Dionisio Ramón Emilio Valdés Amaro (October 9, 1918 – March 22, 2013), better known as Bebo Valdés, was a Cuban pianist, bandleader, composer and arranger. He was a central figure in the golden age of Cuban music, especially due to his big band arrangements and compositions of mambo, chachachá and batanga, a genre he created in 1952.
He was the director of the Radio Mil Diez house band and the Tropicana Club orchestra, before forming his own big band, Orquesta Sabor de Cuba, in 1957. However, after the end of the Cuban Revolution, in 1960, Bebo left his family behind and went into exile in Mexico before settling in Sweden, where he remarried. His musical hiatus lasted until 1994, when a collaboration with Paquito D'Rivera brought him back into the music business.
By the time of his death in 2013, he had recorded several new albums, earning multiple Grammy Awards. His son Chucho Valdés is also a successful pianist and bandleader.
Bebo Valdés was born Dionisio Ramón Emilio Valdés Amaro[1] on October 9, 1918, in the village of Quivicán, Cuba, near Havana. He started his career as a pianist in the nightclubs of Havana during the 1940s. He replaced René Hernández as pianist and arranger in Julio Cueva's band. In October 1946 the band recorded "Rareza del siglo", one of Bebo's most famous mambos.[2] From 1948 to 1957 he worked as pianist and arranger for the vedetteRita Montaner, who was the lead act in the Tropicana cabaret.[3] His orchestra and that of Armando Romeu alternated at the Tropicana, backing singers such as Benny Moré and Pío Leyva. Valdés played a role in the adaptation of the mambo into the big band format (it was previously performed by charangas as danzón-mambo) during the late 1940s and 1950s, and developed a new rhythm to compete with Perez Prado's mambo, called batanga. The batanga premiered at the Tropicana in 1952, but could not survive the popularity of another new rhythm, the chachachá created by Enrique Jorrín. Valdés was also an important figure in the incipient Afro-Cuban jazz scene in Havana, taking part in sessions commissioned by American producer Norman Granz during 1952.[4] These sessions yielded the famous improvised piece "Con poco coco" among others, which served as a precedent to Panart's descarga sessions (with one exception).[5] In 1957, Bebo left the Tropicana to establish his own orchestra, named Sabor de Cuba, which recorded with vocalists such as Rolando Laserie, as well as instrumentals. His son, Jesús, later known as Chucho, began his career playing piano in Bebo's band at age sixteen.[6]
In 1958, Bebo took part in the recording of Cole Español by Nat "King" Cole. In 1959, he recorded several descarga sessions with his orchestra for Gema Records, including "Special del Bebo", as well as Cuban Dance Party, an early example of a stereo album recorded by a Cuban ensemble.[7] It featured the standard "Sasauma".[7] In 1960, accompanied by Sabor de Cuba's lead vocalist Rolando Laserie, Bebo defected from Cuba to Mexico.[8] He then lived briefly in the United States before touring Europe, and eventually settled in Stockholm, where he lived until 2007. In Sweden he was instrumental in spreading the techniques of Cuban music and Latin jazz.
Career revival
Valdés' career got a late career boost in 1994 when he teamed up with saxophone player Paquito D'Rivera to release a CD called Bebo Rides Again.[9] In 2000, the film Calle 54 by Fernando Trueba brought his piano playing to a wide audience. The film showed the first collaboration between Bebo and his old friend Cachao, with whom he had never recorded before. They collaborated again on El Arte del Sabor, which also features Carlos "Patato" Valdés and guest performances by Paquito D'Rivera. In 2003, Bebo and Diego El Cigala, a famous Spanish cantaor (flamenco singer), recorded the album Lágrimas Negras (Black Tears), a fusion of Cuban rhythms and flamenco vocals. In 2004, he was again filmed by Trueba, in El milagro de Candeal in Brazil, and later composed a score for Trueba's 2010 film Chico and Rita, which included bits from his own life.[10]Chico and Rita ends with the dedication "a Bebo".
Valdés was married to Pilar Valdés. This marriage produced five children, one of whom is the pianist Chucho Valdés. In 1963, he stopped in Sweden on a tour with the Lecuona Cuban Boys. There, he met 18-year-old Rose Marie Pehrson,[1][18] a cavalry officer's daughter. They got married the same year and he settled in Sweden. He described it as the most important moment of his life: "It was like being hit by lightning", he said. "If you meet a woman and you want to change your life you have to choose between love and art".[19] They remained together until her death in 2012.[20]
^ ab(in Spanish) "Yo quiero tocar hasta que me muera" El País. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
^ abDíaz Ayala, Cristóbal (Fall 2013). "Orquesta Bebo Valdés" (PDF). Encyclopedic Discography of Cuban Music 1925–1960. Florida International University Libraries. Retrieved October 4, 2015.
