Numidia Vaillant

Numidia Vaillant was born on Oct 29, 1927 in Cuba. Numidia Vaillant's big-screen debut came with Le piano directed by Raphaël Schultz in 2010.

Cuban jazz pianist, composer and vocalist of international renown. Born Numidia Vaillant Villalón in a family of musicians, her grandfather was Máximo Villalón, founder of the Music Espadero Conservatory in Santiago de Cuba, while her mother and aunt were piano teachers. According to Numidia's own testimony she "learned to read music before learning to read and write". Young Numidia developed a reputation playing Beethoven, Chopin, and all the classics but was also influenced by American jazz. She proved her versatility when she was hired by a local radio station as a piano player backing several vocalists in a talent search contest.In the late 1940s, after graduating with a master in pedagogy, Numidia decided to expand her musical education in Havana. She registered at the Municipal Conservatory where she studied under the direction of famed professor Joaquín Nin Culmell. Soon her talents were in great demand by composers such as César Portillo de la Luz or Marta Valdés who needed help in writing down their songs to music and the arrangements. Numidia also became invaluable as piano player and arranger for popular vocalists, among them Doris de la Torre with whom she formed a long professional and personal relationship.Numidia Vaillant became an important part of the Havana musical scene and was signed to CMQ-TV, at the time Cuba's most powerful radio and television network. She developed an act in which she would play the piano, sing and joke around in several programs to the delight of the audience. As an outstanding musician, Numidia was the only pianist in the network's concert orchestra and sometimes she would surprise everybody by playing Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue by memory without sheet music. That didn't deter Numidia from playing jazz in night club engagements or to join other jazz musicians in impromptu jam sessions that would last all night. At this point, it seemed that Numidia was everywhere including the recording studios. Her sessions with Esther Borja and Luis Carbonell, were quite successful and are still on record catalogs.On one of those sessions, Numidia met the Benitez sisters, a vocal quintet that was very popular at the time and had signed a contract to perform in the United States. For the tour they needed a pianist and arranger so Numidia got the job. They were billed as Numidia Vaillant and The Cuban Cuties and for most of 1957 they performed all over the United States with great success. However, in certain cities, the artists were quite shocked and upset by the racism they encountered, especially in the South. Numidia swore never to perform in The United States again.Once back in Cuba, the artist proceeded with her activities on television and night clubs, however she could not help but notice the political unrest that was sabotaging the Havana night scene. Right then and there she decided to realize one of her dearest childhood dreams, to visit Paris, France. Once her mind was made up nothing stopped her, not even the fact that she had no performing contract, and had to pay her own way to the City of Lights. She arrived in Paris in early November of 1958 with nothing except some recommendation letters given to her by fans belonging to affluent Havana families, addressed to their friends in Parisian high society. Numidia's intention was merely to explore the city of her dreams, learn about European culture, study music, and practice the French she took at the French Alliance in Havana. She was warmly received and it wasn't long before the word spread about her presence in Paris and her uniqueness as an artist. The management of the famed Blue Note, a branch of the New York jazz club, came calling with an offer, and Numidia made an auspicious debut at that prestigious venue located in the Champs-Élysées. From then on it was an enduring love affair between the Cuban artist and the French people.Now that she had achieved stardom, Numidia did not rest on her laurels but registered at the Conservatory of Paris to further her musical education during the day. At night time she continued performing at the Blue Note and other jazz places such as the BeBop or the Susy Polidor and became known as the queen of the iconic Parisian district of Saint-Germain des Près. When she graduated from the Conservatory in 1961, Numidia had time to record and accept contracts abroad. She performed with great success in Barcelona (Spain), Nize (Italy), Hamburg (Germany), Oslo (Norway), and Helsinki (Finland) where she was asked to star in a film as an actress and write the soundtrack music. The movie was titled "Yö vai päivä" (1962) directed by Risto Jarva and Jaakko Pakkasvirta, which is considered a remarkable contribution of Finland to the Nouvelle Vague film movement. This residency in Helsinki lasted two years and was very special for Numidia since, besides the film, she was asked to record and, in a more personal note, she found love with a Finnish gentleman and the couple had a daughter they named Anaïta.Back in her beloved Paris, Numidia continued performing in the most prestigious venues, writing music, as well as recording. She produced several hit records, among them "Juanita, la chismosa" which was recorded by the Spanish tenor Luis Mariano. Throughout the years, she always found time from her Parisian work to tour Europe and more distant countries like Israel and Japan where she maintained a faithful following. Nothing seemed to stop this trendsetter artist, not even the loss of her sight nor when she was diagnosed with cancer later on. In May 2015 she performed at the Sunset Sunside Jazz Club and this concert was video taped for television. She had no idea it would be her last. On October 1, 2015 this gifted lady, one of the greatest pianists ever, passed away in Paris. Her body was interred at the Gouvieux cemetery and she has now become as legendary as the city of her dreams.