As part of the occasional series "Musicians in Their Own Words," Latin jazz trumpeters Arturo Sandoval describes his music and some of his more important influences.
Born in Artemisa Cuba, in 1949, Sandoval started playing classical trumpet at 12 and entered the Cuban National School of the Arts at 15. He was a founding member of the 1970s Afro-Cuban band Irakere and was mentored by his idol Dizzy Gillespie. Sandoval defected to the U.S. while on tour in Rome, eventually settling in Florida with his wife and son.
Features in the series are produced by David Schulman and NPR's Jeffrey Freymann-Weyr.
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