SPRINGFIELD \u2014 Growing up in the small town of Artemisa on the outskirts of Havana, the only music Arturo Sandoval<\/a> could hear on a transistor radio in the oppressed country of Cuba was traditional Cuban music. <\/p>\n But that didn\u2019t stop him from becoming one of the greatest trumpet players in the world, hailed today for his groundbreaking fusion of Latin and jazz influences.<\/p>\n On Friday, Nov. 14, jazz enthusiasts will have the opportunity to hear Sandoval live at Hope Center for the Arts in Springfield. Showtime is 7 p.m.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was very difficult finding music to listen to when growing up because we didn\u2019t have any record store where you could go and buy a record and they were not playing any kind of American music on the radio. For many years, I listened to the Voice of America from Washington, DC, every day at 3:15 p.m. I never missed that program even when in obligatory military service for three years,\u201d Sandoval said in an interview with The Republican.<\/p>\n \u201cI listened to the show on a small radio, and they put me in jail for several months because I was listening to the voice of the enemy,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Sandoval started playing music at the age of 12 in 1961 in his village\u2019s band and went on in 1964 to attend the Cuban National School of Arts, where he took classical trumpet lessons for three years. But until around 1967, he had never even heard of jazz music.<\/p>\n \u201cA journalist in my town, who I would often speak with, asked me one day if I had ever heard jazz. I said, \u2018What is that?\u2019 and went with him to listen to an album of Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker. It turned my brain upside down,\u201d Sandoval said.<\/p>\n It was in 1977, exactly 10 years after listening to that album, that Gillespie came to Havana with other jazz greats to play a concert there.<\/p>\n \u201cWe met and from then on we started a beautiful friendship, and we played together until his death in 1993,\u201d Sandoval said about being mentored by Gillespie, who introduced Sandoval to his innovative techniques and bebop improvisations. <\/p>\n Gillespie was also instrumental in furthering Sandoval\u2019s career by introducing him to influential people in the jazz world, helping him secure a record deal, and offering the young trumpet master opportunities to tour with him, which led to his own flourishing career.<\/p>\n \u201cEven when I decided to defect while on a tour with him and the United Nations Orchestra, Dizzy went with me to the American Embassy and helped me all the way through the process,\u201d said Sandoval, who became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1998.<\/p>\n Sandoval\u2019s musical explorations have extended beyond traditional jazz, leading him to be a pioneer in the realm of Latin jazz. With his innovative compositions and performances, he has fused elements of Afro-Cuban rhythms, Latin melodies, and jazz harmonies, creating a captivating and distinctive sound. Over the years, he has collaborated with prominent artists from various genres, including Dizzy Gillespie, Michel Legrand, Tony Bennett, Josh Groban, and Alicia Keys.<\/p>\n In addition to his musical achievements, Sandoval has shared his experience and insights through his autobiography, \u201cThe Man Who Changed My Life,\u201d a deeply personal account of his artistic journey and the transformative influence of Gillespie. He has also devoted himself to education, conducting masterclasses and workshops worldwide, nurturing the next generation of musicians.<\/p>\n His accolades are many.<\/p>\n Last year, Sandoval was among five honorees to receive the 47th<\/sup> Kennedy Center Honors.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a huge honor, and I am going to be grateful for the rest of my days. I\u2019ve been working hard and my dedication is big, my passion, my love for music, my respect for the audience, in general, as a human, I believe is why I received the award,\u201d Sandoval said.<\/p>\n He was also honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Latin Grammys in 2023 and is a 10-time Grammy winner.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s an incentive, like inspiration, to continue what you have been doing, and I really keep these awards very close to my heart,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Continuing to tour and share his music with both new and familiar audiences, Sandoval is not ready to stop.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been working nonstop. I\u2019m blessed because I am doing what I love. God has given me so many opportunities and I remain active at my age, which is not easy. But that\u2019s my motivation in life, to play in from of an audience which is the best honor. It is such a beautiful experience that I have no words to describe it,\u201d Sandoval said.<\/p>\n Prior to Sandoval taking the stage, the night will begin with a performance by the Springfield Conservatory of the Arts Concert Band, comprised of the school\u2019s most advanced instrumental students in grades 7\u201312. Admission is by audition only, and members perform an extensive repertoire spanning traditional Latin masters to today\u2019s popular hitmakers. <\/p>\n Tickets range from $50 to $75 and are available online<\/a> and in-person at the door. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement<\/a> and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and\/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.masslive.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" SPRINGFIELD \u2014 Growing up in the small town of Artemisa on the outskirts of Havana, the only music Arturo Sandoval could hear on a transistor radio in the oppressed country of Cuba was traditional Cuban music. But that didn\u2019t stop him from becoming one of the greatest trumpet players in the world, hailed today for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2146286","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-entertainment"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2146286","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2146286"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2146286\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2146287,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2146286\/revisions\/2146287"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2146286"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2146286"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2146286"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Arturo](\"https:\/\/www.masslive.com\/resizer\/v2\/PPFTF233O5BFNBZ62YA65LWZVY.jpg?auth=1e37317423ab9a4eb4138a560e5af12d90740b0b992390ccb839f10ac90c018b&width=1280&smart=true&quality=90\"\/)
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