The warmth of Havana will come to Floridita on 29 September, as it plays host to the eight-time Grammy Award-winning performer Chucho Valdés. The legendary pianist and Cuban musician will perform with his Afro-Cuban Messengers to celebrate his upcoming 70^th birthday on 9 October. Although Chucho still performs regularly, this landmark event is the first of only three exclusive UK shows.

A founding member of the seminal Latin-jazz group Irakere, who “put Cuban jazz on the world map long before the Buena Vistas” (The Guardian), Chucho has also enjoyed an illustrious solo career and is celebrated as a brilliant pianist and bandleader.

Encompassing American and Afro-Cuban jazz traditions, Chucho played with the Afro-Cuban Messengers on his album Chucho’s Steps, which won a Latin Jazz Grammy earlier this year.

“Chucho Valdes, the pianist who is the dean of Latin jazz… has never been anything less than impressive, showing magnificent power, clarity and speed in his playing.” Ben Ratliff, The New York Times