I saw the future and his name is Aldo Lopez-Gavilan

Posted on Jun 13, 2014

Last night, I was invited to the SF Jazz Festival where my radio station is sponsoring the closing night of a four

Aldo Lopez GavilanIPianistnight run for Juan De Marcos and The Afro Cuban All Stars.  However, I didn’t attend the second night of their run, I was invited instead to see Cuban born child prodigy and piano wunderkind Aldo Lopez-Gavilan in the intimate Joe Henderson Lab space.  Lopez-Gavilan who looked like he was 22, sported long curly hair, a goatee and a boyish smile.  He had an easy way of connecting with the audience with a sense of humor as he had a story for every song he introduced.  He dazzled the sold out crowd with brilliant technique combined with his inventive arrangements and original ideas that revealed a fluid fusion of jazz, afro-cuban and classical music.   I was mesmerized listening to every tune of his magical 85 minute set.  I sensed the importance of this date as if I had discovered a young Chucho Valdes or Gonzalo Rubalcaba in a small club.  I had just witnessed the future and his name is Aldo Lopez-Gavilan.