Chico Alvarez

Whether fronting his own band, hosting one of his radio shows, producing a documentary, designing album covers, or writing liner notes and articles about important Latin musicians, Chico Álvarez pays almost as much attention to Cuban-American music as Fidel Castro did to staying in power. He should not be confused with Alfred "Chico" Alvarez, a Canadian-born trumpeter who was one of the stars of the Stan Kenton band in the '40s. The younger Alvarez has quite an unusual background for a Latin musician. Although he was born in New York, he grew up in Cuba and returned to the Un...