Paquito D'Rivera

• Genre: Afro-Cuban Jazz
• Hometown: Havana

About

Alto saxophonist Paquito D'Rivera's adaptation of Bop to Afro-Cuban rhythms became the most influential saxophone style in Afro-Cuban Jazz. His orchestrations, full of rich, bursting harmonies and intense dynamics, were informed by intense study of classical as well as Cuban music. For two years, D'Rivera conducted the Orquesta Cubana de Musica Moderna; eight members of that world-class group went on to form Irakere. A supergroup of sorts, Irakere fused Afro-Cuban Jazz with rock, Funk, and even classical orchestration, achieving worldwide fame. As well as leading a big band, a Salsa ensemble, and a jazz quintet, D'Rivera composes for chamber ensembles and orchestras, and even leads his own small chamber group, Triangulo. His playing is full of a passion and fire which have not waned with age.

- Noah Enelow