Jose Valdes
Encyclopedia
Jose Angel Valdes is Chicago-based, Mexican American jazz
pianist
and bandleader
.
musicians that played accordion and guitar. The oldest of three children, Jose grew up on the south side of Chicago. The musical influence from his father came as a result of his dad listening to jazz and be-bop records in the basement along with Mexican music. His mother preferred classical music and, in particular, waltzes by Johann Strauss II
.
Jose's first "hands on" experience with music occurred in public school while attending the second grade. His teacher asked the class if anyone was interested in learning piano
and that they were seeking volunteers. Jose responded to this opportunity by volunteering. Since the public school did not have a music program, the students who volunteered were sent to a parochial school nearby where they learned how to play piano from a nun. Jose's decision to choose piano may have been influenced by his familiarity with the popular pianists and bands that he had been exposed to such as Steve Allen
, Liberace
, Jimmy Durante
, Oscar Levant
and Lawrence Welk
. These stars of the TV undoubtedly had some influence on his musical interests as Jose would be exposed to their talents when viewing these shows. Once a week, Jose met with the nun for piano lessons and having no piano at home he would practice the fingerings on a table. He memorized his lessons as a result. Jose did not take lessons or play again until fourth grade.
When Jose was nine years old, he was separated from his family while they were shopping at a local Sears store (located near 63rd & Halsted in Chicago). Jose went off by himself to the lower level of the department store only and came across an organ sale display . There were about six different models of Magnus organs and one had a music book on it. The music in the book was numbered as were the keys on the organ itself. Jose proceeded to play all of the tunes in the book one after the other including "Aura Lee
" among others. He played through the whole book and being a Saturday the store was very busy and his playing began to attract a small crowd of people intently listening to the little boy at the keyboards. At about this point his parents found him and Jose remembers his mother asking him "How can you play all that?" His response: "It's all right there!". His mother said to his father, "You should buy this organ."…and his dad agreed. Jose was self-taught eventually going through the whole Sears Magnus Harmonica Corporation
Chord organ
library of music books. The organ had 12 chord buttons and a 3-octave keyboard which he played for two years. At age 11, his parents bought him his first full sized organ which was a Hammond organ
Spinet Blonde Model M3. Finally he started taking formal keyboard lessons at the Lyon & Healy store downtown Chicago with Paul Renard (who later went on to create "The Music Dynamics Method for Sight Reading", became a staff organist for the Hammond Organ Company and was co‐inventor with Howard Holman of the electric piano which was developed in 1954 at the Wurlitzer Company in Chicago, Illinois...Sun Ra
was the first musician to record with an electric piano, the Wurlitzer, for his 1956 recording Angels and Demons at Play.) Jose continued to study with Renard for three more years.
In the sixth grade, Jose started trying out other instruments. Initially, he tried the clarinet and then the violin, but ended up choosing the alto saxophone, and became a member of the Bass Public School-Chicago concert band. During his years at the St. Rita of Cascia High School
in Chicago, he was involved in the marching and stage bands. While playing alto sax with the stage band, he continued to practice at home on the organ. At this time he started playing with a Chicago black-soul 6-piece band known as "Purple Sunshine" and joined his first Latin band "Los Diamantes Negros". In both of these bands his instrument of choice was the electronic Farfisa organ. While in high school, he grew the Latin band from a 4-piece to an 8-piece small big band for which Jose wrote all the charts, transcribing and arranging the music as well as giving leadership to the band. Some of his favorite bands at this time were Sly and the Family Stone, Grand Funk Railroad
, The Brecker Brothers, and Edgar Winter
. Additionally, Latin band favorites included Salsa Farina All-stars, Gran Combo, and José José
. At this time he played regular gigs at venues in Chicago such as El Paraiso on 26th street and big parties at the Aragon Ballroom (Chicago)
and El Mirador on the Northside. His membership in the Latin band lasted through his junior year of college, majoring in Music Composition at DePaul University
. Notable music instruction during this time was given to him in jazz composition from studies with Tom Hulliard and classical piano studies with Julian Leviton.
