David Peter Valentin (April 29, 1952 – March 8, 2017) was an American

Latin jazz Latin jazz is a genre of jazz with Latin American rhythms. The two main categories are Afro-Cuban jazz, rhythmically based on Cuban popular dance music, with a rhythm section employing ostinato patterns or a clave, and Afro-Brazilian jazz, whic ...

flautist The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

of Puerto Rican descent.

Life and career

Valentin was born to Puerto Rican parents in

The Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

in New York City. He attended

The High School of Music & Art The High School of Music & Art, informally known as "Music & Art" (or "M&A"), was a public specialized high school located at 443-465 West 135th Street in the borough of Manhattan, New York, from 1936 until 1984. In 1961, Music & Art and the High ...

. He learned percussion at an early age, and by 10 was playing

conga The conga, also known as tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed drum from Cuba. Congas are staved like barrels and classified into three types: quinto (lead drum, highest), tres dos or tres golpes (middle), and tumba or salidor (lowest). ...

and

timbales Timbales () or pailas are shallow single-headed drums with metal casing. They are shallower than single-headed tom-toms and usually tuned much higher, especially for their size.Orovio, Helio 1981. ''Diccionario de la música cubana: biográfico ...

professionally. When he was 12, he began to practice the

flute The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

so he could get to know a girl in school who played the flute, Irene Cathcart. He borrowed a flute, bought a

Herbie Mann Herbert Jay Solomon (April 16, 1930 – July 1, 2003), known by his stage name Herbie Mann, was an American jazz flute player and important early practitioner of world music. Early in his career, he also played tenor saxophone and clarinet (incl ...

record, and started to teach himself. Years later, he recorded an album with Mann called ''Two Amigos''. He took lessons from

Hubert Laws Hubert Laws (born November 10, 1939) is an American flutist and saxophonist with a career spanning over 40 years in jazz, classical, and other music genres. Laws is one of the few classical artists who has also mastered jazz, pop, and rhythm- ...

, who became his mentor. In the 1970s, Valentin combined Latin music with jazz in bands with

Bill O'Connell Bill O'Connell (born August 22, 1953 in New York City) is a jazz pianist, educator, and bandleader. He is most associated with Latin jazz and hard bop. He studied piano at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, but has mostly lived in NYC or Long I ...

Lincoln Goines Lincoln Goines (born 1953) is a double bassist and bass guitarist from Oakland, California. Biography A mainstay of the New York City jazz/Latin/studio scene since the early 1980s and noted for his versatility and fluid style, Goines' extensive ...

, Richie Morales,

Robby Ameen Robby Ameen (born December 7, 1960) is an American drummer, composer, bandleader, and educator who resides in New York City. Although he is of Lebanese origin, Ameen is best known for the unique and powerful Afro-Cuban style he has created. He is ...

Sammy Figueroa Sammy Figueroa (born November 16, 1948, The Bronx, New York) is an American percussionist. At 18 he joined the band of bassist Bobby Valentín and also co-led the Brazilian/Latin fusion group Raíces. Selected Discography Giovanni Hidalgo Giovanni Hidalgo a.k.a. "Mañenguito" (born November 22, 1963) is a Latin jazz percussionist. Early years Hidalgo was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where he received his primary education. His grandfather was a musician, and his father, José ...

. He was the first musician signed to

GRP Records GRP® Records (Grusin-Rosen Productions) is a jazz record label founded by Dave Grusin and Larry Rosen (producer), Larry Rosen in 1978. Distributed by Verve Records, GRP® was originally known for its digital recordings that focuses on its jazz ...

, a label founded by

Dave Grusin Robert David "Dave" Grusin (born June 26, 1934) is an American composer, arranger, producer, jazz pianist, and band leader. He has composed many scores for feature films and television, and has won numerous awards for his soundtrack and record w ...

and Larry Rosen that specialized in

smooth jazz Smooth jazz is a genre of commercially-oriented crossover jazz and easy listening music that became dominant in the mid 1970s to the early 1990s. History Smooth jazz is a commercially oriented, crossover jazz which came to prominence in the 19 ...

jazz fusion Jazz fusion (also known as fusion and progressive jazz) is a music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and jazz improvisation, improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric guitars, ...

, and jazz-pop. He recorded his debut album with Ricardo Marrero in 1977. Over time he recorded with

Noel Pointer Noel Pointer (December 26, 1954 – December 19, 1994) was an American jazz violinist and record producer, whose life inspired a music foundation. Career Pointer made his solo debut at the age of 13, performing Vivaldi with the Symphony of the N ...

Patti Austin Patti Austin (born August 10, 1950) is an American R&B, pop, and jazz singer and songwriter. Music career Austin was born in Harlem, New York, to Gordon Austin, a jazz trombonist. She was raised in Bay Shore, New York on Long Island. Quincy ...

Lee Ritenour Lee Mack Ritenour ( ; born January 11, 1952) is an American jazz guitarist who has been active since the late 1960s. Biography Ritenour was born on January 11, 1952, in Los Angeles, California, United States. At the age of eight he started play ...

Chris Connor Mary Jean Loutsenhizer, known professionally as Chris Connor (November 8, 1927 – August 29, 2009) was an American jazz singer. Biography Chris Connor was born Mary Loutsenhizer in Kansas City, Missouri, to Clyde Loutsenhizer and Mabel Shir ...

, David Benoit,

Eliane Elias Eliane Elias
BrowseBiography.com, 20 November 2011; retrieved 10 September 2014. is a Brazilian jazz pianist, sin ...

