Arturo Sandoval

Arturo Sandoval is a Cuban-born jazz trumpeter, pianist, and composer, who was influenced by jazz legends Charlie Parker, Clifford Brown, and Dizzy Gillespie. After meeting Sandoval in 1977, Gillespie became his mentor and colleague and the two played concerts together in Europe and Cuba. In 1990, while in Spain on tour with Gillespie, Sandoval defected to the United States, becoming a naturalized citizen in 1999. In 2013, the Grammy-winning musician received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama. Updated July 2015