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Artist
Dave Valentin
12+ albums
jazzlatinjazz fluteflutelatin jazz
about
David Joseph Valentin (April 29, 1952 – March 8, 2017) was an American Latin jazz flautist. Valentin was born to Puerto-Rican parents in The Bronx in New York City. He attended The High School of Music & Art. He learned percussion at an early age, and by 10 was playing conga and timbales professionally. When he was 12, he took up flute so he could get a know a girl in school who played the flute, Irene Cathcart. He borrowed a flute, bought a Herbie Mann record, and started to teach himself. Years later, he recorded an album with Mann called Two Amigos. He took lessons from Hubert Laws, who became his mentor. In the 1970s Valentin combined Latin music with jazz in bands with Bill O'Connell, Lincoln Goines, Richie Morales, Robby Ameen, Sammy Figueroa, and Giovanni Hidalgo. He was the first musician signed to GRP Records, a label founded by Dave Grusin and Larry Rosen that specialized in smooth jazz, jazz fusion, and jazz-pop. He recorded his debut album with Ricardo Marrero in 1977. Over time he recorded with Noel Pointer, Patti Austin, Lee Ritenour, Chris Connor, David Benoit, Eliane Elias, and Nnenna Freelon. For seven years in a row he was chosen best jazz flautist by readers of Jazziz magazine. In 1985 he received a Grammy Award nomination. In 2003 he won a Grammy for Caribbean Jazz Project, an album he did with Dave Samuels. In March of 2012 Valentin had a stroke which left him partially paralyzed and unable to perform. In 2015, David suffered a second stroke. Since th
