The Associated Press

HAVANA - Chucho Valdes will pay tribute to New Orleans and the victims of Hurricane Katrina with an original composition during Cuba’s annual international jazz festival this weekend.

The Grammy-winning pianist will host this year’s event, “Jazz Plaza 2005,” which opens in Havana on Thursday, Cuba’s state media reported. 

The tribute concert, featuring Valdes’ composition “Canto a Dios,” will be performing Sunday at the event’s  closing by the pianist, his quartet, Cuba’s National Symphonic Orchestra and Cuba’s National Chorus. The words to the new written by Cuban folk singer Pablo Milanes. 

People expected at the four-day event include Chicago-based jazz vocalist Lola Pfeiffer, Canadian trombonist Hugh Fraser and Brazilian pianist-composer Ivan Lins, who won the 2005 Latin Grammy album of the year award for “Cantando Historias.” 

Valdes’ latest album, “Virtuoso,” was released in early November.