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Trending in Paquito D'Rivera’s World
Latest Album
Sons Do Brasil
Released Jan 1, 1991
Trending Globally
Story
Quick Facts
Born
1948
1948
From
Cuba
Cuba
Journey
Paquito D’Rivera, born Francisco de Jesús Rivera Figueras in Marianao, Havana, Cuba. Raised in a musical household, he received his earliest instruction from his father, Tito D’Rivera, a saxophonist who encouraged his interest in both jazz and classical music. D’Rivera showed exceptional ability from childhood, beginning professional performances while still young. He studied at Havana’s Alejandro G. Caturla Conservatory and later became a soloist with the Cuban National Symphony Orchestra.
During the 1960s, D’Rivera became an important participant in Cuba’s emerging modern-jazz movement. He helped establish the Orquesta Cubana de Música Moderna before becoming a leading member of Irakere, the influential ensemble founded by Chucho Valdés. With Irakere, he contributed to music that connected Cuban traditions with jazz and Classical influences.
D’Rivera moved to the United States in 1981, beginning a new chapter as a saxophonist, clarinetist, composer, and bandleader. His extensive discography includes "Blowin'" (1981), "Portraits of Cuba" (1996), "Brazilian Dreams" (2002), "Funk Tango" (2007), "Song for Maura" (2013), and "I Missed You Too!" (2022). He has worked with Dizzy Gillespie, Arturo Sandoval, Chucho Valdés, and the New York Voices.
In 1988, he joined Gillespie’s United Nations Orchestra, performing with musicians from across the Americas. D’Rivera has received multiple Grammy and Latin Grammy Awards and was named an NEA Jazz Master in 2005. He also received the National Medal of Arts that year. His recordings, including "La Fleur de Cayenne" (2025), continue his exploration of Latin jazz, Cuban music, classical composition, and international collaboration.