Arturo Sandoval Arturo Sandoval Collection

Arturo Sandoval's vibrant and versatile trumpet performances have made him one of the preeminent living jazz musicians and composers, while his personal story has made him something of a legend. His story begins in the late 1970s, when the Cuban-born musician was performing in clubs around Havana. With a bit of luck and a lot of hustle, the 27-year old musician met his idol, Dizzy Gillespie, and soon was enlisted to tour around the U.S. and Europe with the famous trumpeter's band.

In the years that followed, Sandoval assembled his own band and toured worldwide, playing a lively blend of jazz and Afro-Cuban music and crafting a long string of recordings along the way. As a guest performer, Sandoval worked with the likes of Gloria Estefan, Frank Sinatra, Herbie Hancock, Celine Dion and Johnny Mathis, while as a composer, Sandoval scored music for numerous films and, in 2000, found his own life on film in HBO's For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story, which starred Andy Garcia as the musician. Arturo has been honored by both his peers (17 GRAMMY Award nominations and 10 wins; 1 Emmy Award and 6 Billboard Awards), as well as his newfound home of the United States. In 2013, President Barack Obama awarded Sandoval with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

For all of his worldwide success, Sandoval continued to bump up against the political restrictions of his Communist homeland. In 1990, Sandoval spirited his wife and children out of Cuba and defected to the United States, becoming a naturalized citizen nine years later. Despite this tumultuous backdrop, Sandoval's creativity flourished throughout the '90s and beyond. He has recorded no less than 30 albums over the past two decades, and maintains an ambitious schedule of touring and recording.

The Arturo Sandoval Collection is comprised of selections from the musician's work over the past decade, and illustrates his wide-ranging influences. Sandoval's love of classical music shows through in his 'Pavane Pour Une Infante Defunte (Pavane for a Dead Princess),' which features famed trumpeter Chris Botti, and appears on 2010's critically acclaimed A Time for Love. Several standards from the American Songbook also grace the Collection, including the Johnny Mandell/Johnny Mercer tune 'Emily' and Gershwin's 'I Loves you Porgy.' Tracks from 2007's Rumba Palace transport the listener to the sweaty floor of a late-night Havana club, with tracks such as 'Sexy Lady' and 'Guarachando,' both a perfect ode to Sandoval's roots big band arrangements, lots of horns, call-and-response vocals and upbeat, Cuban beats. Also in the mix are reworkings of several classic Dizzy Gillespie pieces ('Salt Peanuts! (Mani Salado),' 'Birks Works (ala Mancini),' 'A Night in Tunisia (Actually an Entire Weekend!)', arranged by Sandoval with his signature flare, all of which appear in 2012's Dear Diz (Every Day I Think of You), a tribute to the trumpeter's longtime friend, colleague and idol.

The Arturo Sandoval Collection's varied selection will be the perfect introduction for new listeners, and an ideal compilation for any fan of Sandoval's wide, well-respected repertoire.