September 11, 2025 • 38 mins
Today we're speaking with trumpeter, Arturo Sandoval. He is a 10-time Grammy Award winner, an Emmy Award recipient, and a six-time Billboard Award winner. He also holds a Hispanic Heritage Award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama, a Doctorate in Fine Arts from the prestigious Notre-Dame University, and was recently honored with a Grammy® Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023 and most recently, in 2024 he was one of the honorees of the Kennedy Center.
His career is a testament to his versatility and virtuosity. Born in Artemisa, Cuba, he was a protégé of the legendary Dizzy Gillespie and has evolved into one of the most dynamic live performers of our time.
With a background so interesting that HBO turned it into the award-winning film starring Andy Garcia, "For Love or Country - The Arturo Sandoval Story," he is a treat to listen to whether he’s blowing the horn or telling you his life story.
Stay tuned to learn more about one of the world’s most respected and admired musicians.
Sandoval will be bringing his talent and charm to Rutgers University in Camden on September 27th at 7pm.
Thanks for listening!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (00:03):
This is Gina Marie Rodriguez and you're
listening to the Jersey ArtsPodcast.
Today I'm speaking withtrumpeter Arturo Sandoval.
His accolades are numerous.
He is a 10-time Grammy Awardwinner, an Emmy Award recipient
and a six-time Billboard Awardwinner.
He also holds a HispanicHeritage Award, the Presidential
(00:25):
Medal of Freedom from PresidentObama, a doctorate in fine arts
from the prestigious Notre DameUniversity, and was recently
honored with a Grammy LifetimeAchievement Award.
In 2023, and most recently in2024, he was one of the honorees
of the Kennedy Center.
His career is a testament to hisversatility and virtuosity.
Born in Artemisa, cuba, he wasa protege of the legendary Dizzy
(00:48):
Gillespie and has evolved intoone of the most dynamic live
performers of our time, with abackground so interesting that
HBO turned it into theaward-winning film starring Andy
Garcia for Love or Country theArturo Sandoval story.
He's a treat to listen to,whether he's blowing the horn or
telling you his history and,lucky for us in New Jersey,
(01:09):
sandoval will be bringing histalent and charm to Rutgers
University in Camden onSeptember 27th at 7pm.
But stay tuned to learn moreabout one of the world's most
respected and admired musicians.
First, let me start by sayingI'm very excited to talk to you.
I ask every musician that Iinterview for advice what would
(01:31):
you advise the youngergeneration to do as they're
breaking into the business?
Arturo Sandoval (01:35):
Practice, be dedicated with strong discipline
and be passionate with what youlove, you know, because that's
the only way the consistency inyour practicing.
Because it's three differentways to approach the music.
You could do it as a hobby, asan aficionado, you know which is
(02:01):
good.
We love everyone who reallyapproaches the music in any form
or any way.
And then if you decide that youwant to be a professional
musician, it's also twodifferent ways to play music.
Or you play what you want andhow you want, or you play what
(02:23):
you can and only what you can.
You're gonna in this, in thiscase, you're gonna be struggling
with frustration and limitationand all those things and that's
not fun, you know.
That's not not good.
But if you decide to play howand what you want, and then you
(02:44):
need that strong discipline,because the music demands that
and also respect, not only foryour passion and dedication, but
it's respect for the music andrespect for the audience
especially.
That's the most important thing.
You have to respect theaudience.
When you jump to the stage, youhave to give them your 100%,
(03:08):
because if you play the daybefore in somewhere and the
people who is coming tonight toyour gig, they don't care how
you sound last night.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (03:19):
That's true.
Arturo Sandoval (03:22):
They want to hear your best, you know, and
this is what we have prepared togive to them our best.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (03:30):
I love that, and I'm not sure I've
heard it phrased that way before.
Respect for the audience.
I've heard a lot of musicianstell me that they don't want to
embarrass themselves by notpracticing, but respect for the
audience is a nice way to lookat it.
Arturo Sandoval (03:43):
We survive because of them.
Without the audience, what dowe have?
We have nothing.
We have nothing.
You're going to play for you.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (03:51):
That's very true, very true.
Arturo Sandoval (03:53):
We play for them and you have to give them
your best.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (03:58):
That's a good point.
So we're creeping up onHispanic Heritage Month now and
I'd love to talk to you aboutthat a little bit.
You were born and raised inCuba, Right, but you defected to
the US in 1990, if I got theyear right while you were on
tour with Dizzy Gillespie.
Yes, but I'm sure that you'vetalked about that plenty.
But I wonder if thiscelebratory month has a special
(04:21):
meaning for you or if you relateto Hispanic heritage perhaps
differently than those who wereborn here might.
Arturo Sandoval (04:27):
To be absolutely honest, I never
thought about.
I never thought about becauseyou know, I've never human and
we are citizens of this countrythat's called Earth.
(04:48):
And then what about the rest ofthe year?
We don't care about our race orour ethnic or something, or our
tradition.
I think we have to care allyear long and we have to be
proud all year long.
For that reason, for me, Inever thought about it.
(05:09):
I don't know, your questiontook me by surprise, but I have
no proper answer to that.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (05:20):
I think that was a wonderful answer.
It's something that I wonderall the time.
I think that was a wonderfulanswer.
It's something that I wonderall the time.
Why are we dedicating just onemonth to Hispanic heritage, when
people who are of Hispanicdescent are going to honor that
every day?
Arturo Sandoval (05:32):
We work every single day of the year, you know
.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (05:35):
Exactly.
Arturo Sandoval (05:41):
Not only we work one month, you know, we
work 12 months, absolutely.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (05:42):
I think you gave a brilliant answer,
because we really shouldn't bedividing people by race or by
culture, so thank you for that.
Arturo Sandoval (05:49):
Thank you, thank you.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (05:50):
Can you tell me a little bit about your
work with Dizzy Gillespie?
And I know that it started witha chance meeting in Havana,
right?
So how did that kickstart yourcareer?
Arturo Sandoval (06:05):
I always considered that meeting him how
did that kickstart your career?
I always considered thatmeeting him it was a gift from
God to me, Because when you getan opportunity to meet your hero
, your musical hero, and thenyou discover that also your
musical hero is an incrediblehuman being, and after that,
(06:27):
right after you became a closefriend and he became your mentor
oh my goodness that's the onlyway I can put that in words
Meeting him and became closefriend and play with him for so
many years, it was a gift fromGod to me.
(06:48):
I think I was doing somethinggood to deserve it.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (06:53):
Yeah, and I mean, it was thanks to Dizzy
Wright that you were able tocome to the well.
To come to the United States,right, it was through his United
Nation band, was that the name?
Arturo Sandoval (07:06):
No, it was way before, because I'm going to
tell you this story.
When we met in May 77 in Havanafor a couple of days, we
connected so well, you know.
But he was very impressed withthose musicians that he heard
because he wasn't prepared forthat.
I'm gonna tell you why.
(07:26):
The reputation in general ofCuban musicians is more related
to percussion and all those kindof things, you know, and the
traditional Cuban music.
But he wasn't expecting to hearthe trumpet player, the
saxophone and the pianist andthe guitar player and bass and
drums and all the things at sucha level.
(07:49):
You know, that was with Irakerewhen we played for them that
day and then we played togetherafterwards.
And when he come back to NewYork he start talking to
everybody, everybody, aboutthose musicians that he heard in
Cuba.
