Trumpeter Moves Effortlessly Through Genres

TAMPA - Arturo Sandoval's Web site touts him as "fluent in at least four musical languages."

Mention that to Sandoval, though, and it quickly becomes apparent he views music as a whole rather than a grab bag of genres - an Esperanto approach, if you will.

"I love music, you know?" Sandoval says by telephone from his Miami home. "I don't separate or make a big deal out of different styles of music.

"There are two types of music," he says, "good and bad."

Still, there's no denying the trumpeter's facility as he moves effortlessly from Afro-Cuban rhythms through bebop riffs, upper register fireworks, moody ballads and classical discipline.

If music has borders, Sandoval, who performs Saturday in Tampa, is a citizen of the world.

Moving across national borders, however, wasn't always so easy.

Born in Cuba, Sandoval, 58, began honing his horn skills at age 12, eventually gaining international prominence with the adventurous Cuban jazz-rock group Irakere.

Touring - on the Cuban government's tight leash - with Irakere and later his own group, Sandoval was able to meet idols such as Dizzy Gillespie and to appear with European orchestras.

Sandoval, though, found the Castro government's restrictions untenable. When in 1990 his family finally was allowed to travel to meet him in Rome while on tour there, the Sandovals defected to the United States.

"For me it was truly a difficult decision," Sandoval says. "I was waiting until I had the opportunity to bring my wife and son."

A U.S. citizen since 1999, Sandoval doesn't hold out a lot of hope for returning to his homeland.

"I never hope," he says. "I would love to go there someday and visit. I have no idea when that will be possible to do it.

"I don't want to go there until the communist regime is out," Sandoval says. "It's not a matter of the person; it's the system. They don't respect human rights at all."

He has been incredibly prolific since arriving on these shores, recording with numerous performers, from Frank Sinatra to Gloria Estefan to reggae artist Beenie Man.

He also has released more than a dozen albums of his own, including Best Latin Jazz Album winner "Danzon (Dance On)" in 1993, and 2001's "My Passion for the Piano," which found him behind the keyboard.

He scored the 1995 film "The Perez Family," starring Alfred Molina and Angelica Huston, as well as the 2000 HBO bio-pic of his life, "For Love or Country," for which he picked up an Emmy.

Andy Garcia portrayed Sandoval in the film.

"I've been working very hard, my friend," Sandoval says. "This is what I ask from God. God has been good to me.

"Family is first, always," he continues. "I'm so proud and happy to see my two sons growing, to see my family have a great life. That for me is a big inspiration."

Information from allmusic.com was used in this report. Curtis Ross can be reached at (813) 259-7568 or cross@tampa

ON TOUR

Arturo Sandoval

WHEN: 8 p.m. Saturday

WHERE: Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, Ferguson Hall, 1010 N. MacInnes Place, Tampa; (813) 229-7827

COST: $63.75 and $85.75