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In the ’60s, when Diego El Cigala was a child helping his Spanish gypsy parents make a living from tablao to tablao (flamenco clubs), Bebo Valdés was long past his heyday. By that time, the legendary Cuban pianist had played backup for Benny Moré, led two big bands, and even recorded with Nat King Cole. But in 2002, when El Cigala heard Bebo’s melancholy piano notes in the Cuban jazz documentary Calle 54, he vowed to meet the famed musician from a country thousands of miles away.
The result is one of the most legendary cross-generational meetings between two giants. It was a recording session that left everyone in the room in tears and resulted in an album that stayed at the top of the Latin charts for two years. This Thursday at 8 p.m., see El Cigala perform hits from Lágrimas Negras and a new tango recording at the Arsht Center’s Knight Concert Hall.
Thu., Oct. 27, 8 p.m., 2011
