David Virelles, a pianist and composer from Cuba, is one of the most talented of all the new musicians that have emerged in the past 5-10 years. At 7 years old, Virelles began studying music and enrolled at Estaban Salas Conservatory of Music in Santiago, Cuba. Virelles also listened to the music of his grandfathers, Bud Powell and Thelonious, and Miles Davis, saxophonist Miles Davis, and saxophonist Charlie Parker. This is a significant part of his education, which is often overlooked or forgotten. Jane Bunnett, a passionate advocate for Cuban music and its musicians, met Virelles in 1999. He came to Canada in that year to study. It was a coincidence that Virelles made it on Alma de Santiago (Connector/EMI Canada 2001). He attended Humber College in Toronto, where he studied and played with Bill Holman, Paquito D’Rivera and Michael Brecker. He was part of the Art of Jazz Celebration in 2006 and shared the stage alongside Sheila Jordan, an international singer. Recently he came to play for the second time with saxophonist Steve Coleman, one who no doubt was responsible–together with Bunnett–for Virelles’ exponential growth as an artist. Allaboutjazz
