Trumpet legend
Arturo Sandoval will close out the
Louisville Orchestra's 2009-2010 season this Saturday evening at 8:00 p.m. in Whitney Hall, Kentucky Center. Sandoval has a long and storied career in music, from his early days in Cuba studying classical trumpet to discovering jazz under the influence of his idol Dizzy Gillespie.
Sandoval found fame in the 1970s leading the revolutionary Latin jazz band Irakere and today is acknowledged as not only one of the greatest jazz instrumentalists of our time but also a renowned classical musician. Reflecting this versatility, the program for the evening includes the Spanish classic, La Virgen de Macarena, John Williams' Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra, William Schuman's New England Triptych, and Polish composer Witold Lutoslawski's Concerto for Orchestra.
I saw Sandoval at the
New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in 2007. Of course, he's an amazing talent but also a lively and engaging band leader who clearly demonstrates his devotion to the cause of educating and promoting young musicians. He had invited several budding performers to share the stage and seemed as proud of them as a doting father. The experience was well worth fighting the heat, humidity, and crowds of a festival atmosphere, so the cushy confines of Whitney Hall will definitely be a treat.