And one day we were doing therehearsal in Cuba with Zira Kere
(08:12):
and a gentleman came, a verytall guy, blonde, blue eyes, and
sit down there in the rehearsalfor the whole time.
And we were very intrigued, youknow, because we said who's
that guy, why he's here watchingthe rehearsal, paying so much
attention to everything.
(08:32):
Okay, when we finished he gotanother gentleman who was with
him it was like a translator andhe said hello guys, my name is
Bruce Lundgren, I am thepresident of CBS Record and I'm
here because DC Gillespie Don'tstop talking about this man.
(08:52):
And I'm here to corroborate, tobe sure, what he said.
And I got a meeting alreadywith the Minister of Culture of
Cuba and I signed your banalready for three years of CVS.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (09:08):
Oh wow, that's amazing.
Arturo Sandoval (09:10):
A few months later.
He put us on the plane fromHavana because this is almost
unbelievable from Havana to NewYork.
We landed there in New Yorkmid-afternoon and they drove us
straight to the sound check atCarnegie Hall, which means the
(09:30):
very first day we came to the US.
We played at Carnegie Hall thesecond half of the concert, and
the first half was two pianotrio, bill Evans and Mary Lou
Williams, two incredible jazzpianists and we played the
second half and then, at the end, for the last tune, stan Getz
(09:52):
and Maynard Ferguson jumped tothe stage and played the last
tune with us.
Cbs made a recording of thatperformance and that was our
first gram.
Everything happened the veryfirst day in the US because of
DC Live Speaks.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (10:09):
That's so wonderful.
Arturo Sandoval (10:11):
That was amazing, that was unbelievable.
That experience, and when welooked to the audience, in the
first row there was Tito Puente,dizzy Gillespie, mena Freguz,
stan Getz, two Stillman, billEvans, mario Balsa oh my
goodness, we were like what isthis?
(10:32):
It's beyond a dream come true.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (10:35):
Wow, I can't imagine the nerves that
you must have felt seeing allthose people in the front row.
Arturo Sandoval (10:41):
No, you know what it was a nerve.
It was a nerve.
I think it was more than asatisfaction or more than a
surprise, but also the happinessto have this opportunity, you
know, to play the very first dayever in the US in probably the
main concert hall in the US.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (11:02):
Sure, yeah , I mean, I can't even imagine.
That's what a story.
Arturo Sandoval (11:06):
It was beyond imagination, beyond dreams.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (11:11):
Can you actually tell me a little bit
about how Irakere was formed?
Because from my understandinggo ahead.
Sorry.
Arturo Sandoval (11:18):
Can you actually tell me a little bit
about how Irakere was formed?
Because from my understanding,go ahead.
Sorry, no, we started with abig band in 1967.
And it was a big big bandbecause it was like six trumpets
(11:40):
, five trombones, six saxophones, three percussionists, two
drummers, two basses, twoguitars, keyboard, you know, and
in that band was a group of themain people that we put
together in Aquereda ChuchoValdez, paquito Rivera, carlos
Puerto Carlos, emilio Morales,myself.
We left that band in the end of73 and in the beginning of 74
(12:03):
we started playing with Irakere.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (12:05):
that was the whole process now was
Irakere a means to hide jazz inplain sight under Afro-Cuban
rhythms?
Arturo Sandoval (12:17):
No, the thing is we weren't allowed to play
American music in any form rockand roll or funk or jazz or any
of those things because theycalled that the music of the
junkie imperialists.
That's such a stupidity.
You know to relate that withpolitics or whatever, okay, but
(12:41):
the thing is we're not evenallowed to use the symbols of
the drums because they said thatsounds like American music or
whatever.
And then we trade the symbols tocowbells and then we start to
symbols, to cowbells, and thenwe start to use all those
Afro-Cubans drums like batas andall those kind of drums and
(13:03):
things and all those lines andthings, with some, even with
some Afro-Cuban tradition of alanguage.
You know that they call Abacua.
It came from the religion of,came from Africa, but on the
needs of that we were playingjazz, you know, a phrasing
(13:30):
improvisation or something wasstrictly bebop or jazz in
general, but we didn't call that, we called it Afro-Cuban music,
you know.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (13:38):
Of course.
Arturo Sandoval (13:40):
Yeah, and then the government led us to do it,
but we, in other words, wemasquerade the jazz we were
playing with other rhythm andother things you know, and then
we survived, but God is sothings you know.
And then we survived, and butGod is so good.
You know, in certain way thatwas probably the key point that
(14:02):
Iroquois have good acceptance,you know, in general, for the
public all over the world,because it was a kind of new
combination, you know, even ifit came from the pure tradition
of Afro-Cuban jazz.
We started to include differentinstruments and different
(14:26):
things, different approach, witha guitar like a funk sound,
which wasn't part of theoriginal Afro-Cuban jazz, and
the drums and all those thingsyou know, the bass guitar all
those instruments weren't partof the original Afro-Cuban jazz.
(14:49):
I'm talking about the late 40s,when Dizzy Lespiebians, mario
Bowsa and Chano Pozo stopped andthey create that thing that
they call Afro-Cuban jazz.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (15:01):
I'm fascinated by that approach and
the way that you were able to Imean, I guess, technically stand
up to your government in thatway.
But I was bringing up that youmight be the first person I've
met who's actually gone to jailfor his dedication to his music.
And, like you were saying, theCuban regime at the time did not
(15:22):
approve of jazz or Americanmusic and, if I'm correct, it
was because you were caughtlistening to the Voice of
America Jazz Hour while you wereserving in the military.
Arturo Sandoval (15:36):
That's correct From 71 to 74, they called me
when I was in that big bandbefore Irakere Right.
They called me for three yearsto the obligatory military
service and that was the worstthree years of my life, you know
.
They destroyed my career.
I couldn't play it in threeyears barely and it was
(16:02):
difficult, very difficult for me.
But I don't want to lose thatconnection of learning,
especially about jazz.
And I used to listen to thatprogram Monday to Friday at 3.15
pm.
It was from the Voice ofAmerica, from Washington DC, and
the name of the program was theJazz Hour, the Jazz Hour.
(16:23):
And I was listening to thatwith a small little radio and
shortwave, because not an AM orFM, it was shortwave only.
And in that specific momentwhen the sergeant catch me
listening to that the emcee ofthe radio station, he was
talking.
I not even understood what hesaid because I couldn't speak
(16:45):
any English at all, zero, but hewas talking.
That was why he listened.
He listened to the guy talkingin English and I was paying
attention.
I say you're a traitor, you'relistening to the voice of enemy.
And then he brought me to theoffice of a captain or something
and they put me in jail forthree and a half months oh my
(17:05):
gosh, yeah, that's awful, andyou didn't even know what was
being said.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (17:10):
That's unfair.
Arturo Sandoval (17:12):
But that was good for me because that
reconfirmed you know that I haveto escape from Cuba.
That really corroborated that Ihave no choice.
I have to leave the country anddo my career somewhere else
where the people respectwhatever you want In general,
(17:34):
because I always said that themost important word in any
dictionary, any language, is theword freedom.
I always say no freedom, nolife, because I can talk about,
because I experience both things.
You know, without freedom I'mwith freedom.
Since I came to this country,our life changed 100%, 100%.
(17:59):
We cannot even compare.
And I'm grateful that I live inthe United States because in 35
years I never have any problemat all.
I say what I want, I play whatI want, I do whatever I want.
If you respect the law and dothe right things, you're never
(18:19):
going to have problems.
