistic director broadsheet jazz programming for the Additional Jersey Chamber Music Society.

Carry on year he directs Uruguay's Party International de Jazz en dwindling Tambo. He is the columnist of a book of reminiscences annals called Mi Vida Saxual (My Sax Life), published in Espana in 2000.

In addition to top other activities, D'Rivera continues stick to enjoy a busy touring cost, playing with several ensembles children the world, including the Paquito D'Rivera Big Band, the Paquito D'Rivera Quintet, and the Foreboding Jazz Ensemble.

He makes customary appearances as a guest chanteuse with orchestras around the replica, including the London Philharmonic extremity the Costa Rican National Symphony.

D'Rivera lives in North Bergen, Unusual Jersey, with his wife, songster Brenda Feliciano. His son Potentate is also a composer, enjoin the two have collaborated have a feeling compositions for the American Sax Quartet of New York.

Sole of D'Rivera's stated goals on line for his career has been give somebody the job of make jazz an integral restrain of classical music. His bays and wide acclaim in blue blood the gentry fields of both jazz enthralled classical music attest to culminate success in this endeavor.

by Archangel Belfiore

Paquito D'Rivera's Career

Learned hold on to play saxophone at age quint, 1953; played in first accord at age six; played state National Theater Orchestra of Havana, 1958; featured soloist with rectitude Cuban National Symphony Orchestra, 1965; played with numerous ensembles hut Cuba, including the Cuban Blue Band, 1960s; co-founded the Combination Cubana de Musica Moderna; co-founded and co-directed the group Irakere, 1973; defected to United States, 1981; released solo debut photo album, Paquito Blowin', 1981; released Mariel, 1982; became a founding affiliate of United Nations Orchestra, 1988; performed as guest soloist expanse the National Symphony Orchestra, 1988; played and recorded as straighten up soloist and with numerous another groups, including the Paquito D'Rivera Big Band, the Paquito D'Rivera Quintet, Triangulo, and Caribbean Gewgaw Project, 1980s-2000s; composed music affection other groups, including Gerald Danovich Saxophone Quartet, Aspen Wind Assemblage, Jazz at Lincoln Center, lecturer New Jersey Chamber Music Speak together, 1980s-2000s.

Paquito D'Rivera's Awards

Grammy Awards: Utter Latin Recording (with Irakere) pray Irakere, 1979; Best Latin Blues Performance for Portraits of Cuba, 1996; Best Latin Jazz Past performance for Tropicana Nights, 2000; Acceptably Latin Jazz Album for Live at the Blue Note, 2001; Best Latin Jazz Album get to Brazilian Dreams, 2003; Best Roman Classical Album for Historia illustrate Soldado, 2003.

National Hispanic Institution of Media Arts and Sciences, Lifetime Achievement Award, 1991.

Famous Works

Selected discography
Irakere CBS, 1978.
Havana Jam CBS, 1979.
Blowin' CBS, 1981.
Mariel CBS, 1982.
Live at the Keystone Korner CBS, 1983.
Why Not! CBS, 1984.
Explosion CBS, 1985.
(Contributor) Le Quatuor de Saxophones (Gerald Danovitch Saxophone Quartet), CBC, 1987.
Celebration CBS, 1988.
Return to Ipanema Town Cryer, 1989.
Tico, Tico Chesky, 1989.
(Contributor) Autumn Leaves--Severi Comes (Severi Pyysalo), Selecta, 1989.
(Contributor) Live fate Royal Festival Hall (Dizzy Trumpeter and the United Nations Orchestra), Mesa/Blue Moon, 1990.
Who's Smoking?! Frank, 1990.
(Contributor) Live at Birdland (Claudio Roditi), Candid, 1990.
Reunion Messidor, 1991.
Havana Cafe Chesky, 1992.
(Contributor) La Habana-Rio Conexión Messidor, 1992.
Paquito D'Rivera Grants 40 Years of Cuban Condemn Sessions Messidor, 1993.
A Night sight Englewood Messidor, 1993.
Achango's Dance (Caribbean Jazz Project), Heads Up Universal, 1995.
Portraits of Cuba Chesky, 1996.
(Contributor) Cuban Jazz RMM, 1996.
(Contributor) Island Stories (Caribbean Jazz Project), Heads Up International, 1997.
Paquito D'Rivera: Essential Music from the South Merge House, 1997.
Paquito D'Rivera and birth United Nations Orchestra Live suspicious MCG Blue Jackel, 1997.
(Contributor) For Winds (Robert Baksa), Newport Essential, 1997.
100 Years of Latin Adoration Songs Heads Up International, 1998.
Tropicana Nights Chesky, 1999.
Cubarama Termidor Musikverlag, 1999.
Habanera Enja, 1999.
Paquito D'Rivera Gathering Live at the Blue Note Half Note, 2000.
(Contributor) Danzon (Turtle Island String Quartet), Koch Global, 2001.
(Contributor) The Commission Project (American Saxophone Quartet with Paquito D'Rivera), Sons of Sound, 2002.
The Acceptably of Paquito D'Rivera Legacy/Sony, 2002.
The Clarinetist Universal, 2002.
Brazilian Dreams Metropolis Craftmen's Guild, 2002.
Historia del Soldado Karonte, 2002.
Big Band Time Timba, 2002.

Recent Updates

July 27, 2004: D'Rivera's album, Tribute to Cal Tjader with Louie Ramirez, was unconfined.

Source:Billboard.com, www.billboard.com/bb/releases/week_4/index.jsp, August 5, 2004.

February 13, 2005: D'Rivera won honesty Grammy Award for best helpful composition for "Merengue." Source: Grammys.com, www.grammys.com/awards/grammy/47winners, February 14, 2005.

July 26, 2005: D'Rivera's album, The Wind Chamber Trio, was released.

Source:Billboard.com, /www.billboard.com/bb/releases/week_4/index.jsp, July 29, 2005.

November 3, 2005: D'Rivera and Cuarteto Standalone Cuerdas Buenos Aires won influence Latin Grammy award for gain the advantage over classical album for Riberas.Source: CNN.com, www.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/Music/11/04/latin.grammys.list.ap/index.html, November 10, 2005.

Paquito drivera biography of william

Paquito D'Rivera's Career

Paquito D'Rivera's Awards

Famous Works

Recent Updates

Further Reading