Pianist, composer, arranger and bandleader, Bebo Valdés was one of the most influential figures in the history of Cuban music. Born in the town of Quivicán in the outskirts of Havana on October 9, 1918 (he died on March 22, 2013, at the age of 94), Valdés was raised among the Yoruba music rituals that arrived to the island from Africa. Even though Bebo’s contract demanded exclusivity with regard to instrumental recordings, it permitted him to work as a vocal accompanist for other record labels. Thus began a prolific period in which many singers – both Cuban and international – were afforded the opportunity to record with Bebo’s brilliant piano accompaniment, arrangements and musical direction.

The members of the Sabor de Cuba orchestra had already played and recorded together many times before it was officially formed, and included such important musicians as Alejandro “El Negro” Vivar, Luis Escalante (trumpet), Generoso “El Tojo” Jiménez (trombone), Gustavo Más, Rafael “Cabito” Quesada, Virgilio Vixama (saxophones, clarinet), Enrique “Kike” Hernández (bass), Guillermo Barreto (drums), and Rolando Alfonso and Cándido Camero (congas), among others. The majority of the songs appearing on this LP were recorded with the members of the Sabor de Cuba orchestra (and half of the compositions were penned by Bebo). Some songs were recorded prior to the band’s official formation (such as “Desconfianza” from 1952, and “Music Box Mambo”, “Mississippi Mambo”, “Mambo cantabile”, “Big Shot Cha Cha Chá”, “Descarga caliente” and “Miramar” from 1955), while the remaining tracks follow the band’s trajectory from its inception in 1957 to its end in 1960. The version of the iconic “Lágrimas negras” presented here is Bebo’s very first, with his orchestra backing Rolando Laserie’s vocals. Bebo would tape this song at least two more times, in the company of his son Chucho and with flamenco’s singer Diego El Cigala. After spending 30 years in obscurity, Bebo received a call from Paquito D’Rivera on November 25, 1994, inviting him to record a new album in Germany. The recording of Bebo Rides Again would serve to reignite Bebo’s career, even though the pianist was already 76-years old at the time. After the album was recorded, Bebo participated in Fernando Trueba’s music documentary, Calle 54 (2000) and recorded the album El Arte de Sabor (2001) along with Cachao and Patato Valdés, for which he received a Grammy award for the Best Traditional Tropical Album. “I want to play until I die”, he stated several times during his last years. And so he did.