People respect your freedomover here and that's the most
important thing for me.
And then I've been extremelyblessed and lucky because since
I got here I got so manyopportunities and recognition.
I got 30 nominations, 11Grammys, I got a Presidential
(18:41):
Medal of Freedom.
I got a Kennedy Center Honor,which is two of the most
prestigious awards ofrecognition from the US.
You know, to a civilian, andthen I shouldn't complain.
The only thing I feel in myheart, in my brain, is
gratefulness.
I I extremely grateful foreverything that happened to us
(19:03):
in this 35 years I can onlyimagine.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (19:07):
I mean you've.
You've been through a lot, forsure, but you've also paid your
dues and you've done excellentwork here, so you deserved it.
Arturo Sandoval (19:16):
Every award that you've received has been
well earned but to be honest, Ithink I deserve everything I got
in life because of my attitude,my, my passion, my dedication,
my discipline.
I never touch any drugs at allzero.
I don't even drink alcohol.
(19:37):
I don't drink anything.
I drink espresso, coffee.
I've had more cigars since Iwas 14 years old.
Never affect me.
I never have any problem.
Health problem at all zero.
But I've been serious about mycareer.
But I've been serious about mycareer and as a human.
(19:57):
Next month we're going tocelebrate, my wife and me, a
50th wedding anniversary.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (20:05):
Oh, congratulations.
Arturo Sandoval (20:07):
Yeah, we got married in 75.
Our son was born in 76.
He's 49 years old.
He's doing a wonderful career.
He's graphic artist.
He got a company uh, pharrellwilliam, the famous pharrell
william 16 years ago, but the 33percent of his company.
They've been partnered for 16years.
(20:29):
He got 60 movies in netflix,wow, and produced and made from
him.
From him, yeah, everything it'sanimation movies for kids.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (20:42):
That's great.
Arturo Sandoval (20:43):
You know his wife, my daughter-in-law, is my
manager for many, many years.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (20:49):
Oh wow, I love that so much.
Arturo Sandoval (20:52):
And by the way, my son and his wife.
They just finished producing mynew album.
It's going to be out inNovember.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (21:04):
Wonderful, and what's that album called?
Arturo Sandoval (21:07):
Got a special name.
I got to tell you we werelistening to one of the tunes
after we recorded and I said wow, that sound good.
And then they look each other,they laugh and they wrote it
down S-A-N-G-U with the accentand they was laughing and said
(21:30):
what's the matter?
I said no, what you say.
He said what I say.
I said that track sounds good.
I said no, you say Sangu, andthat's the name of the album.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (21:43):
I am obsessed with that name.
Arturo Sandoval (21:45):
And the album is great.
I cannot give you more details,but we just finished the mixing
and mastering and everythingand and it's they're working in
the cover now, because we'regoing to be on vinyl only oh,
wow going to be in all the in,in all those platforms they play
(22:08):
music, but also we don't.
They don't want to do CDs,going to do only vinyl.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (22:14):
Very cool, very cool.
Yeah, you had said before,earlier in this interview, that
the best word in the dictionaryis freedom.
Arturo Sandoval (22:26):
Right, but I think you've also said that
music is synonymous with freedom.
It is.
It is Especially when you jumpto the stage and you feel
absolutely free to play what youwant and how you want.
That's the only thing I ask.
You know, Let me play and letme share what I really feel deep
in my heart with the audience.
That's what I want and thatpleases my heart all the way
(22:52):
through.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (22:53):
And I think jazz itself, because of
the improvisational nature,offers a freedom as well.
Arturo Sandoval (23:00):
Yeah, improvisation is the most
important thing within jazzmusic because it's your creation
in the moment.
You know, it's very spontaneousand it's true, it's sincere,
and it's your way to communicateand say what you want to say or
(23:25):
what you want to share with theaudience, you know, but when
you feel the freedom of doingthat, it's beautiful, beautiful.
You feel the freedom of doingthat, it's beautiful, beautiful.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (23:34):
Absolutely .
I wanted to ask, having been onthe other side of oppression
and having lived in Cuba and notbeen able to perform the music
that you wanted to perform, doyou have any concerns for
artists today who might befacing that kind of oppression,
or any advice that you mightgive to someone who's trying to
(23:55):
fight against that?
Arturo Sandoval (23:57):
Of course, of course I'm sorry about whoever
is suffering the same situation,of course, and Cuba is in my
heart, you know, because I wasborn and raised and I left the
island when I could, but I was40 years old.
I could, but I was 40 years old, which means I spent 40 years
of my life in my country, youknow.
(24:21):
But I think I shouldn't go tothe point to give advice to
those people what to do, becauseI don't want to encourage
anything that they don't feelwithin their soul.
You know, it has to be yournecessity.
(24:41):
It's a very personal decisionthat nobody could influence in
your way of thinking, you know,and I don't want to go to that
point.
But I did, what I never regret,of course, I'm glad that I did
it.
The only thing I'm sorry Icouldn't do before because, as I
(25:03):
told you, my son is 49 yearsold, I've been married and then
I refused to leave the islandand left my wife and son back.
I never thought about it.
I said no way, I have to waituntil the conditions and
everything.
And then the thing is that theCuban dictatorship made a
(25:28):
mistake, a terrible mistake,that they gave us special, very,
very special permission to mywife and son to come to Europe
and spend a couple of weeks withme.
That was the opportunity we waslooking for years, and then, of
course, we took it.
Absolutely oh yeah, it's nothingfunny, nothing comfortable when
(25:51):
you have to leave your owncountry.
You know it's nothingcomfortable when you have to
leave your own country.
You know it's somethingterrible.
There's nothing nice about that, but for us it was a necessity.
We didn't have another choice.
You know, if we stay here, ourlife is going to be completely
(26:11):
frustrated and all our ambitionand ideas and passion and things
we don't want to be able toaccomplish any of those things.
And then it was like a realnecessity.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (26:24):
You know, of course, and sometimes we're
faced with those tough decisionsin life.
It doesn't mean that you don'tlove your homeland, of course
you do, and sometimes you haveto do what's best for you and
your family, and for you thatwas to come to the US yeah, but
I have to be sincere in the waythis country treat me and
appreciate what I do and all thethings you cannot compare,
(26:46):
because my experience in Cubawas horrible, horrible.
Arturo Sandoval (26:50):
I never got, I never felt appreciation of my
effort at all.
For example, I never wasinvited to teach or give a
master class or a clinic oranything.
And since I get out of Cuba Ihave been doing that all over
the world and mainly in the mostimportant conservatories of
(27:12):
music, you know, like Berkeley,and even in the most important
conservatories of music, youknow, like Berkeley, and even in
Moscow, the Tchaikovsky, moscowEngland Conservatory, paris
Conservatory of Music, all themajor conservatories of music.
I did master classes and inCuba they never invite me or
never gave me the opportunity todo those things amongst all
(27:35):
things you know.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (27:36):
Well, personally I'm so grateful that
the US and the rest of the worldhas embraced you in a way that,
unfortunately, cuba hadn't, butI do think that in there you
did give some really wonderfuladvice, which is just to follow
your own heart, whatever thatmay be.
Arturo Sandoval (27:53):
Absolutely.
And you also are going to tellyou something Even this year I
didn't have opportunity in Cuba.
I never stopped practicing andwhen I came to New York in June
78 for the first time, the onlything I can guarantee you is I
was prepared for that.
I was ready for that because Iwas practicing like crazy.
