The dynamically alluring and scintillating sounds of Latin music will fill the Schuster Center Friday, Feb. 28, and Saturday, March 1, as the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra presents its SuperPops concert featuring acclaimed Cuban trumpeter, pianist and composer Arturo Sandoval.
A protege of legendary jazz great Dizzy Gillespie, Sandoval, who defected to the U.S. in 1990, has amassed a slew of honors from the entertainment industry including 10 Grammy Awards (he has received 19 nominations thus far) and six Billboard Awards. He particularly received an Emmy Award for composing the underscore to the 2000 HBO film “For Love or Country,” based on his life. Last August, Sandoval was celebrated at the White House as a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the U.S. He has also written a book reflecting his relationship with Gillespie fittingly titled “The Man Who Changed My Life.”
In addition to performing with numerous orchestras worldwide, including the London Symphony Orchestra, Sandoval can be heard on recordings with a diverse range of artists as Frank Sinatra, Bill Conti, Michel Legrand, Rod Stewart, Johnny Mathis, Alicia Keys and the aforementioned Gillespie. He has also performed at the Academy Awards with Celine Dion and the Super Bowl with Tony Bennett, Patti LaBelle and the Miami Sound Machine.
His compositions/arrangements can be particularly heard in such films as “Mambo Kings,” (featuring his Grammy-nominated work “Mambo Caliente”), “Havana,” “Random Heart,” “Mr. Wrong,” “The Perez Family” and “The Family Fuentes” among others. His vast discography includes the Grammy-winning albums “Danzon” and “Hot House.”
Following an assortment of Latin favorites featured in the first half of the concert under the direction of DPO assistant conductor Patrick Reynolds, Sandoval will appear after intermission for works including the big-band flavored “Virgin of Macarena” as well as Dizzy Gillespie’s “Groovin’ High” and “A Night in Tunisia.” Sandoval will also deliver “A Mis Abuelos,” his original composition which garnered two Grammy nominations.
“I was trained as a trumpet player, so the idea of working with this great artist is a real thrill for me,” said Reynolds in a press statement. “Arturo Sandoval is an extraordinarily gifted and versatile musician. The audience is in for a terrific time.”
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