, Neil Diamond
, ad nauseam. This experience "…temporarily killed my desire to perform publicly and professionally for about two years …" according to Jose. He continues, "…I decided just to do my day gig at the store and woodshed (dig in and practice) to work on my chops and skill set, developing my left hand and base-pedal techniques…". The year 1981 started out not playing steady with anyone and did not have a band at the time. He began free-lancing again from 1981 to 1985 continuing to practice at home and while at work at the piano store. Then in 1985 Valdes started playing locally with a couple of Latin bands. In 1987 he joined top Latin band in Chicago at the time "La Confidencia". As a member of this band he played piano and started doing a lot of arranging for them. This was a very professional band and several of its members, such as Jose Valdes, Mike Rivera (musician), and Angel Melendez (musician), went on to lead their own bands after the organization's breakup in the early '90s.
, Detroit-Montreaux Jazz Festival, and the Hennessy Jazz Search in New York City (where the Valdes band was recognized as one of the top bands in the country for 1997). They also toured at many universities and music festivals including Mexico and then for the Club Med
Resorts chain.
Jose turned to composition starting about 1995 creating over the years about twenty serious pieces. He then became a full-time musician from 1996 to 1999 and then again from 2002 onward. During this time he did TV and radio commercials for Procter & Gamble
, Kelloggs and K-Mart. In the past few years he has expanded his organization, Valdes Music Productions, to include over a dozen different bands and musical projects. Currently one of his original compositions has been chosen for use as the theme song for a cooking show on cable TV which is currently in production. When asked about the future, Jose jokingly admits, "I have a plan!...world domination and the elimination of Kenny G
, not necessarily in that order...then I hope to clone myself for a band that will finally be able to perform at a level to which I can appreciate...with the exception of the female vocalist of course!". Valdes, "Dez" Desormeaux, and Luis Rosario formed a commercial jazz group named the "Mambo Zombies" which has issued three cd albums of music during the years 2006 to 2008. For several years now, the group has hosted a regular gig/open jam session every Tuesday from 8 pm to 11 pm at the Green Dolphin Street nightclub at in Chicago.
, Armando Manzanero
, and Nelson Ned
, to name just a few. Jose also works with many fine vocalists such as Sonia Perez and Catherine Whitney
and Chicago jazz sidemen "Dez" Desormeaux, Luis Rosario, Cal Drake, John Moran (musician), Victor Garcia (musician), Tito Carrillo and Fred Cantu. After many years of hard work and musical development, Jose Valdes has become a highly respected local jazz pianist, composer and bandleader.
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
and bandleader
Bandleader
A bandleader is the leader of a band of musicians. The term is most commonly, though not exclusively, used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhythm and blues or rock and roll music....
.
Musical education & influences
His father, Jose Valdes, was born in San Carlos, Tarnoulitas, Mexico and was Jose's first musical influence. His late mother, Elena Valdes, was from Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico. His father's uncles were Norteño (music)Norteño (music)
Norteño , also norteña or conjunto, is a genre of Mexican music. The accordion and the bajo sexto are norteño's most characteristic instruments. The norteño genre is popular in both Mexico and the United States, especially among the Mexican community...
musicians that played accordion and guitar. The oldest of three children, Jose grew up on the south side of Chicago. The musical influence from his father came as a result of his dad listening to jazz and be-bop records in the basement along with Mexican music. His mother preferred classical music and, in particular, waltzes by Johann Strauss II
Johann Strauss II
Johann Strauss II , also known as Johann Baptist Strauss or Johann Strauss, Jr., the Younger, or the Son , was an Austrian composer of light music, particularly dance music and operettas. He composed over 500 waltzes, polkas, quadrilles, and other types of dance music, as well as several operettas...
.
Jose's first "hands on" experience with music occurred in public school while attending the second grade. His teacher asked the class if anyone was interested in learning piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
and that they were seeking volunteers. Jose responded to this opportunity by volunteering. Since the public school did not have a music program, the students who volunteered were sent to a parochial school nearby where they learned how to play piano from a nun. Jose's decision to choose piano may have been influenced by his familiarity with the popular pianists and bands that he had been exposed to such as Steve Allen
Steve Allen
Steve Allen may refer to:*Steve Allen , American musician, comedian, and writer*Steve Allen , presenter on the London-based talk radio station LBC 97.3...