(28:13):
Prepare for that, I was readyfor that because I was
practicing like crazy.
You know, I was 26 years old,of course, 27 years old and no,
I'm sorry, 78.
Yeah, I was 27 years old andnow I'm 76.
You know, it's a bigtransformation.
I don't even look alike youdon't look a day over 40.
(28:36):
Oh, my goodness, yeah, 76.
I was born in 49.
And the thing is, god sometimesgives you the privilege and
honor to get some specialopportunity.
But my advice is you have to beready for that when that
(28:58):
opportunity arises, be ready todo your best and really take
that opportunity very seriouslyand do your best and maybe the
result is's gonna be good afterthat because you did the effort,
(29:19):
you know you did the job, thework to get prepared.
Don't let a good opportunitysurprise you and you're not in
good shape.
That's something you're gonnaregret for the rest of your life
.
If you're ready, maybe thatopportunity is going to change
(29:40):
your life.
And I remember when we playedat Coney Hall, the review on the
New York Times the day afterwas unbelievable, unbelievable.
And that's good.
When you play in a country forthe very first time and the day
after one of the majornewspapers make a wonderful
(30:02):
review, that's a good beginning.
You know that's a goodbeginning for later
opportunities.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (30:10):
Discipline and consistency, like you said
before, is so important.
Arturo Sandoval (30:14):
Absolutely In any career, not only in music,
in any career.
You know, when God gives you anopportunity, for example, to
have a job, you don't have amain profession or something and
you are cleaning a place andthe owner or a manager or
something sees your attitude inthe way you're doing so well,
(30:38):
you know, with dedication andthings, maybe they're gonna
offer you a grade.
You know they're gonna offeryou a different position and
maybe you became the nextmanager of the place and then
you save a little money andmaybe in the future you buy that
place that you start cleaning.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (30:59):
Yes.
Arturo Sandoval (31:00):
It's up to you, you know.
It's up to you, your attitudeand your you know.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (31:06):
For sure, for sure.
I have a selfish question toask you, just because I'm
curious what was it like to haveAndy Garcia play you in a movie
?
I have a selfish question toask you just because I'm curious
what was it?
Arturo Sandoval (31:17):
like to have Andy Garcia play you in a movie.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (31:20):
I think it was a good choice.
You ended up liking the moviethe way it came out.
Arturo Sandoval (31:24):
Absolutely, of course.
You know they hired me in thebeginning to write the score.
By the way, I won the Emmy withthe score.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (31:33):
Yes.
Arturo Sandoval (31:34):
Yeah, but they also hired me as a consultant to
be sure that the script and thewhole thing was according to a
real life, you know.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (31:47):
I'm glad.
Arturo Sandoval (31:48):
Yeah, yeah, and Andy did.
Everybody who worked in themovie, even the staff, the
director, the producers and theactors.
Everybody did an incredible joband this is the only project in
my life I got 48 albums andthat's the only project in my
(32:11):
life that every single critic orreview or something has been to
the top Unbelievable.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (32:20):
That's the only one really.
Arturo Sandoval (32:22):
I swear to God, because sometimes you do an
album and you got a bunch ofpeople like it, some people that
are a little so-so, and somepeople are apathetic or they
don't like it as much.
You know, in every, everyproject, because to please
everyone is impossible yeahthat's true in in any profession
(32:44):
or anything, please, everyone.
It's impossible.
The people, some people, alwayscomplain about this or they're
not agree or they don't likesome things, and you know you
have to be prepared for that.
But in case of the movie, oh mygoodness, everything I read
about or something, everybodyloved and respected the movie
(33:10):
and that was a beautiful thing,because everybody has a story to
tell.
You know, hbo decided to tellour story and the people embrace
and appreciate it and like it.
It's good because that's goingto be a kind of testimony that's
going to be there forgenerations in our family to
come.
You know it's nice.
(33:31):
They got that testimony of howwe came to the country, how much
we were struggling before thewhole process.
You know it's good to have thatkind of testimony, you know
absolutely.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (33:46):
I mean I had to ask that question because
I guess it's always been afantasy of mine.
I wonder what it would be likeif somebody made a movie about
my life so you watch.
Arturo Sandoval (33:54):
Did you watch the movie, did you?
Gina Marie Rodriguez (33:56):
I've watched.
So before this interview Iwatched half of it.
I still have to finish it.
I'm not gonna lie.
I have to get to the end of itnow but it was beautiful watch
it, you're gonna like it.
Arturo Sandoval (34:06):
You're gonna like it.
It's very well.
The story was very wellpresented, you know, and Andy
especially did an incredibleacting.
You know mimic playing thetrumpet, all those things.
He did an incredible job.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (34:24):
Did you have to teach him?
Did he learn a little bit ofthe trumpet?
Arturo Sandoval (34:27):
Actually, no, I'm going to tell you a good
friend of mine.
He was a principal of theHollywood Ball Orchestra because
I was living in Miami at thattime.
Now I live in LA for the last16 years, but I was living in
Miami.
That gentleman, he is a verydear friend.
He was helping him with all thethings you know.
(34:48):
And then when we startedshooting the movie, one of my
students in the University ofMiami was his Andy shadow.
You know.
He was with him full time,helping him to put the fingers
in the right way, to put theposition in the mouth, all those
kind of details you know.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (35:10):
Yeah.
Arturo Sandoval (35:11):
And the final result is amazing.
A lot of people thought Andywas playing.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (35:17):
Yeah, when I was watching, I was noticing
his fingers.
Arturo Sandoval (35:20):
Don't play the trumpet.
He don't even know how to makea sound out of the trumpet.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (35:26):
I did hear him give an interview that he
has no idea how to play, but heconvinced me, so he did what he
was supposed to do.
Arturo Sandoval (35:33):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, he did a wonderful job.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (35:36):
Great.
Well, I look forward tofinishing that movie, but I also
look forward to seeing you atRutgers in New Jersey on
September 27th.
Yeah, is there anything you'dlike to say to folks who are
coming to see you in New Jersey?
Arturo Sandoval (35:47):
That's the only thing I want to say.
Please come in, don't miss it.
The band is kicking, the bandis amazing.
I so happy because I I'mpositive that this is, at this
moment, is my best band since1981.
I left it again in December1980 and 81 the very beginning
(36:12):
of 81, I put my own bandtogether for the first time and
then I started playing with myown band.
I started traveling a lot,mainly to Europe, but since 81,
at this moment it is my bestband ever and very professional
(36:33):
musician, very dedicated.
My best band ever, veryprofessional musician, very
dedicated, very serious musicianand I'm extremely happy with
the band.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (36:42):
What a major compliment.
Arturo Sandoval (36:44):
I'll recommend that people don't miss the show,
because it's some serious thing.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (36:49):
Alright, listeners, you heard him guys.
This is the show to see.
Well, I'm sold An evening ofLatin jazz with the delightful
Arturo Sandoval and his bestband.
Yet how could I say no to that?
How could you?
Sandoval will be at the WalterK Gordon Theatre at Rutgers
(37:10):
University in Camden onSeptember 27th at 7 pm.
For tickets and moreinformation, be sure to visit
gorutgersedu.
If you liked this episode, besure to review, subscribe and
tell your friends.
A transcript of this podcast,links relevant to the story and
more about the arts in NewJersey can be found at
(37:31):
jerseyartscom.
The Jersey Arts Podcast ispresented by Art in New Jersey
can be found at jerseyartscom.
