Born in Havana, Cuba, ALFREDO RODRÍGUEZ trained at the famous Manuel Saumell Classical Music Conservatory, then at the Amadeo Roldan Music Conservatory and subsequently at the Instituto Superior de Arte. His lucky break came in 2006 when he was selected as one of twelve pianists from around the world to play at the prestigious Montreux Jazz Festival. In Montreux, Alfredo struck a chord with legendary music producer Quincy Jones, who noticed Alfredo’s immense talent and insisted on working with him. In January of 2009 Alfredo made the difficult decision to leave his family and country behind and embark on a journey to pursue a career in music in the United States.

In his first years since moving to the United States, Alfredo Rodríguez has played to capacity crowds during the Playboy Jazz Festival at the Hollywood Bowl; the SXSW Music Festival in Austin, Texas; the Detroit Jazz Festival; the Monterey Jazz Festival; the Newport Jazz Festival; and many others. In July of 2010 Alfredo did his first European tour with his trio, playing at the XVI International Open Air Festival (Poland), the Jazz à Vienne Festival (France), the North Sea Jazz Festival (Netherlands), the Umbria Jazz Festival (Italy), the Montreux Jazz Festival (Switzerland), and with the Quincy Jones Global Gumbo All-Stars, a group featuring the likes of Richard Bona, Lionel Loueke, Paulinho Da Costa, Francisco Mela, and Nikki Yanofsky. He has built a significant presence in China after co-writing, with Quincy Jones, the song “Better City, Better Life,” which was chosen to be the Official Theme Song of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo. He has since played at the 2010 Shanghai Film Festival and the 2010 Shanghai Tourist Festival.

Alfredo’s debut CD is set to be released in late 2011 on Qwest Records. The debut project showcases Alfredo’s influences, from Bach, Beethoven, and Stravinsky to Thelonious Monk, Bill Evans, Herbie Hancock, and Quincy Jones. The new album will be produced by Jones and Rodríguez. In Alfredo’s own words, “Everything I learn, in all aspects of my life, contributes to my music.” In the words of Quincy Jones, “He is very special, and I do not say that easily…I have been surrounded by the best musicians in the world my entire life, and he is one of the best.”