Jazz trumpeter and pianist Arturo Sandoval knows first-hand the transformative power of music.
"It saved my life," he says of his discovery of jazz as a young man growing up Cuba's repressive government. "Jazz is an expression of freedom."
Even though none of his family members appreciated the arts, Sandoval started playing in the Artemisa village band when he was just 12. After trying a few instruments, he was drawn to the expressive trumpet music created by legendary artists like Charlie Parker, Clifford Brown and Dizzy Gillespie.
"You can say all of your ideas, you can scream, you can yell, you can whisper, you can make it sound many different ways," Sandoval says of his instrument. "You can express yourself all the way through."
That love of freedom led Sandoval to defect to the United States while touring with Gillespie in 1990. His story was made into a TV movie called “For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story” for which Sandoval won an Emmy for composing the movie score.
He has become famous for a style of jazz that blends in traditional Cuban music and rock. Now, as a musician and composer with four Grammys and six Billboard awards, Sandoval is free to create the kind of music he wants. In May, he released his latest album called "A Time for Love," a compilation of original and classic numbers. Sandoval's horn backed up by a piano and strings lend it an orchestral feel.
"It's very romantic, very beautiful and very pretty," Sandoval says of his latest. "It's a balm for the soul."
Sandoval says Spanish wines are also one of his pleasures in life, especially when his family gathers for a meal of some traditional Cuban foods at his home in the hills near Los Angeles.
“The very first big impression I ever got was many years ago when I tried Ribera del Duero Vega Sicilia Unico," Sandoval says. “Even before you drink it, the aroma that comes out of the cup... oh my goodness, it's delicious! I don't really like strong wine; I'm a little more into fruity.”
Sandoval says he was introduced to the Unico - a smooth blend of tempranillo and Bordeaux varietals - by Julio Iglesias, the smooth-voiced Spanish singer who has extensive wine collections. Sandoval keeps the Unico and Fasutino Primero, a gran reserva Rioja that tastes of plums and cherries and wines from California in his home wine cooler.
“In Cuban food a lot of things come from Spain. We eat a lot of rice and beans must be on the table... mainly black and red beans," he says. "At home, my mother, grandmother and wife do many paellas, garbanzo beans, and we eat a lot of lechon (roasted pork)."
Sandoval is gearing up for a big European tour in early June and plans to do as many gigs in support of the new album as possible, but he admits it may be challenging as the album features six musicians.
Sandoval thinks it’s important to help the next generation of musicians. Each year, he presents a benefit concert that pays for several music scholarships. Earlier this year he retired as a music professor at Florida International University; now he teaches private lessons at his home.
"I enjoy teaching very much. If a student really appreciates and loves music, I enjoy myself very much," Sandoval says.
Photos by Manny Iriarte
For more information about Arturo Sandoval, his latest CD and tour dates, visit www.arturosandoval.com.