The Jersey Arts Podcast ispresented by Art Pride New
Jersey, advancing a state ofcreativity since 1986.
The show was co-founded by andcurrently supported by funds
from, the New Jersey StateCouncil on the Arts.
This episode was hosted, editedand produced by me, Gina Marie
Rodriguez.
Executive producers are JimAtkinson and Isaac Serna-Diez,
(37:54):
and my thanks, of course, to MrArturo Sandoval for speaking
with me today.
I'm Gina Marie Rodriguez forthe Jersey Arts Podcast.
Thanks for listening.
This is Gina Marie Rodriguez and you're
listening to the Jersey ArtsPodcast.
Today I'm speaking withtrumpeter Arturo Sandoval.
His accolades are numerous.
He is a 10-time Grammy Awardwinner, an Emmy Award recipient
and a six-time Billboard Awardwinner.
He also holds a HispanicHeritage Award, the Presidential
(00:25):
Medal of Freedom from PresidentObama, a doctorate in fine arts
from the prestigious Notre DameUniversity, and was recently
honored with a Grammy LifetimeAchievement Award.
In 2023, and most recently in2024, he was one of the honorees
of the Kennedy Center.
His career is a testament to hisversatility and virtuosity.
Born in Artemisa, cuba, he wasa protege of the legendary Dizzy
(00:48):
Gillespie and has evolved intoone of the most dynamic live
performers of our time, with abackground so interesting that
HBO turned it into theaward-winning film starring Andy
Garcia for Love or Country theArturo Sandoval story.
He's a treat to listen to,whether he's blowing the horn or
telling you his history and,lucky for us in New Jersey,
(01:09):
sandoval will be bringing histalent and charm to Rutgers
University in Camden onSeptember 27th at 7pm.
But stay tuned to learn moreabout one of the world's most
respected and admired musicians.
First, let me start by sayingI'm very excited to talk to you.
I ask every musician that Iinterview for advice what would
(01:31):
you advise the youngergeneration to do as they're
breaking into the business?
Arturo Sandoval (01:35):
Practice, be dedicated with strong discipline
and be passionate with what youlove, you know, because that's
the only way the consistency inyour practicing.
Because it's three differentways to approach the music.
You could do it as a hobby, asan aficionado, you know which is
(02:01):
good.
We love everyone who reallyapproaches the music in any form
or any way.
And then if you decide that youwant to be a professional
musician, it's also twodifferent ways to play music.
Or you play what you want andhow you want, or you play what
(02:23):
you can and only what you can.
You're gonna in this, in thiscase, you're gonna be struggling
with frustration and limitationand all those things and that's
not fun, you know.
That's not not good.
But if you decide to play howand what you want, and then you
(02:44):
need that strong discipline,because the music demands that
and also respect, not only foryour passion and dedication, but
it's respect for the music andrespect for the audience
especially.
That's the most important thing.
You have to respect theaudience.
When you jump to the stage, youhave to give them your 100%,
(03:08):
because if you play the daybefore in somewhere and the
people who is coming tonight toyour gig, they don't care how
you sound last night.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (03:19):
That's true.
Arturo Sandoval (03:22):
They want to hear your best, you know, and
this is what we have prepared togive to them our best.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (03:30):
I love that, and I'm not sure I've
heard it phrased that way before.
Respect for the audience.
I've heard a lot of musicianstell me that they don't want to
embarrass themselves by notpracticing, but respect for the
audience is a nice way to lookat it.
Arturo Sandoval (03:43):
We survive because of them.
Without the audience, what dowe have?
We have nothing.
We have nothing.
You're going to play for you.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (03:51):
That's very true, very true.
Arturo Sandoval (03:53):
We play for them and you have to give them
your best.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (03:58):
That's a good point.
So we're creeping up onHispanic Heritage Month now and
I'd love to talk to you aboutthat a little bit.
You were born and raised inCuba, Right, but you defected to
the US in 1990, if I got theyear right while you were on
tour with Dizzy Gillespie.
Yes, but I'm sure that you'vetalked about that plenty.
But I wonder if thiscelebratory month has a special
(04:21):
meaning for you or if you relateto Hispanic heritage perhaps
differently than those who wereborn here might.
Arturo Sandoval (04:27):
To be absolutely honest, I never
thought about.
I never thought about becauseyou know, I've never human and
we are citizens of this countrythat's called Earth.
(04:48):
And then what about the rest ofthe year?
We don't care about our race orour ethnic or something, or our
tradition.
I think we have to care allyear long and we have to be
proud all year long.
For that reason, for me, Inever thought about it.
(05:09):
I don't know, your questiontook me by surprise, but I have
no proper answer to that.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (05:20):
I think that was a wonderful answer.
It's something that I wonderall the time.
I think that was a wonderfulanswer.
It's something that I wonderall the time.
Why are we dedicating just onemonth to Hispanic heritage, when
people who are of Hispanicdescent are going to honor that
every day?
Arturo Sandoval (05:32):
We work every single day of the year, you know
.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (05:35):
Exactly.
Arturo Sandoval (05:41):
Not only we work one month, you know, we
work 12 months, absolutely.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (05:42):
I think you gave a brilliant answer,
because we really shouldn't bedividing people by race or by
culture, so thank you for that.
Arturo Sandoval (05:49):
Thank you, thank you.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (05:50):
Can you tell me a little bit about your
work with Dizzy Gillespie?
And I know that it started witha chance meeting in Havana,
right?
So how did that kickstart yourcareer?
Arturo Sandoval (06:05):
I always considered that meeting him how
did that kickstart your career?
I always considered thatmeeting him it was a gift from
God to me, Because when you getan opportunity to meet your hero
, your musical hero, and thenyou discover that also your
musical hero is an incrediblehuman being, and after that,
(06:27):
right after you became a closefriend and he became your mentor
oh my goodness that's the onlyway I can put that in words
Meeting him and became closefriend and play with him for so
many years, it was a gift fromGod to me.
(06:48):
I think I was doing somethinggood to deserve it.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (06:53):
Yeah, and I mean, it was thanks to Dizzy
Wright that you were able tocome to the well.
To come to the United States,right, it was through his United
Nation band, was that the name?
Arturo Sandoval (07:06):
No, it was way before, because I'm going to
tell you this story.
When we met in May 77 in Havanafor a couple of days, we
connected so well, you know.
But he was very impressed withthose musicians that he heard
because he wasn't prepared forthat.
I'm gonna tell you why.
(07:26):
The reputation in general ofCuban musicians is more related
to percussion and all those kindof things, you know, and the
traditional Cuban music.
But he wasn't expecting to hearthe trumpet player, the
saxophone and the pianist andthe guitar player and bass and
drums and all the things at sucha level.
(07:49):
You know, that was with Irakerewhen we played for them that
day and then we played togetherafterwards.
And when he come back to NewYork he start talking to
everybody, everybody, aboutthose musicians that he heard in
Cuba.
And one day we were doing therehearsal in Cuba with Zira Kere
(08:12):
and a gentleman came, a verytall guy, blonde, blue eyes, and
sit down there in the rehearsalfor the whole time.
And we were very intrigued, youknow, because we said who's
that guy, why he's here watchingthe rehearsal, paying so much
attention to everything.
(08:32):
Okay, when we finished he gotanother gentleman who was with
him it was like a translator andhe said hello guys, my name is
Bruce Lundgren, I am thepresident of CBS Record and I'm
here because DC Gillespie Don'tstop talking about this man.
