HARTFORD – “Chucho Valdés’, the pianist who is the dean of Latin jazz… has never been anything less than impressive when he has played in New York, showing magnificent power, clarity and speed in his playing.” –New York Times

Preeminent pianist and composer Chucho Valdés will embark on a U.S. tour with the Afro-Cuban Messengers in January and February 2012, featuring performances from the Grammy Award-winning album, Chucho’s Steps. In his first solo project since 2003’s New Conception, Valdés once again speaks through his distinctive and extraordinary compositions and arrangements, reflecting his personal and creative evolution.

Born in Quivicán, Cuba, in 1941, Chucho Valdés is one of Cuba’s most famous pianists, bandleaders, composers and arrangers. Having begun his music training with his father, famed pianist Bebo Valdés, when he was 3 years old, Chucho’s style melds his diverse experiences and skills: classical, jazz, bop, Cuban and swing, all combined by his virtuosic dexterity on the piano.

Perhaps best known for founding the influential Latin jazz band IRAKERE in 1972, Valdés continues to develop unique works of art, generating ideas for a change of style, orchestral format and concept, that nonetheless end up characteristically reflecting pure Chucho.

Chucho’s illustrious career has garnered him 8 Grammy wins and 17 nominations over the past three decades. His most recent wins, a 2010 Grammy and a 2009 Latin Grammy for the record Juntos para Siempre, saw him collaborate with his father, Bebo Valdés, a major player on the Cuban jazz scene in his own right. Chucho Valdés has recorded over 80 CDs and performed with everybody who is somebody in the world of jazz, from Herbie Hancock and Dizzy Gillespie, to Wynton Marsalis and Chick Corea. His reputation as one of the greatest living Cuban jazz pianists has earned him appearances on the greatest stages in music, including Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center and The Hollywood Bowl.

Valdés and the Afro Cuban Messengers are featured in Jorgensen’s Cabaret, winner of the “Best Cabaret” designation in Connecticut Magazine’s “2011 Best of Connecticut” issue.