Died On This Date (March 22, 2013) Bebo Valdés / Cuban Pianist & Bandleader
themusicsover Bebo Valdés (Born Ramon Amaro)
October 9, 1918 – March 22, 2013
Bebo Valdés was a highly regarded Latin jazz musician, composer and bandleader whose name is synonymous with the golden age of Cuban music. Making his name in Havana during the ’40s, Valdés went on to become the pianist and house arranger at the city’s legendary Tropicana Club from 1948 to 1957. It was there during the ’50s that he became a key figure in the development of mambo. In 1960, Valdés defected to Mexico and then moved to the United States and later settled in Sweden. In 2000, he was featured in the acclaimed Latin jazz documentary, Calle 54, which brought his career a well-deserved second chapter in which he was able to entertain a whole new generation of young fans. Throughout his career, he was awarded with seven Grammys, his most recent two in 2010. Bebo Valdés was 94 when he passed away on March 22, 2013.
Thanks to Henk de Bruin for the assist.
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Dave Brubeck was a highly influential jazz pianist who, over the course of a career that spanned some 70 years, achieved pop star status thanks in part to his Top 25 hit single, “Take Five.” The album from which that song came, 1959’s Time Out, was the first jazz album to sell over 1 million copies and is still the best-selling jazz album in history. Born into a musical family in Concord, California, Brubeck was just four when he began taking piano lessons, and by his teens, he was already playing in a local dance band. When it came time to head off to college, Brubeck fully intended on a career in veterinary medicine, but when one of his professors caught one of his sets at a local club, he advised Brubeck to change his focus to music. He did just that, and after graduating with a degree in music, he served in WWII where he played in Red Cross shows for the soldiers. After the war, Brubeck formed the Dave Brubeck Quartet and went on to have a storied career with roughly 125 albums to his name. He continued performing well into the 2000s, and along the way was recognized with a National Medal of Arts, the Kennedy Center Honor, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, a Smithsonian Medal, numerous honorary degrees, and even a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Dave Brubeck was one day shy of 92 when he passed away on December 5, 2012.
Austin Peralta was a respected young jazz pianist and composer. Just six when he began taking piano lessons, Peralta was quickly realized to have a gift most musicians his age don’t have. He went on to study with the likes of Alan Pasqua and Buddy Collette. At 15, Peralta performed at the renowned Tokyo Jazz Festival. Besides performing with his own trio at the festival, he played alongside the likes of Sadao Watanabe and Chick Corea. By age 16, Peralta had already released two albums, Maiden Voyage and Mantra, for Sony in Japan – both in 2006. He followed that in 2011 with Endless Planets. In 2004, Peralta contributed music to the soundtrack of Riding Giants, a surfing documentary directed by his father, Stacy Peralta, of Dogtown and Z-Boys fame. During the year leading up to his passing, Peralta performed regularly with Allan Holdsworth and appeared on Flying Lotus’ Until The Quiet Comes. Austin Peralta was 22 when he died on November 21, 2012. Cause of death was not immediately released.