^Giro, Radamés, 2007. Diccionario enciclopédico de la música en Cuba. La Habana. vol. 4, pp. 232 et seq.
^Leymarie, Isabelle (2003). Jazz latino (in Spanish). Robinbook. pp. 69–70.
^Delannoy, Luc (2005). "Apuntes de identidad: Identidades nómadas". Carambola: Vidas en el jazz latino (in Spanish). Mexico City, Mexico: Fondo de Cultura Económica. ISBN9786071612021.
^La Gaceta de Cuba, Vols. 1-6 (in Spanish). Unión de Escritores y Artistas de Cuba. 2007. p. 53.
^ abRomano, Mark. "Cuban Dance Party - Bebo Valdés | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
^Fordham, John (March 25, 2013). "Bebo Valdés obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved March 30, 2013.
^"Cuban Pianist Bebo Valdes Dies in Sweden at Age 94".
^See the Pressbook March 26, 2012, at the Wayback Machine (pdf) from the film's website.
^. Archived from the original on August 19, 2017. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
^Diego el Cigala and Bebo Valdés win a Latin Grammy October 7, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
^. www.msn.com. Archived from the original on June 27, 2013.
^"Bebo Valdes – Charts & Awards – Grammy Awards". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
^. Univision (in Spanish). Univision Communications, Inc. Archived from the original on April 2, 2010. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
^. Archived from the original on March 23, 2013. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
^Mergner, Lee (April 30, 2011). "Berklee to Present Honorary Doctorate of Music Degrees". JazzTimes. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
^Ratliff, Ben (October 13, 2006). "Far From Cuba, but Not From His Roots". The New York Times. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
^"Cuban pianist Bebo Valdes dies in Sweden". www.news.com.au. March 22, 2013. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
^"Bebo Valdés, a Force in World of Cuban Music, Dies at 94" The New York Times. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
^"Fallecimiento del pianista Bebo Valdés – Gente: Últimas Noticias de Famosos Colombianos e Internacionales". Archived from the original on April 9, 2013. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
^Octubre, Corprensa Apartado 0819-05620 El Dorado Ave 12 de; Panamá, Hato Pintado; Panamá, República de. "Muere el pianista cubano Bebo Valdés, a los 94 años". La Prensa.
^Bebo Valdes, Cuban pianist and composer, dies at 94
^"Fallece a los 94 años el músico cubano Bebo Valdés". 20minutos.es. March 22, 2013. Retrieved March 22, 2013.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bebo Valdés.
Official site of documentary film Old Man Bebo, Flash required
January 17, 2023
bebo, valdés, dionisio, ramón, emilio, valdés, amaro, october, 1918, march, 2013, better, known, cuban, pianist, bandleader, composer, arranger, central, figure, golden, cuban, music, especially, band, arrangements, compositions, mambo, chachachá, batanga, gen. Dionisio Ramon Emilio Valdes Amaro October 9 1918 March 22 2013 better known as Bebo Valdes was a Cuban pianist bandleader composer and arranger He was a central figure in the golden age of Cuban music especially due to his big band arrangements and compositions of mambo chachacha and batanga a genre he created in 1952 Bebo ValdesBebo Valdes in 2008Background informationBirth nameDionisio Ramon Emilio Valdes AmaroBorn 1918 10 09 October 9 1918Quivican CubaOriginHavana CubaDiedMarch 22 2013 2013 03 22 aged 94 Stockholm SwedenGenresAfro Cuban jazz batanga mambo son cubano bolero guarachaOccupation s Musician bandleader composer arrangerInstrument s PianoLabelsMercury Decca Panart Gema Blue Note BMG He was the director of the Radio Mil Diez house band and the Tropicana Club orchestra before forming his own big band Orquesta Sabor de Cuba in 1957 However after the end of the Cuban Revolution in 1960 Bebo left his family behind and went into exile in Mexico before settling in Sweden where he remarried His musical hiatus lasted until 1994 when a collaboration with Paquito D Rivera brought him back into the music business By the time of his death in 2013 he had recorded several new albums earning multiple Grammy Awards His son Chucho Valdes is also a successful pianist and bandleader Contents 1 Biography 1 1 Early career 1 2 Career revival 2 Family and death 3 Discography 4 References 5 External linksBiography EditEarly career