Lyrics | Artists | Dave Valentin

Dave Valentin

Award-winning Latin jazz flautist Dave Valentin was born in South Bronx, New York on April 29, 1952. Born to Puerto Rican parents, he attended The High School Of Music & Art, where he focused on percussion. He changed to flute at the age of 12 with the sole purpose of getting to know a girl by the name of Irene Cathcart, who also played the flute. Valentin took lessons from Hubert Laws, who became his mentor. By the 1970s, he was mixing Latin music with jazz and making a name for himself. Valentin was the first artist signed to Dave Grusin and Larry Rosen’s soon-to-be-legendary l...