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Latino USA

From Cuba to New York and Around the World With Paquito D’Rivera

Latino USA

Futuro Media and PRX

Society & Culture

4.93.7K Ratings

🗓️ 20 October 2024

⏱️ 36 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Ever since he can remember, music has been part of Paquito D’Rivera’s life. The 76-year old jazz pioneer has played on stages across the world and is still winning awards across genres. In 2023, he received Latin Grammys for Best Latin Jazz Album and Best Contemporary Classical Composition.

In this conversation with Maria Hinojosa, Paquito talks about the places music has taken him, the people he’s met along the way, and the ways he’s improvising his way into the next chapter of his life.

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Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Futuro. This is legendary jazz musician, Pacito de Rivera.

0:16.4

I visited his kind of incredible apartment in New Jersey.

0:20.3

He lives in a high right with a jaw-dropping view of the west side of Manhattan.

0:27.0

But on the west the massive picture windows, the view is blocked by a blue and white stained glass mosaic of the dark skinned glass mosaic of the dark skin Virgen de Regla or Yemaya, our lady of Regla.

0:47.0

Isn't that beautiful?

0:48.0

I am not a religion pressure, but for some reason I became a en de Vigir de la.

0:55.8

At the sight of the Virgen, Pacito just bursts into song.

1:01.0

So mizcantare, the mement of the alma. song. No, I forgot the resolution.

1:19.0

Music is everywhere in this space. There are pictures of Pacito as a kid with a small saxophone playing back in his native Cuba.

1:25.9

There are framed letters from famous musicians written on sheet music along with countless photographs of Pacito with orchestras from around the world.

1:37.0

And then there are the instruments.

1:39.2

There's the Grand Piano, which Pacito has for when other musicians come to visit and they all sit down for a jam

1:45.3

session and of course there are his saxophones and clarinets.

1:49.5

Pacito suddenly picks one up and starts to improvise.

1:53.6

This space with its walls covered in art tells a story.

2:07.0

Seven decades of the life of a musician who has mixed genres, he's played with the

2:12.4

greats, left his home country, traveled the globe,

2:16.7

and accumulated award after award after award.

2:21.8

Over here on this side,

2:24.0

some of the Grammys?

2:25.0

Some.

2:27.0

Not all?

...

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