IRAKERE'S 50TH ANNIVERSARY CONCERT

SAN FRANCISCO JAZZ

FEBRUARY 16, 2024

PHOTOS BY TOM EHRLICH © 2024

Chucho Valdés and the newest version of Irakere are out on a 50th Anniversary tour which included a 4-day run of sold out concerts at San Francisco Jazz. The tour will continue this summer with concerts in Europe. This report is from the second of four San Francisco concerts on February 16, 2024.

Irakere 50 included:

Chucho Valdés - leader and piano

Horacio El Negro Hernández - drum set

Armando Gola - bass

Roberto Vizcaíno, Jr. - percussion

Carlos Averhoff, Jr. - sax

Luis Beltrán - sax

Osvaldo Fleites - trumpet

Eddie de Armas, Jr. - trumpet

Ramón Álvarez - vocals

Rebeca Mauleón introducing Irakere and vocalist Ramón Álvarez

El Negro drum set, Roberto Vizcaíno, Jr percussion and Carlos Averhoff, Jr. sax solo

Carlos Averhoff, Jr,, the son of the original sax player of Irakere played a solo of a song that his dad played.

Roberto Vizcaíno, Jr. throwing a chékere to the crowd

Chucho Valdés

Left to right Luis Beltrán, Carlos Averhoff, Jr., Osvaldo Fleites and Eddie de Armas, Jr.

Roberto Vizcaino, Jr. congas and Luis Beltran playing a sax solo

El Negro on drum set

Chucho Valdés, Armando Gola bass and coro and Ramón Álvarez vocal

Horacio El Negro Hernández

Roberto Vizcaíno, Jr. chékere solo

Chucho Valdés

Chucho showing some dance moves

Roberto Vizcaíno, Jr. great young percussionist

Roberto Vizcaíno, Jr. (batá)

Chucho Valdés acknowledging the crowd's standing ovation.