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At the age of seven, when you’re supposed to be eating Oreo cookies and watching Batman cartoons, Paquito D’Rivera was already a paid musician with an endorsement deal from Selmer saxophones. Born in Cuba and musically trained at age five by his father, he has performed with the National Theater Orchestra of Havana, the Cuban National Symphony Orchestra, and the Cuban Army Band. Since then, he has released several albums (including 1997’s Portraits of Cuba, which won the Best Latin Jazz Performance Grammy), all of which are overflowing with Charlie Parker and John Coltrane-influenced jazz blended with his native Latin rhythms. In addition to recording, D’Rivera has lately experimented with composing for other orchestras. He has also written an autobiography, titled My Saxual Life, and a novel.
