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Chucho Valdés is a renowned Cuban pianist, bandleader, composer, and arranger, born on October 9, 1941, in Quivicán, Cuba. He is the son of the famed Cuban pianist Bebo Valdés, who was also the former director of Havana's famous Tropicana night-club band. Chucho Valdés has won five Grammy Awards and three Latin Grammy Awards throughout his career. In 1972, he founded Irakere, one of Cuba's best-known Latin jazz bands. Valdés is revered as one of Cuba's greatest jazz pianists, alongside Gonzalo Rubalcaba. His notable Grammy wins include the 1978 album "Live at Newport" by Irakere, the 1998 CD "Havana" with his band Crisol, the 2003 album "Live at the Village Vanguard," and the 2011 album "Chucho's Steps." In addition to his musical achievements, on October 16, 2006, he was nominated as a Goodwill Ambassador of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). In 2008, Sony released an album featuring Chucho playing alongside his father, Bebo Valdés.