Chucho's Steps

''Chucho's Steps'' is Valdés's first solo album since 2003's New Conceptions. the acoustic album In February 2011 ''Chucho's Steps'' won the Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Album. ==The band==

Valdés expanded his band, the Afro-Cuban Messengers, the name a reference to Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, ==Selected tracks==

The album's opening track, "Zawinul's Mambo", is dedicated to Austrian keyboardist Joe Zawinul. Valdés, who had been playing the piece as early as 2007, thought that Zawinul had died before ever hearing it, but in 2010 a Zawinul interview surfaced that contained him hearing a recording of the piece from a jazz festival in Marciac. Valdés's relationship with, Ellis Marsalis, the Marsalis patriarch goes back to 1979. "Yansa" was inspired by the Yoruba religion, specifically a call to the deity Orisha, the track is highlighted by the vocals of Dreiser Durruthy Bombale. "Julian" is an ode to Valdés 3-year-old son. The title track, "Chucho's Steps", references John Coltrane's composition "Giant Steps". ==Reception==

Reviews of ''Chucho's Steps'' were positive. All About Jazz reviewer Jerry D'Souza called the album "another master work from the genius of Chucho Valdés". In Howard Reich's review in the Deseret News he called Valdés a "virtuoso of the highest order". In The Washington Post Mike Joyce called the album a "keyboard tour de force" In Jeff Simon's review in The Buffalo News he singled out the performances of drummer Juan Carlos De Castro "Rojo" Blanco and saxophonist Carlos Miyares Hernández, calling them "impressive players anywhere". Rebeca Mauleón in JazzTimes called the album "almost as good as seeing [Valdés] live". William Ruhlmann of Allmusic call the album a "versatile set demonstrating [Valdés's] continuing vitality and invention". ==Track listing==

All tracks written by Chucho Valdés • "Las dos Caras" 8:54 • "Danzón" 9:07 • "Zawinul's Mambo" 11:21 • "Begin to Be Good" 5:12 • "New Orleans" 4:42 • "Yansá" 7:49 • "Julián" 7:52 • "Chucho's Steps" 10:52 ==Personnel==

• Chucho Valdés – piano • Reynaldo Melián Álvarez – trumpet • Carlos Miyares Hernández – tenor saxophone • Lazaro Rivero Alarcón – bass, choir • Juan Carlos De Castro "Rojo" Blanco – drums • Yaroldy Abreu Robles – percussion, choir • Dreiser Durruthy Bombale – vocals, percussion • Yemi Menocal – choir • Baira Fermina Ramirez – choir Production • Lorena Salcedo – executive producer • Rita Rosa – production assistant • Estrabao Verdecia – production assistant • Orestes Avila – engineer, mastering, mixing • Rebeca Alderete Bauta – assistant engineer • Amed Fernández Martínez – assistant engineer • Victor Cicard – mastering • Leonardo Acosta – liner notes • Alejandro Pérez – artwork, design, photography • Pedro Vazquez – artwork, design ==Charts==