Edit Bebo Valdes was born Dionisio Ramon Emilio Valdes Amaro 1 on October 9 1918 in the village of Quivican Cuba near Havana He started his career as a pianist in the nightclubs of Havana during the 1940s He replaced Rene Hernandez as pianist and arranger in Julio Cueva s band In October 1946 the band recorded Rareza del siglo one of Bebo s most famous mambos 2 From 1948 to 1957 he worked as pianist and arranger for the vedette Rita Montaner who was the lead act in the Tropicana cabaret 3 His orchestra and that of Armando Romeu alternated at the Tropicana backing singers such as Benny More and Pio Leyva Valdes played a role in the adaptation of the mambo into the big band format it was previously performed by charangas as danzon mambo during the late 1940s and 1950s and developed a new rhythm to compete with Perez Prado s mambo called batanga The batanga premiered at the Tropicana in 1952 but could not survive the popularity of another new rhythm the chachacha created by Enrique Jorrin Valdes was also an important figure in the incipient Afro Cuban jazz scene in Havana taking part in sessions commissioned by American producer Norman Granz during 1952 4 These sessions yielded the famous improvised piece Con poco coco among others which served as a precedent to Panart s descarga sessions with one exception 5 In 1957 Bebo left the Tropicana to establish his own orchestra named Sabor de Cuba which recorded with vocalists such as Rolando Laserie as well as instrumentals His son Jesus later known as Chucho began his career playing piano in Bebo s band at age sixteen 6 In 1958 Bebo took part in the recording of Cole Espanol by Nat King Cole In 1959 he recorded several descarga sessions with his orchestra for Gema Records including Special del Bebo as well as Cuban Dance Party an early example of a stereo album recorded by a Cuban ensemble 7 It featured the standard Sasauma 7 In 1960 accompanied by Sabor de Cuba s lead vocalist Rolando Laserie Bebo defected from Cuba to Mexico 8 He then lived briefly in the United States before touring Europe and eventually settled in Stockholm where he lived until 2007 In Sweden he was instrumental in spreading the techniques of Cuban music and Latin jazz Career revival Edit Valdes career got a late career boost in 1994 when he teamed up with saxophone player Paquito D Rivera to release a CD called Bebo Rides Again 9 In 2000 the film Calle 54 by Fernando Trueba brought his piano playing to a wide audience The film showed the first collaboration between Bebo and his old friend Cachao with whom he had never recorded before They collaborated again on El Arte del Sabor which also features Carlos Patato Valdes and guest performances by Paquito D Rivera In 2003 Bebo and Diego El Cigala a famous Spanish cantaor flamenco singer recorded the album Lagrimas Negras Black Tears a fusion of Cuban rhythms and flamenco vocals In 2004 he was again filmed by Trueba in El milagro de Candeal in Brazil and later composed a score for Trueba s 2010 film Chico and Rita which included bits from his own life 10 Chico and Rita ends with the dedication a Bebo During his career Valdes one of the founders of Latin jazz and a pioneer in bringing Afro Cuban sacred rhythms to popular dance music 11 won seven Grammy Awards two for El Arte del Sabor 2002 one for Lagrimas Negras 12 and two for Bebo de Cuba in 2006 in the categories Best Traditional Tropical Album and Best Latin Jazz Album One of his last musical productions was one fittingly recorded with his son Juntos para siempre Together Forever 2008 13 winner of the Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Album at the 52nd Grammy Awards in 2010 14 they also won the Latin Grammy Award on the same field 15 16 In May 2011 Bebo Valdes was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Music from Berklee College of Music 17 Family and death EditValdes was married to Pilar Valdes This marriage produced five children one of whom is the pianist Chucho Valdes In 1963 he stopped in Sweden on a tour with the Lecuona Cuban Boys There he met 18 year old Rose Marie Pehrson 1 18 a cavalry officer s daughter They got married the same year and he settled in Sweden He described it as the most important moment of his life It was like being hit by lightning he said If you meet a woman and you want to change your life you have to choose between love and art 19 They remained together until her death in 2012 