MEET THE PIANIST.

MANUEL VALERA.

When and how did you discover your passion for music?
I started music at the Manuel Saumell Music Conservatory in Havana at age nine. But I didn’t find the passion for it until I was about 14 years old. At 14 is when I realized that this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life and really concentrated my studies in jazz. Especially 1950s and 1960s jazz recordings of people like Miles Davis, Bill Evans and Clifford Brown were immensely influential to my development as an artist.

How come you ended up playing the piano? Were you always drawn to this specific instrument?
My first instrument was the saxophone (at the conservatory), but luckily for me everyone that enters the music system in Cuba must learn some piano. When I started playing the piano, I realized a deep connection with the instrument and it came to me a lot easier than the saxophone. I was playing both until I was about 16 years old.

You grew up in Havana, Cuba, and now reside in New York. What is the scene like for Latin music in “The City”?
When I first moved to NYC the Latin music scene was very vibrant, but after 9/11 it really quiet down and I don’t think it really got back up. I remember there used to be a lot of salsa clubs in the Bronx with live bands. That was my main source of income during my early days in NYC.

For your own productions, you’re a user of both EZkeys and Superior Drummer 3. How do Toontrack’s products help in your creative process?
As a piano player, when I use EZkeys I hardly use the system to play the chords etc., but the sounds are fantastic and I often find myself gravitating to the EZkeys electric pianos. Superior Drummer 3 is another story, hahaha. I use that all the time. I love how even though it’s MIDI you can feel the drummer’s performance in the loop. I use the “Monster MIDI Pack 2 – Odd Meters” one a lot.

To you, what makes a great piano player?
A great (popular music) pianist is not only somebody that has a lot of facility on the instrument, but a musician that can mold itself to the situation it is in and provide what’s needed at the moment.

You have had a long career as a musician, toured all over the world and performed alongside countless artists. Looking back, name some of your personal standout moments.
That’s really hard to pinpoint! I’ve been lucky to have had many great experiences. But I have to say some of my favorite performances have been the times I have performed at Newport Jazz Festival. Newport Jazz festival is almost like the cathedral for jazz and you can feel the energy as you walk through the fort.