Alberto ‘Virgilio’ Valdés

A founding member of the group Sierra Maestra in 1976, Alberto ‘Virgilio’ Valdés was brought into the Buena Vista fold by his former colleague in Sierra Maestra, Juan de Marcos González. Sierra Maestra were the first group of the modern era to play in the old 1920-30s style son line-up: tres, guitar, trumpet, bongo, güiro and vocal. They were the pioneers in reviving this style for new generations, reintroducing it into the Cuban mainstream, and playing for audiences around the world. Virgilio is number one choice in Havana as a session player on maracas and as a coro singer, and he has featured on all of World Circuit’s Havana recordings.