Irakere is one of Cuba’s most influential bands. Founded in 1973, Irakere created a sound that mixed jazz, European traditional music, rock, funk with the rhythmic Cuban tradition, enriched with Afro-Cuban and electronic influences. Many of the best Cuban musicians have played in the band during the past decades, such as Chucho Valdés, Paquito D'Rivera, Arturo Sandoval, Carlos Averhoff, Jorge Varona, Germán Velazco, Enrique Plá, Carlos Emilio Morales, Carlos del Puerto and Jorge Alfonso.