CHUCHO ET AL

Any year that begins with Cuba’s incomparable jazz pianist Chucho Valdes at the Village Vanguard has to be an
auspicious one. When Chucho also surrounds himself with three hand-picked New York
musicians (especially the sensational Cuban drummer Dafnis Prieto) and then invites Mexican-American
trombone great Steve Turre to sit in on several numbers, it’s more
than auspicious: It’s over-the-top pleasure, mind-bending musical enlightenment, and worth every
nanosecond of the hour-long wait in a cold drizzle with dozens of fellow “standbys,” who like me
were too dumb or too late to make reservations ahead of time. So, yes, I made it into the 11
o’clock set last night, the final one in Chucho’s six-night engagement at the Vanguard. I found
myself in complete agreement with jazz critic Ben Ratliff (see below) and, against all odds, managed to
celebrate the turning of the year in style.

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