During a 2022 visit to the KNKX studios, 10-time Grammy-winning trumpeter Arturo Sandoval humbly described his album Rhythm and Soul.
"It's not like a very sophisticated album, you know. It's something simple from the soul. That's the only thing the album has: rhythm and soul," he said.
Sandoval, a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom and a master trumpeter across genres of jazz, classical, film, and TV scores and beyond, brought his full band to KNKX. The band included saxophonist Mike Tucker, Will Brahm on guitar, Maxwell Haymer at the piano, Max Gerl on bass with drummer Mark Walker and percussionist Danny Feldman.
In his fifth decade as a performer, Sandoval said it's not the prestige that keeps him excited about playing. It's his band.
"They're second of none, and they really give me a lot of inspiration, and they really uplift my desire to still [be on] the road. You know, at my age [it] is not a piece of cake to be on the road," Sandoval said.
Sandoval first found fame as co-founder of the Cuban fusion group Irakere, then started his own band that took him to Europe, where he joined Dizzy Gillespie's All-Star Band. It was during this tour that Sandoval took the opportunity to defect.
"The Cuban government made a mistake and gave a special, very special permission to my wife and my son to join me in Europe for a couple of weeks — a vacation. That was the opportunity we were looking for," he said.
Sandoval's love for jazz only grew after becoming a U.S. citizen. Sandoval believes we all have a responsibility to this distinctly American art form.
"We have the obligation to defend, protect, and and promote that beautiful thing that was invented in this country," Sandoval said.
Sandoval relocated from Miami to Los Angeles to follow his dream of being a film composer. He's gone on to score two films directed by Clint Eastwood, and he once got a phone call from composer Hans Zimmer asking for help on music for a new James Bond film.
"He called me from England. He was trying to do that thing, sound like a Cuban thing. He said, Turo, I need your help, man. Can you write this [Cuban]? And I said, of course, man. It's gonna be my honor and my pleasure," Sandoval said.
Sandoval's trumpet mastery crosses genres: the music of the islands, the jazz clubs, and the opera house. He has nothing else to prove; Sandoval just loves to play.
"My philosophy is try to do the best I can these 24 hours, now, and tomorrow we have to start from scratch again and try the same thing again. But don't get too concerned about the past or future. Concentrate in the present," he said.
Sandoval and his band perform at Dimitriou's Jazz Alley in Seattle Nov. 5-8.
Songs heard in this episode:
- "Tee Pee Time"
- "There Will Never Be Another You"
- "Soca Beat"
