Music News

Internationally acclaimed jazz musician Jorge Luis Pacheco's "flying hands"

Iowa Public Radio | By Lindsey Moon

Published September 29, 2023 at 4:10 PM CDT

Jorge Luis Pacheco sits at a baby grand piano on the stage of the Temple Theater in Des Moines, Iowa. He is wearing a brown collared short-sleeved shirt. — The Cuban pianist Jorge Luis Pacheco is a leading jazz artist from the new generation of Cuban jazz. His music is inspired from Cuban Music and Afro Cuban heritage, Classical music, traditional American jazz with a measure of contemporary pop and soul.

Internationally acclaimed jazz musician Jorge Luis Pacheco, originally from Havana, Cuba, now based in Germany, gave a stunningly charming and dynamic performance with his trio at the Temple for the Performing Arts on Thursday, Sept. 28 to open the Live at the Temple 2023-2024 season.

At one point during the show, he had the entire audience acting as his choir, singing in Spanish.

Jorge Luis Pacheco sits on stage in the background of the photo, while a crowd is in focus in the foreground of the image. — Jorge Luis Pacheco studied piano and percussion at the music school Alejandro García Caturla, later graduated as a percussionist in the conservatory Amadeo Roldán and worked as a professor at the conservatory Guillermo Thomas.

In preview of the concert, we'd read that he’s been nicknamed “flying hands” by several jazz titans, and there’s no question about why after his 90 minute set. His mastery of the piano and dedication to emoting the energy of the world around us through his arrangements was clear with every note.

Lucius Pham

Iowa Public Radio

Jorge Luis Pacheco told Hola Iowa in advance of the concert that he wanted it to be "an imaginary trip to Cuba, to its music, its roots and cultural tradition with a modern and unique touch created by my own musical vision."

Pacheco's depth of skill juxtaposed with his jokes and his storytelling about his piano mentor's five wives made for a delightful evening. With a six string bass and Cuban inspired rhythms, the set was soft at times and intense at others.

Jorge Luis Pacheco smiles at the audience from the stage at the Temple Theatre in Des Moines, Iowa. He's wearing a brown collared shirt, white pants and black loafers and sits at a baby grand piano. — Pacheco's mother is a choir director and his father is an opera singer. His sister is also a gifted and skilled pianist.

He opened with "Chan Chan," the first song on his newest album, and ended his last song plucking the strings inside the piano with one hand while continuing to play with the other - the final conclusion being a soft reprise of “Ode an Die Freude (Ode To Joy)” “because I’m a romantic,” he mused.

Jorge Luis Pacheco stands at a piano and plucks the strings inside it to end his performance at the Temple Theatre. He wears white pants, black loafers and a brown collared shirt. — Jorge Luis Pacheco plucked the strings inside the piano with one hand while playing with the other to end his performance at the Temple Theatre on Thursday, Sept. 28, 2023.

For fans of jazz, piano and classical music, we recommend his newest record The Lockdown Album. It was released in 2022 and spans Chopin to a cover of the Bee Gees’ "How Deep Is Your Love" to Beethoven's “Ode an Die Freude (Ode To Joy)” and quoting Shakespeare’s 18th Sonnet.

Three people, one woman and two men, stand in the foreground of the photo. The two men shake hands as the woman holds newspapers and a cd. — To conclude each of the shows in the 2023-2024 Live At The Temple concert series, artists are hosting meet and greets with fans.