(08:52):
And I'm here to corroborate, tobe sure, what he said.
And I got a meeting alreadywith the Minister of Culture of
Cuba and I signed your banalready for three years of CVS.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (09:08):
Oh wow, that's amazing.
Arturo Sandoval (09:10):
A few months later.
He put us on the plane fromHavana because this is almost
unbelievable from Havana to NewYork.
We landed there in New Yorkmid-afternoon and they drove us
straight to the sound check atCarnegie Hall, which means the
(09:30):
very first day we came to the US.
We played at Carnegie Hall thesecond half of the concert, and
the first half was two pianotrio, bill Evans and Mary Lou
Williams, two incredible jazzpianists and we played the
second half and then, at the end, for the last tune, stan Getz
(09:52):
and Maynard Ferguson jumped tothe stage and played the last
tune with us.
Cbs made a recording of thatperformance and that was our
first gram.
Everything happened the veryfirst day in the US because of
DC Live Speaks.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (10:09):
That's so wonderful.
Arturo Sandoval (10:11):
That was amazing, that was unbelievable.
That experience, and when welooked to the audience, in the
first row there was Tito Puente,dizzy Gillespie, mena Freguz,
stan Getz, two Stillman, billEvans, mario Balsa oh my
goodness, we were like what isthis?
(10:32):
It's beyond a dream come true.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (10:35):
Wow, I can't imagine the nerves that
you must have felt seeing allthose people in the front row.
Arturo Sandoval (10:41):
No, you know what it was a nerve.
It was a nerve.
I think it was more than asatisfaction or more than a
surprise, but also the happinessto have this opportunity, you
know, to play the very first dayever in the US in probably the
main concert hall in the US.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (11:02):
Sure, yeah , I mean, I can't even imagine.
That's what a story.
Arturo Sandoval (11:06):
It was beyond imagination, beyond dreams.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (11:11):
Can you actually tell me a little bit
about how Irakere was formed?
Because from my understandinggo ahead.
Sorry.
Arturo Sandoval (11:18):
Can you actually tell me a little bit
about how Irakere was formed?
Because from my understanding,go ahead.
Sorry, no, we started with abig band in 1967.
And it was a big big bandbecause it was like six trumpets
(11:40):
, five trombones, six saxophones, three percussionists, two
drummers, two basses, twoguitars, keyboard, you know, and
in that band was a group of themain people that we put
together in Aquereda ChuchoValdez, paquito Rivera, carlos
Puerto Carlos, emilio Morales,myself.
We left that band in the end of73 and in the beginning of 74
(12:03):
we started playing with Irakere.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (12:05):
that was the whole process now was
Irakere a means to hide jazz inplain sight under Afro-Cuban
rhythms?
Arturo Sandoval (12:17):
No, the thing is we weren't allowed to play
American music in any form rockand roll or funk or jazz or any
of those things because theycalled that the music of the
junkie imperialists.
That's such a stupidity.
You know to relate that withpolitics or whatever, okay, but
(12:41):
the thing is we're not evenallowed to use the symbols of
the drums because they said thatsounds like American music or
whatever.
And then we trade the symbols tocowbells and then we start to
symbols, to cowbells, and thenwe start to use all those
Afro-Cubans drums like batas andall those kind of drums and
(13:03):
things and all those lines andthings, with some, even with
some Afro-Cuban tradition of alanguage.
You know that they call Abacua.
It came from the religion of,came from Africa, but on the
needs of that we were playingjazz, you know, a phrasing
(13:30):
improvisation or something wasstrictly bebop or jazz in
general, but we didn't call that, we called it Afro-Cuban music,
you know.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (13:38):
Of course.
Arturo Sandoval (13:40):
Yeah, and then the government led us to do it,
but we, in other words, wemasquerade the jazz we were
playing with other rhythm andother things you know, and then
we survived, but God is sothings you know.
And then we survived, and butGod is so good.
You know, in certain way thatwas probably the key point that
(14:02):
Iroquois have good acceptance,you know, in general, for the
public all over the world,because it was a kind of new
combination, you know, even ifit came from the pure tradition
of Afro-Cuban jazz.
We started to include differentinstruments and different
(14:26):
things, different approach, witha guitar like a funk sound,
which wasn't part of theoriginal Afro-Cuban jazz, and
the drums and all those thingsyou know, the bass guitar all
those instruments weren't partof the original Afro-Cuban jazz.
(14:49):
I'm talking about the late 40s,when Dizzy Lespiebians, mario
Bowsa and Chano Pozo stopped andthey create that thing that
they call Afro-Cuban jazz.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (15:01):
I'm fascinated by that approach and
the way that you were able to Imean, I guess, technically stand
up to your government in thatway.
But I was bringing up that youmight be the first person I've
met who's actually gone to jailfor his dedication to his music.
And, like you were saying, theCuban regime at the time did not
(15:22):
approve of jazz or Americanmusic and, if I'm correct, it
was because you were caughtlistening to the Voice of
America Jazz Hour while you wereserving in the military.
Arturo Sandoval (15:36):
That's correct From 71 to 74, they called me
when I was in that big bandbefore Irakere Right.
They called me for three yearsto the obligatory military
service and that was the worstthree years of my life, you know
.
They destroyed my career.
I couldn't play it in threeyears barely and it was
(16:02):
difficult, very difficult for me.
But I don't want to lose thatconnection of learning,
especially about jazz.
And I used to listen to thatprogram Monday to Friday at 3.15
pm.
It was from the Voice ofAmerica, from Washington DC, and
the name of the program was theJazz Hour, the Jazz Hour.
(16:23):
And I was listening to thatwith a small little radio and
shortwave, because not an AM orFM, it was shortwave only.
And in that specific momentwhen the sergeant catch me
listening to that the emcee ofthe radio station, he was
talking.
I not even understood what hesaid because I couldn't speak
(16:45):
any English at all, zero, but hewas talking.
That was why he listened.
He listened to the guy talkingin English and I was paying
attention.
I say you're a traitor, you'relistening to the voice of enemy.
And then he brought me to theoffice of a captain or something
and they put me in jail forthree and a half months oh my
(17:05):
gosh, yeah, that's awful, andyou didn't even know what was
being said.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (17:10):
That's unfair.
Arturo Sandoval (17:12):
But that was good for me because that
reconfirmed you know that I haveto escape from Cuba.
That really corroborated that Ihave no choice.
I have to leave the country anddo my career somewhere else
where the people respectwhatever you want In general,
(17:34):
because I always said that themost important word in any
dictionary, any language, is theword freedom.
I always say no freedom, nolife, because I can talk about,
because I experience both things.
You know, without freedom I'mwith freedom.
Since I came to this country,our life changed 100%, 100%.
(17:59):
We cannot even compare.
And I'm grateful that I live inthe United States because in 35
years I never have any problemat all.
I say what I want, I play whatI want, I do whatever I want.
If you respect the law and dothe right things, you're never
(18:19):
going to have problems.
People respect your freedomover here and that's the most
important thing for me.
And then I've been extremelyblessed and lucky because since
I got here I got so manyopportunities and recognition.
I got 30 nominations, 11Grammys, I got a Presidential
(18:41):
Medal of Freedom.
I got a Kennedy Center Honor,which is two of the most
prestigious awards ofrecognition from the US.
You know, to a civilian, andthen I shouldn't complain.
The only thing I feel in myheart, in my brain, is
gratefulness.
I I extremely grateful foreverything that happened to us
(19:03):
in this 35 years I can onlyimagine.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (19:07):
I mean you've.
