Gonzalo Rubalcaba
Afro-Cuban jazz pianist and composer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gonzalo Rubalcaba (born May 27, 1963) is a Cuban jazz pianist and composer. [1][2]
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BornMay 27, 1963
Havana, Cuba
GenresJazz, Latin jazz, Afro-Cuban jazz, jazz fusion, classical
OccupationsMusician, composer
InstrumentPiano
Gonzalo Rubalcaba | |
|---|---|
Rubalcaba at the Miami International Film Festival in 2015 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | May 27, 1963 Havana, Cuba |
| Genres | Jazz, Latin jazz, Afro-Cuban jazz, jazz fusion, classical |
| Occupations | Musician, composer |
| Instrument | Piano |
| Years active | 1983–present |
| Label | 5passion |
| Website | gonzalorubalcaba |
Early life
Rubalcaba was born Gonzalo Julio González Fonseca in Havana, Cuba into a musical family. He adopted his great-grandmother's name for professional use, just as did his father, Guillermo Rubalcaba (born Guillermo González Camejo) and his grandfather, Jacobo Rubalcaba (born Jacobo González Rubalcaba).[3]
Later life and career
With Orquesta Aragón, Rubalcaba toured France and Africa in 1983. He formed his own Grupo Projecto in 1985. [1]
He has won three Grammy Awards and received twelve nominations. [4]
Discography
As leader/co-leader
- Mi Gran Pasion (Connector/Timba, 1987)
- Live in Havana (Pimienta, 1989)
- Giraldilla (Pimienta, 1990)
- Discovery: Live at Montreux (Blue Note, 1990)
- Gonzalo Rubalcaba Trio at Montreux (Somethin' Else, 1990)
- The Blessing (Blue Note, 1991)
- Images (Blue Note, 1992)
- At Montreux (Artex, 1993)
- Suite 4 Y 20 (Blue Note, 1993)
- Diz (Blue Note, 1993)
- Rapsodia (Blue Note, 1994)
- Imagine: Live in America (Blue Note, 1994)
- Concatenacion (Egrem, 1995)
- Concierto Negro (Egrem, 1995)
- Flying Colors (Blue Note, 1997)
- Romantic (EMI, 1998)
- Gonzalo Rubalcaba (Max, 1998)
- Antiguo (Blue Note, 1998)
- Inner Voyage (Blue Note/EMI, 1999)
- Inicio (Egrem, 2001)
- Supernova (Blue Note, 2001)
- Straight Ahead (Yemaya, 2003)
- Soneros de Verdad Present Rubalcaba Pasado y Presente (Universal Music Latino/Pimienta, 2003)
- Paseo (Blue Note, 2004)
- The Trio (Angel, 2005)
- Solo (Blue Note, 2005)
- Avatar (Angel, 2008)
- Faith (5Passion, 2010)
- XXI Century (5Passion, 2011)
- Live Faith (5Passion, 2014)
- Suite Caminos (5Passion, 2015)
- Tokyo Adagio with Charlie Haden (Impulse!, 2015) - Recorded in 2005
- Charlie (5Passion, 2015)[5]
- Skyline with Ron Carter, Jack DeJohnette (5Passion, 2021)[6]
- Pédron Rubalcaba with Pierrick Pédron (mars 2023)
- Borrowed Roses (Top Stop, 2023)[7]
- A Tribute to Benny Moré and Nat King Cole with Yainer Horta, Joey Calveiro (Calveiro Entertainment, 2025)[8]
As sideman
With Ignacio Berroa
- Codes (Blue Note, 2006)
With Ron Carter
- Mr. Bow-tie (Somethin' Else, 1995)
With Juan Luis Guerra
- Bachata Rosa (Karen, 1990)
With Francisco Céspedes
- Con el Permiso de Bola (Warner Music Mexico, 2006)
With Chick Corea
- Rendezvous in New York (Stretch, 2003)
With Dave Holland
- The Monterey Quartet: Live at the 2007 Monterey Jazz Festival (Monterey Jazz Festival, 2009)
With Al Di Meola
- Pursuit of Radical Rhapsody (Concord, 2011)
- Flesh on Flesh (Telarc, 2022)
With Richard Galliano
- Love Day (Milan, 2008)
With Charlie Haden
- 1989: The Montreal Tapes: with Gonzalo Rubalcaba and Paul Motian (Verve, 1997)
- 2000: Nocturne (Verve, 2001)
- 2003: Land of the Sun (Verve, 2004)
- 2005: Tokyo Adagio (Impulse!, 2015) – live at The Blue Note, Tokyo, Japan
With Katia Labèque
- Shape of My Heart (KML, 2009)
With Tony Martinez
- Habana Vive
- Mafarefun
With Pat Martino
With Strat Andriotis
- Night Manager (2018) Song 21
With Melissa Aldana
- Filin (Blue Note, 2026)
Awards
Grammy Awards
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Rapsodia | Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Individual or Group[9] | Nominated |
| 1997 | "Agua de Beber" | Best Jazz Instrumental Solo[9][10] | Nominated |
| 2000 | Antiguo | Best Latin Jazz Album[11] | Nominated |
| 2002 | Supernova | Best Latin Jazz Album[12] | Nominated |
| 2002 | Nocturne (as producer) | Best Latin Jazz Album[13] | Won |
| 2002 | "Oren" | Best Instrumental Composition[14] | Nominated |
| 2005 | Land of the Sun (as producer) | Best Latin Jazz Album[15] | Won |
| 2016 | Suite Caminos | Best Latin Jazz Album[16] | Nominated |
| 2021 | Viento y Tiempo - Live at Blue Note Tokyo | Best Latin Jazz Album[17] | Nominated |
| 2022 | Skyline | Best Jazz Instrumental Album[18] | Won |
| 2026 | A Tribute to Benny Moré and Nat King Cole | Best Latin Jazz Album[19] | Won |
Billboard Music Awards
Latin Grammy Awards
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Supernova | Best Latin Jazz Album[22] | Won |
| 2005 | Paseo | Best Instrumental Album[23] | Nominated |
| 2006 | Solo | Best Latin Jazz Album[24] | Won |
| 2008 | Avatar | Best Instrumental Album[25] | Nominated |
| 2022 | Live in Marciac | Best Tropical Traditional Album[26] | Won |