"You can't even see his fingers move they're going so fast," Margaret Lawrence, director of programming at the Hop, said prior to the concert. "And to him it's nothing; he just tosses it off."
An Afro-Cuban jazz pianist, Valdes combines classical training with his Cuban roots and American jazz influences. Highlighting his versatility, he does not limit himself to certain types of music during improvised solos, but plays whatever comes to his mind, his fingertips speeding along with extraordinary agility.
Over the course of the night, Valdes' music choice ranged from energetic Cuban dance numbers to slow, poignant ballads. The resulting combination of musical choices is a style uniquely his own.
"What's unique about him, I think, is his playing really combines the two the incredible classical technique, but also this really fiery, propulsive Afro-Cuban jazz," Lawrence said.
Valdes' current 13-stop tour is his first North American tour in seven years largely a reflection of the political tensions between the United States and Cuba, which Lawrence argued has diminished in recent years.
"It's looking like in the current administration while there hasn't been a dramatically different policy stated things are starting to ease up," Lawrence said. "I think [Valdes'] tour is a great example. It's great to have him back."
The crowd that filled the auditorium on Tuesday echoed this sentiment, greeting the returning pianist enthusiastically. Even I, a jazz skeptic, was taken in by a few of the gorgeous ballads he played and admired the skill with which he mastered the piano. At the end of the night, he and the six members of his band, the Afro-Cuban Messengers, received a standing ovation.
While in Hanover, Valdes will do more than share his musical skills. Today, he will meet with students in the East Wheelock cluster and visit a Spanish class.
"He's just kind of up for anything while he's here," Lawrence said. "He wants to see people and try out our pianos. He just really wants to connect with everybody."
