PEOPLE WATCH

U.S. Debut: Cuban jazz pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba, whom the late Dizzy Gillespie called the decade’s greatest pianist, makes his long-awaited U.S. debut tonight at New York’s Lincoln Center. But the musician says that the U.S. government, which previously barred him from playing in the United States because of his ties to Fidel Castro, has allowed him to play only because he will not be paid for the event, which is a benefit for Gillespie’s foundation. Rubalcaba, 30, has become a legend among American jazz fans--not only due to his recordings but because of his distinction as “the finest jazz musician never to play in the United States.” He will perform both with his own Cuban group and in a trio with bassist Charlie Haden and drummer Jack DeJohnette.