Synopses & Reviews
Winner of 2005 Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition
Winner of 2005and#160;National Medal of Arts
Since defecting from Cuba in 1980and#151;and indeed long before that in his native landand#151; Paquito D'Rivera has received glowing praise time and again. A best-selling artist with more than thirty solo albums to his credit, D'Rivera has performed at the White House and the Blue Note, and with orchestras, jazz ensembles, and chamber groups around the world. My Sax Life is the English-language edition of D'Rivera's memoirs, published to acclaim in 1998. Propelled by jazz-fueled high spirits, D'Rivera's story soars and spins from memory to memory in a collage of his remarkable life. D'Rivera recalls his early nightclub appearances as a child, performing with clowns and exotic dancers, as well as his search for artistic freedom in communist Cuba and his hungry explorations of world music after his defection. Opinionated but always good-humored, My Sax Life is a fascinating statement on art and the artist's life.
Synopsis
Winner of 2005 Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition
Winner of 2005 National Medal of Arts
My Sax Life is the award-winning memoir of famed Cuban musician Paquito D'Rivera. A best-selling artist with more than thirty solo albums to his credit, D'Rivera has performed at the White House and the Blue Note, and with orchestras, jazz ensembles, and chamber groups around the world. Propelled by jazz-fueled high spirits, D'Rivera's story soars and spins from memory to memory in a collage of his remarkable life. D'Rivera recalls his early nightclub appearances as a child, performing with clowns and exotic dancers, as well as his search for artistic freedom in communist Cuba and his hungry explorations of world music after his defection. Opinionated but always good-humored, My Sax Life is a fascinating statement on art and the artist's life.
About the Author
Paquito D'Rivera was born in 1948 in Havana, Cuba. His celebrated recordings include the Grammy-winning
Historia del Soldado (2003),
Brazilian Dreams (2003),
Live at the Blue Note (2001), and
Portraits of Cuba (1996). D'Rivera is celebrating his fiftieth year as a performer in 2004 with concerts throughout the world and culminating with a special celebration at Carnegie Hall in January 2005. He lives in North Bergen, New Jersey.