Richard Egües, nicknamed "la flauta mágica" (the magic flute), (October 26, 1923 - September 1, 2006) was a
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribb ...
n
flautist and musician, one of the country's most famous artists. Egües was a member of the
Orquesta Aragón band which he joined in 1955. He was also a strong supporter of the
Cuban Revolution
The Cuban Revolution ( es, Revolución Cubana) was carried out after the 1952 Cuban coup d'état which placed Fulgencio Batista as head of state and the failed mass strike in opposition that followed. After failing to contest Batista in co ...
. A few days before he died, Richard Egües stated "I would give my life for him", referring to the Cuban President
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (; ; 13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban revolutionary and politician who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and president from 1976 to 20 ...
, who was very sick at the time.
Egües composed what are today classics of
salsa
Salsa most often refers to:
* Salsa (Mexican cuisine), a variety of sauces used as condiments
* Salsa music, a popular style of Latin American music
* Salsa (dance), a Latin dance associated with Salsa music
Salsa or SALSA may also refer to:
A ...
, such as "Sabrosona", "Bombón cha", "Asi Es Mejor", "La Muela", "Gladys", "El cerquillo", "El Cuini" and his most well-known song, "El bodeguero", which became part of
Nat King Cole
Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's music career began after he dropped out of school at the age of 15, and continued f ...
's repertoire.
Egües was born in the town of
Cruces in the Cuban province of Las Villas on October 26, 1923. After learning to play sax, clarinet and piano, he decided to pick up the flute in the late '40s, in part, because flute players got to take more breaks during performances. Egues later came to be the foremost exponent of the
charanga style of Cuban flute playing.
Charanga bands consist of vocals, percussion, strings and a flutist with the flute serving as a prominent and central voice. Charanga music has a characteristic classical or ‘ballroom’ aspect to it as it was historically intended for the wealthier classes. Accordingly, this style reflects a blend of Spanish and French
contredanse as well as African roots. The tunes played by charanga bands are typically the ‘
danzon’ (with its characteristic five-beat percussive figure known as the
cinquillo) and the more the familiar ‘
cha cha cha’ (which, unlike most other Cuban styles, is not rooted in the
clave).
Egues served for many years as the flutist with a popular charanga band known as
Orquesta Aragón. The ensemble was founded in 1939. After substituting in the band on many occasions over a period of years, Richard was finally solicited by the leader to become a full-time member when
Rolando Lozano left the group in 1954. Once installed, Egues remained with Orquesta Aragón for over three decades and became an active participant (as flutist, writer and arranger) in the band's most renowned works and, in a genuine sense, began to define this style of Cuban music as Orquesta Aragón became a world-renowned performing group—and in no small measure on account of Egues’ own personal popularity.
References
Obituary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Egues, Richard
1923 births
2006 deaths
Cuban flautists
Cuban composers
Male composers
Danzón musicians
Cha-cha-cha musicians
Cuban charanga musicians
Cuban male musicians
20th-century flautists