, Liberace
Liberace
Wladziu Valentino Liberace , best known simply as Liberace, was a famous American pianist and vocalist.In a career that spanned four decades of concerts, recordings, motion pictures, television and endorsements, Liberace became world-renowned...
, Jimmy Durante
Jimmy Durante
James Francis "Jimmy" Durante was an American singer, pianist, comedian and actor. His distinctive clipped gravelly speech, comic language butchery, jazz-influenced songs, and large nose helped make him one of America's most familiar and popular personalities of the 1920s through the 1970s...
, Oscar Levant
Oscar Levant
Oscar Levant was an American pianist, composer, author, comedian, and actor. He was more famous for his mordant character and witticisms, on the radio and in movies and television, than for his music.-Life and career:...
and Lawrence Welk
Lawrence Welk
Lawrence Welk was an American musician, accordionist, bandleader, and television impresario, who hosted The Lawrence Welk Show from 1955 to 1982...
. These stars of the TV undoubtedly had some influence on his musical interests as Jose would be exposed to their talents when viewing these shows. Once a week, Jose met with the nun for piano lessons and having no piano at home he would practice the fingerings on a table. He memorized his lessons as a result. Jose did not take lessons or play again until fourth grade.
When Jose was nine years old, he was separated from his family while they were shopping at a local Sears store (located near 63rd & Halsted in Chicago). Jose went off by himself to the lower level of the department store only and came across an organ sale display . There were about six different models of Magnus organs and one had a music book on it. The music in the book was numbered as were the keys on the organ itself. Jose proceeded to play all of the tunes in the book one after the other including "Aura Lee
Aura Lee
"Aura Lea" is an American Civil War song about a maiden. It was written by W. W. Fosdick and George R. Poulton .-Lyrics:The lyrics as written by Fosdick:...
" among others. He played through the whole book and being a Saturday the store was very busy and his playing began to attract a small crowd of people intently listening to the little boy at the keyboards. At about this point his parents found him and Jose remembers his mother asking him "How can you play all that?" His response: "It's all right there!". His mother said to his father, "You should buy this organ."…and his dad agreed. Jose was self-taught eventually going through the whole Sears Magnus Harmonica Corporation
Magnus Harmonica Corporation
The Magnus Harmonica Corporation was founded in 1944 in Linden, New Jersey. The company sold and distributed children's harmonicas and mechanical reed organs. Later, Magnus introduced its electric chord organs, which were in production until the late 1970s...
Chord organ
Chord organ
The chord organ is a kind of home organ with a keyboard and a set of chord buttons, enabling the musician to play a melody or lead with one hand and accompanying chords with the other, like the accordion....
library of music books. The organ had 12 chord buttons and a 3-octave keyboard which he played for two years. At age 11, his parents bought him his first full sized organ which was a Hammond organ
Hammond organ
The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...
Spinet Blonde Model M3. Finally he started taking formal keyboard lessons at the Lyon & Healy store downtown Chicago with Paul Renard (who later went on to create "The Music Dynamics Method for Sight Reading", became a staff organist for the Hammond Organ Company and was co‐inventor with Howard Holman of the electric piano which was developed in 1954 at the Wurlitzer Company in Chicago, Illinois...Sun Ra
Sun Ra
Sun Ra was a prolific jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesizer player, poet and philosopher known for his "cosmic philosophy," musical compositions and performances. He was born in Birmingham, Alabama...
was the first musician to record with an electric piano, the Wurlitzer, for his 1956 recording Angels and Demons at Play.) Jose continued to study with Renard for three more years.
In the sixth grade, Jose started trying out other instruments. Initially, he tried the clarinet and then the violin, but ended up choosing the alto saxophone, and became a member of the Bass Public School-Chicago concert band. During his years at the St. Rita of Cascia High School
St. Rita of Cascia High School
St. Rita of Cascia High School is an all-male Roman Catholic high school located on the southwest side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago and is operated by the Order of Saint Augustine...
in Chicago, he was involved in the marching and stage bands. While playing alto sax with the stage band, he continued to practice at home on the organ. At this time he started playing with a Chicago black-soul 6-piece band known as "Purple Sunshine" and joined his first Latin band "Los Diamantes Negros". In both of these bands his instrument of choice was the electronic Farfisa organ. While in high school, he grew the Latin band from a 4-piece to an 8-piece small big band for which Jose wrote all the charts, transcribing and arranging the music as well as giving leadership to the band. Some of his favorite bands at this time were Sly and the Family Stone, Grand Funk Railroad
Grand Funk Railroad
Grand Funk Railroad is an American rock band that was highly popular during the 1970s. Grand Funk Railroad toured constantly to packed arenas worldwide. A popular take on the band during its heyday was that, although the critics hated them, audiences loved them...
