Photo: Oscar · CC BY-SA 3.0 · credits
Tier 2 · legacy legend
Dave Valentin
Person · male · United States · New York City · born 1952 · died 2017 · recording since 1978
American musician (1952-2017)
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Also known as 戴夫·瓦伦丁
Timeline
22 events▣ Album 19◦ Birth 1★ Debut release 1† Death 1
1950s
1970s
· Debut release
Debut release: Legends
First documented Album in the MusicBrainz discography.
source: musicbrainz
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
Biography
English biography431 words · 2 sectionssource: wikipedia-en · licence CC BY-SA 4.0 · revision 1360645910
Biography
David Peter Valentin (April 29, 1952 – March 8, 2017) was an American Latin jazz flautist of Puerto Rican descent.
Life and career
Valentin was born on April 29, 1952, to Puerto Rican parents specifically from Mayagüez in the South Bronx in New York City Fox Street Tiffany Hunts Point, Bronx section, predominantly a Jewish neighborhood at that Time. His father was a Merchant Marine and his mother Sylvia Valentin Ramirez, a working housewife. He lived across St. Athanasius Church (Bronx). At age 13 his mother died.
He attended The High School of Music & Art. He learned percussion at an early age, and by 10 was playing conga and timbales professionally. When he was 12, he began to practice the flute so he could get to know a girl in school who played the flute, Irene Cathcart. He borrowed a flute, bought a Herbie Mann record, and started to teach himself. Years later, he recorded an album with Mann called Two Amigos. He took lessons from Hubert Laws, who became his mentor.
In the 1970s, Valentin combined Afro-Cuban, Brazilian, and funk with jazz with his ensemble which featured at various times Bill O'Connell (piano), Lincoln Goines and Ruben Rodriguez (bass), Richie Morales and Robby Ameen (drums), Sammy Figueroa and Giovanni Hidalgo (congas). He was the first musician signed to GRP Records, a label founded by Dave Grusin and Larry Rosen that specialized in smooth jazz, jazz fusion, and jazz-pop-Latin. He recorded his debut album with Ricardo Marrero in 1977. Over time he recorded with Noel Pointer, Patti Austin, Lee Ritenour, Chris Connor, David Benoit, Eliane Elias, and Nnenna Freelon. Until 1979, he was a schoolteacher.
For several years Valentin served as musical director for Tito Puente's Golden Latin Jazz All-Stars, and also toured with Manny Oquendo's Conjunto Libre. In 2000, he appeared in the documentary Calle 54 performing with Tito Puente's Orchestra.
For seven years in a row, he was chosen best jazz flautist by readers of Jazziz magazine. In 1985, he received a Grammy Award nomination as best R&B instrumentalist. In 2003, he won a Grammy for Caribbean Jazz Project, an album he did with Dave Samuels.
In March 2012, Valentin had a stroke which left him partially paralyzed and unable to perform. In 2015, he suffered a second stroke, and worked to overcome his disabilities in an extended-care facility.
On March 8, 2017, Valentin died from complications of a stroke and Parkinson's disease in the Bronx at the age of 64. His lifelong "special friend", Irene, for whom he learned to play the flute, was at his side when he passed.
Discography & profile
Normalised profile
Percentiles are computed over every artist in the database, so a tier-3 artist can still sit in the 95th percentile on a single axis.
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 14 | 70.2th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 21 | 87.5th |
| Studio albums | 19 | 96.2th |
| Awards recorded | 0 | 0th |
| Timeline events | 22 | 94.7th |
| Recording span (years) | 39 | 79.2th |
| Genres | 3 | 80.4th |
Percentiles are computed at render time; missing values mean the artist has no data on that axis.
Discography (21 release groups · 19 studio albums)
Albums · 19
1978 · studio album
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Tracklist · 8 tracks · 36:21
A1Legends4:49A2Bourree in E minor4:09A3Sea Pines5:44A4Crystal Silence3:07B1Afro Blue6:10B2Masquerade5:10B3Patterns for the Sky3:44B4I Want to Be Where You Are3:281979 · studio album
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Tracklist · 7 tracks · 40:16
A1Marcosinho5:31A2Blackbird6:03A3Do It Again4:50A4What a Wonderful World3:13B1We'll Make Love5:41B2Windows9:16B3The Hawk5:421980 · studio album
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Tracklist · 7 tracks · 43:25
A1Wind Chant7:10A2Midday Dreams6:36A3Swish5:30B1Factory6:32B2Feel Like Flying6:15B3Street Song5:22B4City Light6:001980 · studio album
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Tracklist · 8 tracks · 44:23
1Sidra's Dream4:392Astro-March5:453Open Your Eyes5:054Fantasy4:275Land of the Third Eye6:576The Tellers6:287Pana Fuerte (Strong Friendship)6:578Sidra's Dream (Single Version)4:051981 · studio album
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Tracklist · 7 tracks
A1Pied Piper (Man of Song)A2Seven StarsA3This TimeA4SambiandoB1ShamballaB2Los AltosB3Dragon Fly1983 · studio album
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Tracklist · 8 tracks · 37:52
A1Crotona Park4:34A2Loquita (Crazy Lady)5:22A3Flute Juice6:55A4Latin Jazz Dance3:24B1Times Long Gone5:41B2Footprints5:43B3Merle the Pearl5:26B4Crotona Park (reprise)0:471984 · studio album
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Tracklist · 9 tracks · 39:22
1Eclipse5:012Monkey Buttons4:513Encendido (On Fire)3:344Fall5:305Reel Life3:226September Nights4:457Kalahari (An Improvisation)2:488My Coqui4:289New Beginnings5:031985 · studio album
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Tracklist · 9 tracks · 42:55
