Alfredo Rodriguez (b. 1985) is a Cuban composer and jazz pianist. He studied classical piano first at the Manuel Saumell Conservatory, then at the Amadeo Roldán Conservatory and later at the Instituto Superior de Arte in Havana. Rodriguez’s interest in jazz was sparked by a Keith Jarrett’s The Köln Concert album and by the annual JoJazz competition for young jazz musicians. In 2006, he was selected to play at the Montreux Jazz Festival. There he met music icon Quincy Jones, who became his producer and mentor. One of Rodriguez’s best-known compositions was created in collaboration with Jones: Better City, Better Life (the official theme song of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo). In 2015, Rodriguez received his first Grammy nomination for the song Guantanamera. He interweaves rhythmic aspects of hip-hop, pop, and Latin jazz with his classical roots and original Cuban timba, and does so beautifully on his latest album Coral Way (2023).
