The award-winning Cuban musician Chucho Valdés received the award for Musical Excellence of the Latin Grammys 2018, at a gala held at the Four Seasons Hotel, in the city of Las Vegas, in the United States.

Valdés dedicated the recognition to his father, the famous exponent of Afro-Cuban jazz Bebo Valdés, and affirmed his intention to continue working.

"I thought that (at this point) I was going to be in the patio of my house feeding my chickens, but there is still a lot to do, a lot of work, many emotions," he said, laughing as he picked up the golden gramophone.

The Musical Excellence Award is given to artists with a relevant career and contributions to Latin music, and even gratifies those who, without being interpreters, contribute significantly to music.

Dionisio Valdés Rodríguez, world known as Chucho Valdés, is the founder of the Irakere group and has a successful work in which he mixes jazz with other rhythms such as rock, classical music and those from Afro-Cuban roots.

For his exceptional work he received four Grammy awards: in 1979 with Irakere and the album Irakere; in 1997, with Roy Hargrove's Crisol and the album Habana; in 2000, with Live At The Village Vanguard; and in 2009, with Juntos para siempre.

In his account of the Social Network Twitter, the President of the Councils of State and Ministers, Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez took the opportunity to send a greeting to Chucho: "Congratulations to the Grand Master Chucho Valdés. #SomosCuba, while in his profile from the same social network, Alpidio Alonso, Minister of Culture, congratulated the dear Chucho, whom he described as "great musician and honorable ambassador of our people." Culture, he said, can not be blocked.

In Cuba he received the National Music Prize in 2000.

Sources: Cuban News Agency / Prensa Latina / Cuban Radio

Editor: Maria Salomé Campanioni González

Havana 500 Writing