You've been through a lot, forsure, but you've also paid your
dues and you've done excellentwork here, so you deserved it.
Arturo Sandoval (19:16):
Every award that you've received has been
well earned but to be honest, Ithink I deserve everything I got
in life because of my attitude,my, my passion, my dedication,
my discipline.
I never touch any drugs at allzero.
I don't even drink alcohol.
(19:37):
I don't drink anything.
I drink espresso, coffee.
I've had more cigars since Iwas 14 years old.
Never affect me.
I never have any problem.
Health problem at all zero.
But I've been serious about mycareer.
But I've been serious about mycareer and as a human.
(19:57):
Next month we're going tocelebrate, my wife and me, a
50th wedding anniversary.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (20:05):
Oh, congratulations.
Arturo Sandoval (20:07):
Yeah, we got married in 75.
Our son was born in 76.
He's 49 years old.
He's doing a wonderful career.
He's graphic artist.
He got a company uh, pharrellwilliam, the famous pharrell
william 16 years ago, but the 33percent of his company.
They've been partnered for 16years.
(20:29):
He got 60 movies in netflix,wow, and produced and made from
him.
From him, yeah, everything it'sanimation movies for kids.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (20:42):
That's great.
Arturo Sandoval (20:43):
You know his wife, my daughter-in-law, is my
manager for many, many years.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (20:49):
Oh wow, I love that so much.
Arturo Sandoval (20:52):
And by the way, my son and his wife.
They just finished producing mynew album.
It's going to be out inNovember.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (21:04):
Wonderful, and what's that album called?
Arturo Sandoval (21:07):
Got a special name.
I got to tell you we werelistening to one of the tunes
after we recorded and I said wow, that sound good.
And then they look each other,they laugh and they wrote it
down S-A-N-G-U with the accentand they was laughing and said
(21:30):
what's the matter?
I said no, what you say.
He said what I say.
I said that track sounds good.
I said no, you say Sangu, andthat's the name of the album.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (21:43):
I am obsessed with that name.
Arturo Sandoval (21:45):
And the album is great.
I cannot give you more details,but we just finished the mixing
and mastering and everythingand and it's they're working in
the cover now, because we'regoing to be on vinyl only oh,
wow going to be in all the in,in all those platforms they play
(22:08):
music, but also we don't.
They don't want to do CDs,going to do only vinyl.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (22:14):
Very cool, very cool.
Yeah, you had said before,earlier in this interview, that
the best word in the dictionaryis freedom.
Arturo Sandoval (22:26):
Right, but I think you've also said that
music is synonymous with freedom.
It is.
It is Especially when you jumpto the stage and you feel
absolutely free to play what youwant and how you want.
That's the only thing I ask.
You know, Let me play and letme share what I really feel deep
in my heart with the audience.
That's what I want and thatpleases my heart all the way
(22:52):
through.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (22:53):
And I think jazz itself, because of
the improvisational nature,offers a freedom as well.
Arturo Sandoval (23:00):
Yeah, improvisation is the most
important thing within jazzmusic because it's your creation
in the moment.
You know, it's very spontaneousand it's true, it's sincere,
and it's your way to communicateand say what you want to say or
(23:25):
what you want to share with theaudience, you know, but when
you feel the freedom of doingthat, it's beautiful, beautiful.
You feel the freedom of doingthat, it's beautiful, beautiful.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (23:34):
Absolutely .
I wanted to ask, having been onthe other side of oppression
and having lived in Cuba and notbeen able to perform the music
that you wanted to perform, doyou have any concerns for
artists today who might befacing that kind of oppression,
or any advice that you mightgive to someone who's trying to
(23:55):
fight against that?
Arturo Sandoval (23:57):
Of course, of course I'm sorry about whoever
is suffering the same situation,of course, and Cuba is in my
heart, you know, because I wasborn and raised and I left the
island when I could, but I was40 years old.
I could, but I was 40 years old, which means I spent 40 years
of my life in my country, youknow.
(24:21):
But I think I shouldn't go tothe point to give advice to
those people what to do, becauseI don't want to encourage
anything that they don't feelwithin their soul.
You know, it has to be yournecessity.
(24:41):
It's a very personal decisionthat nobody could influence in
your way of thinking, you know,and I don't want to go to that
point.
But I did, what I never regret,of course, I'm glad that I did
it.
The only thing I'm sorry Icouldn't do before because, as I
(25:03):
told you, my son is 49 yearsold, I've been married and then
I refused to leave the islandand left my wife and son back.
I never thought about it.
I said no way, I have to waituntil the conditions and
everything.
And then the thing is that theCuban dictatorship made a
(25:28):
mistake, a terrible mistake,that they gave us special, very,
very special permission to mywife and son to come to Europe
and spend a couple of weeks withme.
That was the opportunity we waslooking for years, and then, of
course, we took it.
Absolutely oh yeah, it's nothingfunny, nothing comfortable when
(25:51):
you have to leave your owncountry.
You know it's nothingcomfortable when you have to
leave your own country.
You know it's somethingterrible.
There's nothing nice about that, but for us it was a necessity.
We didn't have another choice.
You know, if we stay here, ourlife is going to be completely
(26:11):
frustrated and all our ambitionand ideas and passion and things
we don't want to be able toaccomplish any of those things.
And then it was like a realnecessity.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (26:24):
You know, of course, and sometimes we're
faced with those tough decisionsin life.
It doesn't mean that you don'tlove your homeland, of course
you do, and sometimes you haveto do what's best for you and
your family, and for you thatwas to come to the US yeah, but
I have to be sincere in the waythis country treat me and
appreciate what I do and all thethings you cannot compare,
(26:46):
because my experience in Cubawas horrible, horrible.
Arturo Sandoval (26:50):
I never got, I never felt appreciation of my
effort at all.
For example, I never wasinvited to teach or give a
master class or a clinic oranything.
And since I get out of Cuba Ihave been doing that all over
the world and mainly in the mostimportant conservatories of
(27:12):
music, you know, like Berkeley,and even in the most important
conservatories of music, youknow, like Berkeley, and even in
Moscow, the Tchaikovsky, moscowEngland Conservatory, paris
Conservatory of Music, all themajor conservatories of music.
I did master classes and inCuba they never invite me or
never gave me the opportunity todo those things amongst all
(27:35):
things you know.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (27:36):
Well, personally I'm so grateful that
the US and the rest of the worldhas embraced you in a way that,
unfortunately, cuba hadn't, butI do think that in there you
did give some really wonderfuladvice, which is just to follow
your own heart, whatever thatmay be.
Arturo Sandoval (27:53):
Absolutely.
And you also are going to tellyou something Even this year I
didn't have opportunity in Cuba.
I never stopped practicing andwhen I came to New York in June
78 for the first time, the onlything I can guarantee you is I
was prepared for that.
I was ready for that because Iwas practicing like crazy.
(28:13):
Prepare for that, I was readyfor that because I was
practicing like crazy.
You know, I was 26 years old,of course, 27 years old and no,
I'm sorry, 78.
Yeah, I was 27 years old andnow I'm 76.
You know, it's a bigtransformation.
I don't even look alike youdon't look a day over 40.
(28:36):
Oh, my goodness, yeah, 76.
I was born in 49.
And the thing is, god sometimesgives you the privilege and
honor to get some specialopportunity.
