Chucho Valdes Pleased with Grammy Nomination for Chucho Steps

Havana, Dec 10. -Cuban jazz musician Chucho Valdes said that his 2011 Grammy nomination for the Academy of Arts and Sciences of U.S. Record for his album Chucho Steps, commits him to maintain the quality of his work.

Speaking to reporters, the founder of the band Irakere announced that among his future projects is the recording of a phonogram with Spanish interpreter Dyango and the creation of a big band for the interpretation of classics that made history in 1920 and 1940.

Composer and pianist, he highlights 2010 as a great year for the island's music scene, with the performances of the Lincoln Center Jazz orchestra of New York with Wynton Marsalis as artistic director, the Ibero-american Award Tomás Luis de Victoria given to composer and guitarist Leo Brouwer and the visit of Brazilian musician Egberto Gismonti, among other notable events.

With 14 nominations and seven Grammys, Valdes said he felt younger than ever. "Always working because imagination never sleeps," he declared. (Prensa Latina)