Jazz left instant mark on Sandoval
Legendary trumpeter hooked since he first heard it in mid-’60s
The first time legendary trumpeter Arturo Sandoval heard a jazz record, he wasn’t even aware the genre existed. It was in his native Cuba sometime in the mid-1960s, and he knew immediately that he was going to devote his life to playing it.
“For a few years, I was only playing traditional Cuban music,” Sandoval said from his home in California. “Then I heard an album of Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker. Oh, my goodness – that was it. I became crazy about it.”
Sandoval, who performs with the Whitworth Jazz Ensemble tonight, eventually became a protégé of influential trumpeter Gillespie, and he has gone on to become one of the most respected jazz musicians of his era.
Now in his 60s, Sandoval still tours frequently, playing with orchestras and ensembles all over the world. But the size of the crowd doesn’t matter much to him anymore, he says, as long as the audience is engaged in the music.
“I don’t go by numbers, to be honest,” Sandoval said. “I go by the quality of the audience and how much they really get involved and how much they really show us their appreciation. That’s what really motivates me. It could be three people or 3 million; I really don’t care.”
Over the years, Sandoval has performed and appeared on recordings with a number of high-profile artists – Rod Stewart, Alicia Keys, Justin Timberlake, Josh Groban and even Frank Sinatra. Although he never met Old Blue Eyes in person, Sandoval says it was “a huge privilege just to be there in the liner notes.”
“If somebody wants to play with me or record with me, I enjoy that,” Sandoval said. “It doesn’t matter what genre of music you play; I’m probably going to be able to do it. … Every time you collaborate with other artists, it’s good for you.”
Last year, Sandoval was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest of all civilian honors, by President Barack Obama. He joins a short list of musicians that have also received the medal, including such jazz luminaries as Pearl Bailey, Count Basie and Ella Fitzgerald.
“It’s a huge honor for me, and I keep it very close to my heart,” Sandoval said. “It made me feel like whatever I’ve been doing has been appreciated by the government of my favorite country in the world.”
Despite the success that he’s had over the years, Sandoval says that jazz is now an underappreciated art form, especially in its origin country.
“What I strongly believe is (jazz) doesn’t really have the support it deserves in general,” he said. “It’s a little sad, because if you are American and you are not aware of the importance of jazz, I think you’ve got a big hole in your information. We’ve got such a legacy and respect all over the world, and we must be aware of that.”
But it’s important to keep jazz alive and to keep it fresh, he says, and perhaps it will have a resurgence in popular culture.
“How are people going to desire something they’re not familiar with?” Sandoval said. “Jazz is not music to listen to in an elevator. It needs a little concentration to get involved and appreciate what the musician is sharing with us.”