1Awakening2:062Oasis6:223Bones (A Lion Who Lived and Died in the Kalahari)4:584Love Light in Flight5:005Jungle Garden4:416Very Nice Indeed3:517I Loves You Porgy5:428Eighty-One4:569Tabasco5:191986 · studio album
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Tracklist · 8 tracks · 39:28
1Miss V4:592Can't Change My Heart4:403Grandslam5:034The Village4:185AM-FM4:476Chris-Cross4:327Prince of Wands6:228Prelude to a Kiss4:471987 · studio album
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Tracklist · 9 tracks · 44:42
1Feel Like Jazz4:582Twin & Tangle4:393Show Business5:204Passion Flower3:405Coconuts5:486Chago5:487China3:128Sonlight4:509It Might As Well Be Spring6:271992 · studio album
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Tracklist · 10 tracks · 55:18
1Musical Portraits4:132Lady Laurie5:003Cat Tail5:484Winter Sunset5:215Firecracker6:416The Day That You Love Me (El día que me quieras)5:347Venus, Brazil4:118King of the White Cloth4:119Little Puerto Rico5:1610Prelude to a Kiss9:031993 · studio album
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Tracklist · 9 tracks · 44:27
1With a Little Help From My Friends5:202Red Sun5:123Two Steps Ahead3:484We'll Be Together Again5:175Beyond the Ridge4:356Lia's Song4:307Loco Motion5:068Little Sunflower6:249Pensativa4:151994 · studio album
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Tracklist · 9 tracks · 47:45
1My Favorite Things4:402Sweet Lips6:123Don Q5:054Danzon For My Father6:085Mr. Evil4:546Bello Amanecer4:447Sam's Groove6:138Tasty Mango4:019Sangria5:481996 · studio album
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Tracklist · 10 tracks · 52:45
1San Juan4:232Samba for Denise4:373Morning Light5:334Primitive Passions7:105Someone to Watch Over Me7:026The Old Man (El Viejo)4:377Enchantment3:508Equinox6:449Wasabi3:5910Keep On and On4:501999 · studio album
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Tracklist · 10 tracks · 52:51
1Reunion5:472Sunshower4:383Embers4:054Bandit5:455Porkchops4:156I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good5:407Subway Six6:328Sierra Madre6:479Feelin' Alright3:3710Space Cadet5:452005 · studio album
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Tracklist · 10 tracks · 52:59
1Meet You at the Coda6:562Passion Fruit7:173I've Got the World on a String5:114I Remember You4:485Bronx Serenade5:546I'll See You in a Second4:127Samba Timba4:578For the King Mr. Puente3:579Drop a Dime5:3710Zig Zag4:102006 · studio album
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Tracklist · 9 tracks · 48:00
1Come Fly With Me5:442Twinkle Toes4:503Enciendido4:284Mind Games5:425If You Could See Me Now5:486Easy Street5:477Tu Pañuelo5:518House of the Sun5:439Song for My Brothers4:072011 · studio album
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Tracklist · 9 tracks · 49:15
1Smile5:182Slip and Slide5:593Joy5:084Pure Imagination5:285Hummingbird5:076See-Saw6:497When Sunny Gets Blue5:428Cat Man5:039Last Minute4:412019 · studio album
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Tracklist · 11 tracks · 54:38
1Street Beat5:392In Love's Time4:563I Don't Wanna Fall in Love (I Just Wanna dance)5:104I Got It Right This Time4:035Clove and Cinnamon6:456Dansette6:227The Flight4:118Leo and the Sun5:369Street Beat (7" version)3:3810I Got It Right This Time (7" version)4:0211The Flight (7" version)4:16
Album · 2
| Cover | Year | Title | Notes | First release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | GRP Live in sessionSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 7 tracks · 41:571Mountain Dance6:11 2Oasis7:25 3The Rit Variations6:19 4Reverend Lee4:53 5Dolphin Dreams6:33 6Rio Funk6:09 7St. Elsewhere4:27 | Live | 1985 | |
| 1988 | Live at the Blue NoteSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 10 tracks · 57:191Cinnamon and Clove5:32 2Columbus Avenue5:12 3Footprints4:53 4Mountain Song4:02 5Marcoshino5:30 6Shamballa5:56 7Blackbird6:54 8Monkey Buttons5:29 9Dansette6:10 10Afro Blue7:41 | Live | 1988 |
Stats & PK
Percentile within all 23,672 published artists.Put Dave Valentin head-to-head →
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 14 | 70.2th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 21 | 87.5th |
| Studio albums | 19 | 96.2th |
| Awards recorded | 0 | 0th |
| Timeline events | 22 | 94.7th |
| Recording span (years) | 39 | 79.2th |
| Genres | 3 | 80.4th |
Awards & honours
Line-up
| Name | From | To | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tito Puente’s Golden Latin Jazz All Stars(band) | — | present | flute |
| Calle 54(band) | — | present | flute |
| The Blackout Allstars(band) | 1994 | 1994 | original |
Where this record comes from
portrait—Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0 · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:DaveValentin01.jpgaliases/urls—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/1dcb045b-12f1-4105-97f0-61fcb1b152c5discography—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/1dcb045b-12f1-4105-97f0-61fcb1b152c5core—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1173371genre—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1173371seed-list—wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Valentinbiography—wikipedia-en · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Valentin
Why this artist is in the database
- List of jazz musicians
Tier rule: genre canon: jazz
Image: Oscar · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Wikidata: Q1173371 · MusicBrainz: 1dcb045b-12f1-4105-97f0-61fcb1b152c5
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