, and

Nnenna Freelon Nnenna Freelon (born July 28, 1954) is an American jazz singer, composer, producer, and arranger. Early life and education Freelon was born Chinyere Nnenna Pierce to Charles and Frances Pierce in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where she was raised. ...

. Until 1979, he was a schoolteacher. For several years Valentin served as musical director for

Tito Puente Ernest Anthony Puente Jr. (April 20, 1923 – June 1, 2000), commonly known as Tito Puente, was an American musician, songwriter, bandleader, and record producer of Puerto Rican descent. He is best known for dance-oriented mambo and Latin jazz c ...

's Golden Latin Jazz All-Stars, and also toured with

Manny Oquendo Manny Oquendo (January 1, 1931 – March 25, 2009) was an American percussionist of Puerto Rican ancestry. His main instruments were the timbales and the bongos. He was a long-time member of Eddie Palmieri's Conjunto La Perfecta, which he lef ...

's Conjunto Libre. In 2000, he appeared in the documentary

Calle 54 ''Calle 54'' is a 2000 documentary film about Latin jazz by Spanish director Fernando Trueba. With only minimal introductory voiceovers, the film consists of studio performances by a wide array of Latin Jazz musicians. Artists featured include Chuc ...

performing with Tito Puente's Orchestra. For seven years in a row, he was chosen best jazz flautist by readers of ''Jazziz'' magazine. In 1985, he received a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

nomination as best R&B instrumentalist. In 2003, he won a Grammy for ''Caribbean Jazz Project'', an album he did with

Dave Samuels David Alan Samuels (October 9, 1948 – April 22, 2019) was an American vibraphone and marimba player who spent many years with the contemporary jazz group Spyro Gyra. His recordings and live performances during that period also reflect his pr ...

. In March 2012, Valentin had a stroke which left him partially paralyzed and unable to perform. In 2015 he suffered a second stroke, and worked to overcome his disabilities in an extended care facility. On March 8, 2017, Valentin died from complications of a stroke and

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...

in the Bronx at the age of 64. His lifelong "special friend", Irene, for whom he learned to play the flute, was at his side when he passed.

Discography

* ''Legends'' ( GRP, 1978) * ''The Hawk'' (GRP, 1979) * ''Land of the Third Eye'' (GRP, 1980) * ''I Got It Right This Time'' ( Arista, 1981) * ''Pied Piper'' (GRP, 1981) * ''In Love's Time'' (Arista/GRP, 1982) * ''Flute Juice'' (GRP, 1983) * ''Kalahari'' (GRP, 1984) * ''Jungle Garden'' (GRP, 1985) * ''Light Struck'' (GRP, 1986) * ''Mind Time'' (GRP, 1987) * ''Live at the Blue Note'' (GRP, 1988) * ''Two Amigos'' (GRP, 1990) * ''Musical Portraits'' (GRP, 1992) * ''Red Sun'' (GRP, 1993) * ''Tropic Heat'' (GRP, 1994) * ''Sunshower'' (

Concord Jazz Concord Jazz is a record company and label founded in 1973 by Carl Jefferson, the former owner of Jefferson Motors Lincoln Mercury dealership in Concord, California. The label was named after the city in the East San Francisco Bay area, and the j ...

, 1999) * ''Primitive Passions'' ( RMM, 2005) * ''World on a String'' (

Highnote HighNote Records is a jazz record company and label founded by Joe Fields with his son, Barney Fields, in 1997. Joe Fields worked for Prestige Records in the 1960s, and in the 1970s founded Muse Records. After he sold Muse, he started the Highn ...

, 2005) * ''Come Fly With Me'' (Highnote, 2006) * ''Pure Imagination'' (Highnote, 2011) With

Steve Turre Stephen Johnson Turre (born September 12, 1948, in Omaha, Nebraska) is an American jazz trombonist and a pioneer of using Conch (instrument), seashells as instruments, a composer, arranger, and educator at the collegiate-conservatory level. For ...

*''

The Spirits Up Above ''The Spirits Up Above'' is an album by trombonist Steve Turre recorded in 2004 and released on the HighNote label. Reception The AllMusic review by Scott Yanow said "Trombonist Steve Turre pays tribute to his former employer, the remarkable mul ...

'' (HighNote, 2004) With the

GRP All-Star Big Band The GRP All-Star Big Band was a contemporary big band assembled in the late 1980s by Dave Grusin and Larry Rosen, the founders of GRP Records. The band played new arrangements of popular jazz pieces from the 1950s and 1960s. Its albums '' GRP All ...

* ''

'' (GRP, 1992) With

Scott Cossu Scott Cossu is an American New-age music, new-age pianist. He released a large number of albums on Windham Hill between 1980 and 1992, some to considerable sales success: 1987's ''She Describes Infinity'' reached number 24 on the U.S. Billboard ma ...

*''Islands'' (Windham Hill, 1984) *''Switchback'' (Windham Hill, 1989) *''Stained Glass Memories'' (Windham Hill, 1992)

References

External links

*
Dave Valentin
at

Music of Puerto Rico The music of Puerto Rico has evolved as a heterogeneous and dynamic product of diverse cultural resources. The most conspicuous musical sources of Puerto Rico have included European, Indigenous, and African influences, although many aspects of P ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Valentin, Dave 1952 births 2017 deaths American jazz flautists American male musicians American salsa musicians American people of Puerto Rican descent Musicians from the Bronx The High School of Music & Art alumni GRP Records artists Deaths from Parkinson's disease Neurological disease deaths in New York (state) Jazz musicians from New York (state) American male jazz musicians GRP All-Star Big Band members The Blackout All-Stars members HighNote Records artists CTI Records artists