Paquito D'Rivera: [00:00:00] My father was a 10 saxophone viso. He used to play classical music transcription from the music for flute and for violin. All that saxophone for 10 saxophone. My early influence was definitely Mr. Vannie Goodman. Like in about 19 53, 54, my father went home, a record that he did in Carnegie Hall 1938, the famous concert in in 1938.
Carnegie Hall since then, that record changed my whole life, you know, since I was a very, very little boy, I wanted to, then I decided to come to New York to, to play jazz music and maybe to play at Carnegie Hall, the same place that Benny Goodman was playing. Well, I think the, the better known of them is the group called Iraquel I used to play with.
That's a, that's a, it still is a great group. I I've been, but Iraquel is only a name. It means [00:01:00] jungle, but I've been working with Chucho Valdez, who was the leader of the group for 17 years or something like that. I've been conducting the Orquesta Cubana de Musica Moderna for a couple of years, but Chucho was there and Carlos Ramirez, the guitar player, and all those guys.
Chucho is also a great arranger. He's a very good arranger too. A fantastic piano player. Then later on he decided to invite me to join the group as a co leader and co arranger too. And I spent several years in the group, you know. There were great players like Arturo Sandoval now. He's one of the greatest trumpet players in the history, you know.
That's a title card for an album that always I say, I say as a joke, that it's dedicated to Mariel Hemingway. Because that, that Mariel affair was so controversial, that then I, I decided to do that joke about that. But it's really that was inspired in that boat lift. To the, [00:02:00] to the freedom.
And we, in that that period they come, they come to 125, 000 people in less than a month. That's the record. And then I need that album. And I am very glad because The album is good. It's a five star album, downbeat, I believe. It's a five star album. And it was very it was an opportunity to, to dedicate something to the people who came to this country the same time I came to.
The only difference, I, I, I came via Spain. They came via Mexican Gulf, you know. Well, this is a tribute to those friends who came at that time. Really, I think that the best percussionists in this part of the world this is not because I born there, but they came from Cuba. I, I not, no, not really percussionists, I mean the conga players.
The Conga players were there [00:03:00] and I think the greatest of of the modern Conga players is definitely Daniel Chano and Patato is part of the tradition. He was one of the masters in the beginning, you know, like Chano Bauza and Chino Pozo also, and well, so many others, you know, Candito. But in my opinion, and the opinion of everybody who I know, Daniel is the greatest conga player around these times.[00:04:00]
I'm very glad that he was in my band, now he has his own band. And I hope he's doing well. I heard somebody said, told me one thing one day it was truth. He said, well, Latin jazz bands, most of the time are more Latin than jazz. And it's true. My band is, is a combination of both, but it really is a jazz Latin band.
You know, the Latin jazz is different. I am a jazz musician. I have a jazz band. Then I need that jazz spirit, you know, in my band. That flexibility and all that. When you have a percussionist working with a drummer, then you have to be very organized. Because I've been in the best rhythm machine of the world, which is Irakeli.
But those people, every of them, they know exactly what's doing the other. It's a [00:05:00] combination. Because it's a dance band. I don't want any dance music here. (Toots hamonica with Paquito) The experience with Toots Thielemans has been something unique in my career. Theoretically, that fusion between Toots and myself doesn't work. Because he's so smooth, he's so quiet, sweet, and I am a hysterical person.
Richie Cole said that. But, practically it was so beautiful to have him there. Because he, he relaxed us a little bit, and, and he get up a little bit too. And that was very nice. And after that, after recording that album, we decide to a celebration of that. To spend a week in the blue notes. And that was something so beautiful.
That man, he, every day for six days, he was playing so beautifully that I can't say that maybe that that's why I am so happy with this album. The thing is that the greatest [00:06:00] experience musically up to date, you know, so far, Carmen McRae, that's definitely one of my favorite singers. And we handled the.
The pressure, the opportunity to have to to have a relationship with her to this Gillespie in Japan. And then we communicate immediately very well. Her real name is Carmen Mercedes Re . And then, and, and she loved the version of, of the Samba for Carmen. And well it's, it's a tribute to, to a lady who has been a great contribution to.
to this music called jazz, you know. Many people call Carmen the greatest jazz singer in the world. I don't like to say that kind of things, you know, because it's, it's too drastical, you know, and we have Ella and Sarah and all those, those beautiful singers too, you know, but Carmen has that magical thing to say, to express the words, [00:07:00] the, the, what, what the, what the words of the lyrics of a song, the meaning of that, you can feel that, I think that nobody can say about the lyrics like, like Carmen, you know.
And sometimes I agree with people who say she's the greatest singer in the world, you know?
Oh, yeah. Many people know that Dizzy is my godfather. (Manteca Playing in background) Dizzy has been a great support in my career, and I am very grateful for him, for his generosity for me, for his relationship with so many Cubans for so many years, you know, Mario Bausa, Machito Chano Bosa, Chico O'Farrill. And I recorded that tune not only as a tribute to, to Dizzy, but including also the, the, all, all the guys from that, that Q Bob era, you know, Machito, Dizzy, Charlie Parker Chano Pozo, Mario Bowser, and all those giants of, of that
I think most people also don't realize [00:08:00] that the impact that Chano Pozo had on, on bebop music and, you know, the why he was there, that the, the Cuban rhythm and the Cuban percussionist changed the face of that whole music. Yeah, yeah. That, that, that changed the face of, of of jazz music and the Cuban music too.
All, all that. That was an interaction. That was a very, very interesting and very important period of the music in, in this part of the world. You know, the conjunction this, this Mario Bza post, you know, because this met, met Chano puzzle through, through Mario bsa. That was a very interesting thing.
It was definitely the, what made the real change in the music of this country, really.[00:09:00]
I don't know why I'm doing this.