But my advice is you have to beready for that when that
(28:58):
opportunity arises, be ready todo your best and really take
that opportunity very seriouslyand do your best and maybe the
result is's gonna be good afterthat because you did the effort,
(29:19):
you know you did the job, thework to get prepared.
Don't let a good opportunitysurprise you and you're not in
good shape.
That's something you're gonnaregret for the rest of your life
.
If you're ready, maybe thatopportunity is going to change
(29:40):
your life.
And I remember when we playedat Coney Hall, the review on the
New York Times the day afterwas unbelievable, unbelievable.
And that's good.
When you play in a country forthe very first time and the day
after one of the majornewspapers make a wonderful
(30:02):
review, that's a good beginning.
You know that's a goodbeginning for later
opportunities.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (30:10):
Discipline and consistency, like you said
before, is so important.
Arturo Sandoval (30:14):
Absolutely In any career, not only in music,
in any career.
You know, when God gives you anopportunity, for example, to
have a job, you don't have amain profession or something and
you are cleaning a place andthe owner or a manager or
something sees your attitude inthe way you're doing so well,
(30:38):
you know, with dedication andthings, maybe they're gonna
offer you a grade.
You know they're gonna offeryou a different position and
maybe you became the nextmanager of the place and then
you save a little money andmaybe in the future you buy that
place that you start cleaning.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (30:59):
Yes.
Arturo Sandoval (31:00):
It's up to you, you know.
It's up to you, your attitudeand your you know.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (31:06):
For sure, for sure.
I have a selfish question toask you, just because I'm
curious what was it like to haveAndy Garcia play you in a movie
?
I have a selfish question toask you just because I'm curious
what was it?
Arturo Sandoval (31:17):
like to have Andy Garcia play you in a movie.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (31:20):
I think it was a good choice.
You ended up liking the moviethe way it came out.
Arturo Sandoval (31:24):
Absolutely, of course.
You know they hired me in thebeginning to write the score.
By the way, I won the Emmy withthe score.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (31:33):
Yes.
Arturo Sandoval (31:34):
Yeah, but they also hired me as a consultant to
be sure that the script and thewhole thing was according to a
real life, you know.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (31:47):
I'm glad.
Arturo Sandoval (31:48):
Yeah, yeah, and Andy did.
Everybody who worked in themovie, even the staff, the
director, the producers and theactors.
Everybody did an incredible joband this is the only project in
my life I got 48 albums andthat's the only project in my
(32:11):
life that every single critic orreview or something has been to
the top Unbelievable.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (32:20):
That's the only one really.
Arturo Sandoval (32:22):
I swear to God, because sometimes you do an
album and you got a bunch ofpeople like it, some people that
are a little so-so, and somepeople are apathetic or they
don't like it as much.
You know, in every, everyproject, because to please
everyone is impossible yeahthat's true in in any profession
(32:44):
or anything, please, everyone.
It's impossible.
The people, some people, alwayscomplain about this or they're
not agree or they don't likesome things, and you know you
have to be prepared for that.
But in case of the movie, oh mygoodness, everything I read
about or something, everybodyloved and respected the movie
(33:10):
and that was a beautiful thing,because everybody has a story to
tell.
You know, hbo decided to tellour story and the people embrace
and appreciate it and like it.
It's good because that's goingto be a kind of testimony that's
going to be there forgenerations in our family to
come.
You know it's nice.
(33:31):
They got that testimony of howwe came to the country, how much
we were struggling before thewhole process.
You know it's good to have thatkind of testimony, you know
absolutely.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (33:46):
I mean I had to ask that question because
I guess it's always been afantasy of mine.
I wonder what it would be likeif somebody made a movie about
my life so you watch.
Arturo Sandoval (33:54):
Did you watch the movie, did you?
Gina Marie Rodriguez (33:56):
I've watched.
So before this interview Iwatched half of it.
I still have to finish it.
I'm not gonna lie.
I have to get to the end of itnow but it was beautiful watch
it, you're gonna like it.
Arturo Sandoval (34:06):
You're gonna like it.
It's very well.
The story was very wellpresented, you know, and Andy
especially did an incredibleacting.
You know mimic playing thetrumpet, all those things.
He did an incredible job.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (34:24):
Did you have to teach him?
Did he learn a little bit ofthe trumpet?
Arturo Sandoval (34:27):
Actually, no, I'm going to tell you a good
friend of mine.
He was a principal of theHollywood Ball Orchestra because
I was living in Miami at thattime.
Now I live in LA for the last16 years, but I was living in
Miami.
That gentleman, he is a verydear friend.
He was helping him with all thethings you know.
(34:48):
And then when we startedshooting the movie, one of my
students in the University ofMiami was his Andy shadow.
You know.
He was with him full time,helping him to put the fingers
in the right way, to put theposition in the mouth, all those
kind of details you know.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (35:10):
Yeah.
Arturo Sandoval (35:11):
And the final result is amazing.
A lot of people thought Andywas playing.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (35:17):
Yeah, when I was watching, I was noticing
his fingers.
Arturo Sandoval (35:20):
Don't play the trumpet.
He don't even know how to makea sound out of the trumpet.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (35:26):
I did hear him give an interview that he
has no idea how to play, but heconvinced me, so he did what he
was supposed to do.
Arturo Sandoval (35:33):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, he did a wonderful job.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (35:36):
Great.
Well, I look forward tofinishing that movie, but I also
look forward to seeing you atRutgers in New Jersey on
September 27th.
Yeah, is there anything you'dlike to say to folks who are
coming to see you in New Jersey?
Arturo Sandoval (35:47):
That's the only thing I want to say.
Please come in, don't miss it.
The band is kicking, the bandis amazing.
I so happy because I I'mpositive that this is, at this
moment, is my best band since1981.
I left it again in December1980 and 81 the very beginning
(36:12):
of 81, I put my own bandtogether for the first time and
then I started playing with myown band.
I started traveling a lot,mainly to Europe, but since 81,
at this moment it is my bestband ever and very professional
(36:33):
musician, very dedicated.
My best band ever, veryprofessional musician, very
dedicated, very serious musicianand I'm extremely happy with
the band.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (36:42):
What a major compliment.
Arturo Sandoval (36:44):
I'll recommend that people don't miss the show,
because it's some serious thing.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (36:49):
Alright, listeners, you heard him guys.
This is the show to see.
Well, I'm sold An evening ofLatin jazz with the delightful
Arturo Sandoval and his bestband.
Yet how could I say no to that?
How could you?
Sandoval will be at the WalterK Gordon Theatre at Rutgers
(37:10):
University in Camden onSeptember 27th at 7 pm.
For tickets and moreinformation, be sure to visit
gorutgersedu.
If you liked this episode, besure to review, subscribe and
tell your friends.
A transcript of this podcast,links relevant to the story and
more about the arts in NewJersey can be found at
(37:31):
jerseyartscom.
The Jersey Arts Podcast ispresented by Art in New Jersey
can be found at jerseyartscom.
The Jersey Arts Podcast ispresented by Art Pride New
Jersey, advancing a state ofcreativity since 1986.
The show was co-founded by andcurrently supported by funds
from, the New Jersey StateCouncil on the Arts.
This episode was hosted, editedand produced by me, Gina Marie
Rodriguez.
Executive producers are JimAtkinson and Isaac Serna-Diez,
(37:54):
and my thanks, of course, to MrArturo Sandoval for speaking
with me today.
I'm Gina Marie Rodriguez forthe Jersey Arts Podcast.
Thanks for listening.
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