Paquito D'Rivera: From Carne y Frijol to Carnegie Hall
About the Film
Paquito D’Rivera: From Carne y Frijol to Carnegie Hall tells the story of a brilliant artist and 17-time GRAMMY and Latin GRAMMY winner who also happens to be a great entertainer. Cuban-born, he defected in 1980 and settled in New York. A superior clarinetist, sax player, and composer, Paquito is constantly exploring a wide variety of musical styles — always with his trademark blend of an inquisitive musical mind, irreverent humor, and impeccable technique. Filmed in New York, Boston, Wolf Trap, VA, Miami and Uruguay, the film includes collaborations with pianist Chucho Valdés and cellist Yo-Yo Ma.
Director: Juan Mandelbaum
Producer: Juan Mandelbaum
United States, Uruguay // 2026 // Documentary, Suitable for All Ages // LOLA Award Nominee - Los Features
72 minutes
About the Filmmaker
Juan was a producer/director at WGBH on the PBS series AMERICAS, where he co-produced “In Women’s Hands” on Chilean women’s participation in political life, and produced “Builders of Images”, on the role of artists in Latin American societies. His film “Our Disappeared”/”Nuestros Desaparecidos”, on people he knew who were kidnapped and disappeared during the 1970s military dictatorship in Argentina, has played in over thirty festivals worldwide and aired on the PBS series INDEPENDENT LENS.
Juan has produced and directed several music films (all aired on PBS), including “Caetano in Bahia”, on the great Brazilian singer/songwriter Caetano Veloso (available on YouTube) and “A New World of Music”, on the New England Conservatory of Music’s Youth Philharmonic Orchestra on tour in Chile and Argentina.
