Arturo Sandoval

Cuban trumpeter Arturo Sandoval is a major figure in Afro-Cuban music globally. He made his mark with Cuban jazz-funk ensemble Irakere in the 1970s, then solo in the early '80s, delivering acclaimed albums for Areitov (Turi, Tumbaito). He defected to the U.S. in 1990. 1991's Flight to Freedom, was followed by I Remember Clifford in 1992. Sandoval is also a skilled classical musician; in 1994 he issued The Classical Album with the London Symphony Orchestra. In 2000 Andy Garcia played him in the television movie, For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story. 2010's A Time for Love offered romantic standards with an orchestra. 2012 netted Dear Diz (Every Day I Think of You) and Mambo Nights in collaboration with WDR Big Band. In 2014 Sandoval wrote and recorded the soundtrack for At Middleton, another Garcia vehicle. 2025's My Foolish Heart included his vocals. 2026's SANGÚ was a family project melding Afro-Cuban rhythms, funky fusion, and modern jazz.