[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 5 (Tuesday, January 25, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E71]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      IN HONOR OF PAQUITO D'RIVERA

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ROBERT MENENDEZ

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 25, 2005

  Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Paquito D'Rivera, a 
Cuban saxophonist and clarinet player who has made incredible 
contributions to the world of music during his 50-year career. Paquito 
starred in his own 50th anniversary concert at Carnegie Hall on January 
10th, 2005, in New York City.
  The son of renowned Cuban classical saxophonist and conductor Tito 
D'Rivera, Paquito was a child prodigy, performing at the National 
Theatre in Havana by age 10. It was not long before he became a soloist 
for the Cuban National Symphony Orchestra. In 1981, Paquito defected 
from Cuba and moved to the United States where legends like Dizzy 
Gillespie, David Amram, Mario Bauza, and Bruce Lundvall helped him make 
the transition.
  A six-time Grammy award winner, he has recorded over 30 solo albums 
that display his command of multiple music genres, such as Latin/
Caribbean, classical, jazz, and bebop. He performs regularly with his 
various ensembles, the Paquito D'Rivera Big Band, the Paquito D'Rivera 
Quintet, and the Chamber Jazz Ensemble. This year, he will begin a tour 
with guitar masters Sergio and Odair Assad. Paquito has also lent his 
talents to collaborations with world-renowned orchestras, such as the 
National Symphony Orchestra, the London Royal Symphony, and the Puerto 
Rico Symphony Orchestra, among many others. He has performed with 
musical legends from around the world, including Dizzy Gillespie, Toots 
Thielemans, Carmen McRea, Benny Carter, McCoy Tyner, Roger Kellaway, 
and Claudio Roditi.
  In addition to performing, Paquito is an accomplished composer, 
commissioned by orchestras and chamber groups. He is also the artistic 
director of jazz programming for the New Jersey Chamber Music Society, 
an artist-in-residence for the New Jersey Performing Arts Commission, 
and a member of the Board of Directors of the Hudson Riverfront 
Performing Arts Center, Chamber Music America, and Chamber Music 
International.
  Paquito has received numerous awards throughout his distinguished 
career, including a Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to 
Latin Music and the Clarinet of the Year 2004 award from the Jazz 
Journalists Association. Most recently, he was bestowed with a 2005 
National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Fellowship, the highest 
honor a jazz musician can receive from the government.
  Today, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Paquito D'Rivera 
for his many accomplishments over a career spanning five decades. His 
outstanding talent as an instrumentalist combined with his passion and 
innovation has helped to create music that delights fans all over the 
world. We look forward to experiencing more of his musical endeavors in 
the years to come.

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