Amadito Valdés ( nominate to Grammy 2003 ) belongs to the Cuban percussion elite. He is a real « master » of the timbales (kettledrums). Tito Puente conferred a worldwide principal role to this instrument and Amadito Valdés is supposed to be a continuator of his work.

  During his forty years of artistic life, Amadito shared the stage with some of the legends of the famous golden age of Cuban popular music: Enrique Jorrín, Rubén González, Félix Chappotín, Richard Egúes, El Niño Rivera and Las D´Aida during more than two decades and with other key contemporary stars as important as Paquito D´Rivera, Arturo Sandoval and Juan Pablo Torres.

  In 1997, when the Buena Vista Social Club and the Afro Cuban All Stars began to work, he joined this prestigious musical phenomenon of the island together with well-known artistic figures like Omara Portuondo, Pío Leyva, Ibrahim Ferrer, Orlando "Cachaíto" López, Teresita García Caturla, Jesús "Aguaje" Ramos and Juan de Marcos González. Wim Wenders, the prominent German filmmaker made possible that the images of the Cuban musicians of the Buena Vista Social Club traveled all over the world thanks to his homonymous film. About Amadito’s participation, Win Wenders said that “he was indispensable for the film and the orchestra”. For his part, one of the very well-known foreigners of this authentic boom, Ry Cooder, referring to Amadito, affirms that “as a timbales player, he is one of the biggest exponents still alive”.

  After having participated as a side man in the region of eighty records, some of which are anthological because of their memorable music (Estrellas de Areito and some of the Buena Vista set), Amadito finally appears as a soloist in his album “Bajando Gervasio”       ( nominate to Grammy 2003) that recently appeared on the international market. This record is an authentic and singular gem that does not admit categorization as instrumental music or as a specific genre or style. This extraordinary creative outburst has aroused the admiration of those who are great fans of the Cuban rhythms, as well as of Latin jazz, symphonism or contemporary fusion, because, according to specialists, in this CD the timbales have found the perfect harmonic, rhythmic and melodic balance with the orchestral universe.

  The style of this percussionist, fairly called “poetic” by many connoisseurs is in a phase of solid maturing process. The German transnational company MEINL has paid tribute to Amadito Valdés ( nominate to Grammy 2003) with the production of timbales named after him. The Amadito Valdés timbales are very well commercialized on the international market. It combines the contributions of the Cuban classic school, modern elements, individual creations of the famous musician together with the sound already classic of a very well-known skin brand: EVANS.

  Without doubt, to have Amadito Valdés as a teacher is at present an extraordinary honor that would enhance the prestige of the curriculum of not only the neophytes but also the initiated.