, The Brecker Brothers, and Edgar Winter
Edgar Winter
Edgar Holland Winter is an American musician. He is famous for being a multi-instrumentalist. He is a highly skilled keyboardist, saxophonist and percussionist. He often plays an instrument while singing. He was most successful in the 1970s with his band, The Edgar Winter Group, notably with their...
. Additionally, Latin band favorites included Salsa Farina All-stars, Gran Combo, and José José
José José
José Rómulo Sosa Ortiz , known by his artistic name José José, is a Mexican singer.Referred in the entertainment world as "El Príncipe de la Canción" , José José is best known for his romantic ballads and renowned for his vocals...
. At this time he played regular gigs at venues in Chicago such as El Paraiso on 26th street and big parties at the Aragon Ballroom (Chicago)
Aragon Ballroom (Chicago)
The Aragon Ballroom is the name of a ballroom in Chicago, Illinois.Located on West Lawrence Avenue approximately five miles north of downtown in the Uptown neighborhood, it was built in 1926 and designed in the Moorish architectural style with the interior resembling a Spanish village and named...
and El Mirador on the Northside. His membership in the Latin band lasted through his junior year of college, majoring in Music Composition at DePaul University
DePaul University
DePaul University is a private institution of higher education and research in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th century French priest Saint Vincent de Paul...
. Notable music instruction during this time was given to him in jazz composition from studies with Tom Hulliard and classical piano studies with Julian Leviton.
Early career
After college Jose went "on-the-road" to play with a top forty five-piece band known as "Topaz". All the travelling made it, as Jose says, "Longest year of my life…the music was mundane but the paycheck was regular". Typical club gigs paid about $50 to $60 per person and private gigs were $100 per musician. He quit and came home covering the Midwest. Returning to Chicago he free-lanced as a musician and landed a job at Fields Piano Company downtown. In addition to the day gig, Valdes began working "5-nighters" in various restaurants with a singer–guitarist playing a bunch of commercial music such as Elvis PresleyElvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
, Neil Diamond
Neil Diamond
Neil Leslie Diamond is an American singer-songwriter with a career spanning over five decades from the 1960s until the present....
, ad nauseam. This experience "…temporarily killed my desire to perform publicly and professionally for about two years …" according to Jose. He continues, "…I decided just to do my day gig at the store and woodshed (dig in and practice) to work on my chops and skill set, developing my left hand and base-pedal techniques…". The year 1981 started out not playing steady with anyone and did not have a band at the time. He began free-lancing again from 1981 to 1985 continuing to practice at home and while at work at the piano store. Then in 1985 Valdes started playing locally with a couple of Latin bands. In 1987 he joined top Latin band in Chicago at the time "La Confidencia". As a member of this band he played piano and started doing a lot of arranging for them. This was a very professional band and several of its members, such as Jose Valdes, Mike Rivera (musician), and Angel Melendez (musician), went on to lead their own bands after the organization's breakup in the early '90s.
Later career
Jose formed Valdes Music Productions (VMP) in 1992 and created the multiple band configurations of Latin Jazztet, Mambo Allstars, Jazz Facets and The International VMP Orchestra. VMP has grown to a musical organization of up to 12 bands featuring such sidemen as Tito Carillo (trumpet), Chuck "Dez" Desormeaux (sax and flute), Sonia Perez (vocals), Luis "Prieto" Rosario (drums), and Cal Drake (bassist) as well as "…various Congeros which shall remain nameless due to the fact that they are the mercenaries of the Latin music environment principally because of the mental aberration effected by beating their hands on dead animal skins for extended periods of time…", as Jose humorously puts it. These groups went on to play at various regional and national events such as the Chicago Jazz FestivalChicago Jazz Festival
The Chicago Jazz Festival is a popular and well-known four day free celebration of jazz at Petrillo Music Shell in Grant Park in downtown Chicago. It is run by the Jazz Institute of Chicago during Labor Day weekend, integrating both world-famous and local artists...
