“I gotta tell you,” begins Arturo Sandoval during a break from his morning espresso, cigar, and practice routine. “It’s impossible to fight the lack of support of our beloved music.”: His words sparkle through the phone with the effervescence typically emanating from the 10-time Grammy winner’s trumpet. Each sentence, like each note, illuminates candid projections of the Cuban-American’s lively conscience.: “I’ve lived in this country for 30 years and I’ve never seen one minute of jazz on television,” continues Sandoval. “I really consider that a crime.”: The horn blower, 69, says it takes deep concentration to appreciate such an improvised art form. Additionally, jazz has struggled to shake its classical canonization. That doesn’t mean it isn’t evolving in exciting ways. Consider Sandoval, who transformed trumpeting behind high-note virtuosity in the Eighties, and since then, Dizzy Gillespie’s most vivacious protégé has worked with countless icons spanning Tito Puente to Alicia Keys.: Even so, not until this past year did he release his first duo project, Ultimate Duets. Legends old (Celia Cruz, Stevie Wonder) and new (Pharrell, Ariana Grande) reimagined their favorite classics under Sandoval’s tutelage. Nevertheless, the maestro gets most giddy reflecting on his newest passion: scoring films. Sandoval says he knew it was a calling because he’s spent a lifetime getting shushed at the movies for humming the sounds swirling his head.: “I can’t help it, man – every time,” he giggles. “I imagine melodies, sequences, and things in my mind when I watch.”: That tic led Sandoval to score Clint Eastwood’s 2018 mystery, The Mule. Perhaps working on film will keep him quiet, which he is when asked about what lies ahead.: “I don’t make plans for the future,” Sandoval says finally. “If you want to see God laughing very hard, tell him about your plans, because at the end, he’s got plans for you.”
Fri., Jan. 25, 7pm, 9:30pm