Chucho Valdés and Paquito D’Rivera made their names together in Valdés’ band Irakere, which fused jazz, classical, rock, and Afro-Cuban music in a transcendental evolution of Latin Jazz. But they went their separate ways in 1980, and while they continued to work and perform—Valdés with Irakere, solo, and with other small groups, and D’Rivera with string quartets, chamber groups, and symphony orchestras—they had not worked together in decades. But last year, more than 40 years since D’Rivera left Irakere, they reunited for a new album called I Missed You Too!, assembling a reunion sextet and touring the world together once again. Separately, they’ve collected more than 25 Grammys and Latin Grammys, among other prominent distinctions—D’Rivera was even named Jazz Master by the U.S. National Endowment for the Arts in 2005. Together again, they bring more than 60 years of friendship and music to McCarter.