20 Valdes was in the middle of the treatment of Alzheimer s disease which he had suffered for several years 21 when he died in Stockholm Sweden on March 22 2013 aged 94 22 23 24 Discography EditData according to Diaz Ayala 2 Albums 1952 Cubano Clef as Andres All Stars 1956 Your Musical Holiday in Havana Decca 1956 Music for the Girlfriend She Adores the Latin Type Decca also issued as Hot Cha Chas Decca 1958 Seleccion de estrellas Vols 1 4 Discuba 1959 Los mejores musicos de Cuba Gema 1959 Cuban Dance Party Everest 1959 Todo ritmo Panart 1960 Mucho sabor Bonita also issued as Este es Bebo Valdes Venevox 1961 Chachachas y charangas Decca 1995 Bebo Rides Again Messidor 1996 Cuba Jazz TropiJazz with Paquito D Rivera and Chucho Valdes 1999 Recuerdos de Habana Naive 2001 El Arte del Sabor Blue Note as Bebo Valdes Trio 2003 Lagrimas negras Calle 54 with Diego el Cigala 2003 Blanco y negro Calle 54 with Diego el Cigala 2003 We Could Make Such Beautiful Music Together Calle 54 with Federico Britos 2004 Bebo de Cuba Calle 54 2005 Bebo Calle 54 2007 Live at the Village Vanguard Calle 54 with Javier Colina 2008 Juntos para siempre Sony Music Latin With Monna BellAs director and arranger of the backing orchestra 1961 Nuevos exitos Hispavox 1961 III Festival de Benidorm Hispavox 1962 IV Festival de Benidorm Hispavox With Eladio ReinonAs a guest member of Eladio Reinon s Octet Big Band 1998 Acere Fresh Sound 1999 Afro Cuban Jazz Suite Nº1 Fresh Sound Soundtracks 2000 Calle 54 Calle 54 2004 El milagro de Candeal Calle 54 2011 Chico and Rita Calle 54 References Edit a b in Spanish Yo quiero tocar hasta que me muera El Pais Retrieved June 4 2013 a b Diaz Ayala Cristobal Fall 2013 Orquesta Bebo Valdes PDF Encyclopedic Discography of Cuban Music 1925 1960 Florida International University Libraries Retrieved October 4 2015 Giro Radames 2007 Diccionario enciclopedico de la musica en Cuba La Habana vol 4 pp 232 et seq Leymarie Isabelle 2003 Jazz latino in Spanish Robinbook pp 69 70 Delannoy Luc 2005 Apuntes de identidad Identidades nomadas Carambola Vidas en el jazz latino in Spanish Mexico City Mexico Fondo de Cultura Economica ISBN 9786071612021 La Gaceta de Cuba Vols 1 6 in Spanish Union de Escritores y Artistas de Cuba 2007 p 53 a b Romano Mark Cuban Dance Party Bebo Valdes Songs Reviews Credits AllMusic Retrieved October 15 2019 Fordham John March 25 2013 Bebo Valdes obituary The Guardian Retrieved March 30 2013 Cuban Pianist Bebo Valdes Dies in Sweden at Age 94 See the Pressbook Archived March 26 2012 at the Wayback Machine pdf from the film s website More from The Maestro Archived from the original on August 19 2017 Retrieved March 28 2013 Diego el Cigala and Bebo Valdes win a Latin Grammy Archived October 7 2008 at the Wayback Machine MSN Outlook Office Skype Bing Breaking News and Latest Videos www msn com Archived from the original on June 27 2013 Bebo Valdes Charts amp Awards Grammy Awards Allmusic Rovi Corporation Retrieved March 27 2013 Mejor Album de Jazz Latino Univision in Spanish Univision Communications Inc Archived from the original on April 2 2010 Retrieved March 27 2013 in Spanish Lagrimas negras por la partida de Bebo Valdes Archived from the original on March 23 2013 Retrieved March 28 2013 Mergner Lee April 30 2011 Berklee to Present Honorary Doctorate of Music Degrees JazzTimes Retrieved July 3 2018 Ratliff Ben October 13 2006 Far From Cuba but Not From His Roots The New York Times Retrieved April 2 2020 Cuban pianist Bebo Valdes dies in Sweden www news com au March 22 2013 Retrieved February 5 2019 Bebo Valdes a Force in World of Cuban Music Dies at 94 The New York Times Retrieved June 4 2013 Fallecimiento del pianista Bebo Valdes Gente Ultimas Noticias de Famosos Colombianos e Internacionales Archived from the original on April 9 2013 Retrieved March 28 2013 Octubre Corprensa Apartado 0819 05620 El Dorado Ave 12 de Panama Hato Pintado Panama Republica de Muere el pianista cubano Bebo Valdes a los 94 anos La Prensa Bebo Valdes Cuban pianist and composer dies at 94 Fallece a los 94 anos el musico cubano Bebo Valdes 20minutos es March 22 2013 Retrieved March 22 2013 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bebo Valdes Bebo Valdes at IMDb Official site of documentary film Old Man Bebo Flash required Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Bebo Valdes amp oldid 1114755374, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
