ENDEIT
Paquito D'Rivera
Photo: Rs-foto, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Saxophonists · b. 1948

Paquito D'Rivera

Cuban musician

Born
4 June 1948
Havana
Country
Cuba
Active
1965–
Record labels
Sunnyside Records
Discography
49 albums

Biography

Paquito D'Rivera is a jazz musician who plays saxophone, clarinet, flute and alto saxophone. Paquito D'Rivera was born on 4 June 1948 in Havana. The music is usually filed under jazz, post-bop and Latin jazz. Record labels: Sunnyside Records. The discography here lists 49 albums, from “Instrumental” (1975) to “La Fleur de Cayenne” (2025). Honours include Frankfurter Musikpreis (2008), Latin Grammy Trustees Award (2022) and Latin Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz/Jazz Album (2023).

Francisco de Jesús Rivera Figueras (born 4 June 1948), known as Paquito D'Rivera, is a Cuban-American alto saxophonist, clarinetist and composer. He was a member of the Cuban songo band Irakere and, since the 1980s, he has established himself as a bandleader in the United States. His smooth saxophone tone and his frequent combination of Latin jazz and classical music have become his trademarks.

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Discography

Studio and live albums

Instrumental 1975 · Areito Paquito D'Rivera 1976 · Cuba Blowin' 1981 · CBS Mariel 1982 · Columbia Live At Keystone Korner 1983 · Live · Columbia Why Not 1984 · CBS Explosion 1986 Manhattan Burn 1987 Celebration 1988 · Columbia Return to Ipanema 1989 · Town Crier Tico Tico 1989 · Chesky Records Reunion 1991 · Messidor Havana Cafe 1992 · Chesky Records La Habana-Rio-Conexión 1992 · Messidor Who's Smoking? 1992 · Candid Productions Ltd. 40 Years of Cuban Jam Session 1993 · Messidor A Night in Englewood 1994 · Messidor Cuba Jazz 1996 · RMM Records Portraits of Cuba 1996 · Chesky Records Chamber Music from the South 1997 · Mix House Records Live at Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild 1997 · Live · MCG Jazz 100 Years of Latin Love Songs 1998 · Heads Up International Tropicana Nights 1999 · Chesky Records Musique des deux mondes 2000 · Éléphant Habanera 2001 Brazilian Dreams 2002 · Live · MCG Jazz
Este Camino Largo 2002
The Lost Sessions 2002
Big Band Time 2003 · Pimienta Records
Riberas 2004
The Jazz Chamber Trio 2005 · Chesky Records The Clarinetist 2008 Benny Goodman Revisited 2009 · Connector Quartier Latin 2009 · Elukeyá Records
Jazz - Clazz 2010
Panamericana Suite 2010
Tango Jazz (Live at Jazz at Lincoln Center) 2010 · Live · Paquito Records
Aires Tropicales 2012
Song for Maura 2013 · Sunnyside Communications Jazz Meets The Classics 2014
Paquito & Manzanero 2015
Sons Do Brasil 2015
En Finlandia (Remasterizado) 2018 · EGREM
El Duelo 2020
Cariberian 2021
Latin American Dances: Works for Saxophone and Piano 2021 · Naxos La Fleur de Cayenne 2025 · Sunnyside Latin Caribbean Brazilian Jazz & Beyond NY Voices

Also plays on

Albums where Paquito D'Rivera is credited as a sideman

1980 Irakere II — Irakere saxophone
1984 Red on Red — Claudio Roditi & Kenia alto saxophone
1994 More Jazz Meets the Symphony — Lalo Schifrin With Ray Brown, Grady Tate, Jon Faddis, James Morrison, Paquito D’Rivera & The London Philharmonic performer
1994 Master Sessions, Volume I — Cachao clarinet, alto saxophone
1994 One More Once — Michel Camilo saxophone, alto saxophone
1995 Bebo Rides Again — Bebo Valdés reeds, producer
1995 Master Sessions, Volume II — Israel “Cachao” López clarinet, alto saxophone
1997 Bird Songs — Dizzy Gillespie alto saxophone
1998 Gillespiana — Lalo Schifrin alto saxophone
1998 La Leyenda de la Hora (The Legend of the Hour) — McCoy Tyner saxophone
1998 Remembrances — Jon Faddis clarinet, soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone
2006 I’ll Be Seeing You: A Sentimental Journey — Regina Carter clarinet
2008 1978 World Tour — Chucho Valdés & Irakere arranger
2023 The Montreux Years — McCoy Tyner Trio alto saxophone, soprano saxophone

Standards written by Paquito D'Rivera

TitleKeyFormGroove
Chucho D minor A · 12 Latin

Member of

Irakere 1973– · Cuban musical group; band founded by pianist Chucho Valdés

Awards

Books about Paquito D'Rivera

Listen on Spotify

Frequently asked questions

What instrument does Paquito D'Rivera play?

Paquito D'Rivera is known for playing saxophone, clarinet, flute and alto saxophone.

When and where was Paquito D'Rivera born?

Paquito D'Rivera was born 4 June 1948 in Havana.

What are Paquito D'Rivera's best-known albums?

Albums in our database include Instrumental (1975), Paquito D'Rivera (1976), Blowin' (1981), Mariel (1982) and Live At Keystone Korner (1983).

External links

Data compiled from open sources; see the source links below. Spotted an error? Let us know.