, Detroit-Montreaux Jazz Festival, and the Hennessy Jazz Search in New York City (where the Valdes band was recognized as one of the top bands in the country for 1997). They also toured at many universities and music festivals including Mexico and then for the Club Med
Club Med
Club Méditerranée , commonly known as Club Med, is a French corporation of vacation resorts found in many parts of the world, usually in exotic locations. It is considered the original all-inclusive resort.-Foundation:...
Resorts chain.
Jose turned to composition starting about 1995 creating over the years about twenty serious pieces. He then became a full-time musician from 1996 to 1999 and then again from 2002 onward. During this time he did TV and radio commercials for Procter & Gamble
Procter & Gamble
Procter & Gamble is a Fortune 500 American multinational corporation headquartered in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio and manufactures a wide range of consumer goods....
, Kelloggs and K-Mart. In the past few years he has expanded his organization, Valdes Music Productions, to include over a dozen different bands and musical projects. Currently one of his original compositions has been chosen for use as the theme song for a cooking show on cable TV which is currently in production. When asked about the future, Jose jokingly admits, "I have a plan!...world domination and the elimination of Kenny G
Kenny G
Kenneth Bruce Gorelick , better known by his stage name Kenny G, is an American, adult contemporary and smooth jazz saxophonist. His fourth album, Duotones, brought him breakthrough success in 1986...
, not necessarily in that order...then I hope to clone myself for a band that will finally be able to perform at a level to which I can appreciate...with the exception of the female vocalist of course!". Valdes, "Dez" Desormeaux, and Luis Rosario formed a commercial jazz group named the "Mambo Zombies" which has issued three cd albums of music during the years 2006 to 2008. For several years now, the group has hosted a regular gig/open jam session every Tuesday from 8 pm to 11 pm at the Green Dolphin Street nightclub at in Chicago.
Current musical associations
Jose has worked with many "world class" jazz stars such as Paquito D’Rivera, Jose Fajardo, Tito PuenteTito Puente
Tito Puente, , born Ernesto Antonio Puente, was a Latin jazz and Salsa musician. The son of native Puerto Ricans Ernest and Ercilia Puente, of Spanish Harlem in New York City, Puente is often credited as "El Rey de los Timbales" and "The King of Latin Music"...
, Armando Manzanero
Armando Manzanero
Armando Manzanero Canché is a Mexican musician and composer of Maya descent, widely considered the premier Mexican romantic composer of the postwar era and one of the most successful composers of Latin America....
, and Nelson Ned
Nelson Ned
Nelson Ned is a famous Brazilian singer from Ubá, Minas Gerais. Nelson built a solid career as a singer and composer of sentimental, suffering songs, rising to popularity in Brazil and Latin America in 1969 and becoming known internationally, especially in Portugal, France and Spain...
, to name just a few. Jose also works with many fine vocalists such as Sonia Perez and Catherine Whitney
Catherine Whitney
Catherine Jane Whitney is an American Jazz Singer that is Chicago-based and is not only a vocalist, but composer and lyricist as well. She sings in the "vo-cool" style similar to that of Anita O'Day and Peggy Lee. She is published by Second Floor Music in New York...
and Chicago jazz sidemen "Dez" Desormeaux, Luis Rosario, Cal Drake, John Moran (musician), Victor Garcia (musician), Tito Carrillo and Fred Cantu. After many years of hard work and musical development, Jose Valdes has become a highly respected local jazz pianist, composer and bandleader.
Selected recordings
- Audio CD Title:"Mambo Zombies" / Release Date:February 15, 2006 / Label:Indie / Manufacturer:RCA
- Audio CD Title:"Southside Christmas" / Release Date:August 16, 2006 / Label:Indie / Manufacturer:RCA
- Audio CD Title:"MZ 3" / Release Date:December 11, 2008 / Label:Indie / Manufacturer:RCA