Israel López Valdés (September 14, 1918 – March 22, 2008), better known as Cachao ( ), was a Cuban double bassist and composer. Cachao is widely known as the co-creator of the

mambo Mambo most often refers to: *Mambo (music), a Cuban musical form *Mambo (dance), a dance corresponding to mambo music Mambo may also refer to: Music * Mambo section, a section in arrangements of some types of Afro-Caribbean music, particul ...

and a master of the

descarga A descarga (literally ''discharge'' in Spanish) is an improvised jam session consisting of variations on Cuban music themes, primarily son montuno, but also guajira, bolero, guaracha and rumba. The genre is strongly influenced by jazz and it w ...

(improvised jam sessions). Throughout his career he also performed and recorded in a variety of music styles ranging from

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...

to salsa. An exile in the United States since the 1960s, he only achieved international fame following a career revival in the 1990s. Born into a family of musicians in

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Orestes In Greek mythology, Orestes or Orestis (; ) was the son of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, and the brother of Electra and Iphigenia. He was also known by the patronymic Agamemnonides (), meaning "son of Agamemnon." He is the subject of several ...

were the driving force behind one of Cuba's most prolific charangas, Arcaño y sus Maravillas. As members of the Maravillas, Cachao and Orestes pioneered a new form of ballroom music derived from the

danzón Danzón is the official genre and dance of Cuba.Urfé, Odilio 1965. ''El danzón''. La Habana. It is also an active musical form in USA and Puerto Rico. Written in time, the danzón is a slow, formal partner dance, requiring set footwork ...

, the

danzón-mambo The danzón-mambo (also known as ''danzón de nuevo ritmo'') is a subgenre of Cuban dance music that marked the transition from the classical danzόn to the mambo and the cha-cha-chá. It was also in the context of the danzón-mambo that the Cub ...

, which subsequently developed into an international genre,

. In the 1950s, Cachao became famous for popularizing improvised jam sessions known as

s. He emigrated to Spain in 1962, and moved to the United States in 1963, starting a career as a session and live musician for a variety of bands in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

during the rise of

boogaloo Boogaloo or bugalú (also: shing-a-ling, Latin boogaloo, Latin R&B) is a music genre, genre of Latin music and dance which was popular in the United States in the 1960s. Boogaloo originated in New York City mainly by stateside Puerto Ricans with ...

, and later, salsa. In the 1970s, Cachao fell into obscurity after moving to

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

and later

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

, releasing albums sporadically as a leader. In the 1990s, he was re-discovered by actor

Andy García Andrés Arturo García Menéndez (born April 12, 1956) is an American actor, director, producer, and musician. He first rose to prominence acting in Brian De Palma's '' The Untouchables'' (1987) alongside Kevin Costner, Sean Connery, and ...

, who brought him back to the forefront of the

Latin music Latin music (Portuguese language, Portuguese and ) is a term used by the music industry as a catch-all category for various styles of music from Ibero-America, which encompasses Music of Latin America, Latin America, Music of Spain, Spain, Mu ...

scene with the release of a documentary and several albums. Before his death in 2008, Cachao had earned a star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...

and several

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

s. He is ranked number 24 on ''Bass Player'' magazine's list of "The 100 Greatest Bass Players of All Time".

Biography

Early life and career

Cachao was born on September 14, 1918, in Belén, a neighbourhood in Old Havana, into a family of musicians, many of them bassists—around 40 or more in his extended family.Pareles, Jon
New York Times: "Cachao, Mambo’s Inventor, Dies at 89"
''The New York Times'', March 24, 2008. He was born and raised in the same house in which

José Martí José Julián Martí Pérez (; 28 January 1853 – 19 May 1895) was a Cuban nationalism, nationalist, poet, philosopher, essayist, journalist, translator, professor, and publisher, who is considered a Cuban national hero because of his role in ...

was born.Entrevista con Israel López "Cachao"
2003. His nickname and stage name ''Cachao'' was given to him by his grandfather Aurelio López, from the Spanish word "''cachondeo''" ( banter).Entrevista a Cachao por Eloy Cepero (II)
February 28, 2008. Cachao began his musical career in 1926, taught by his father, Pedro López, and his older brother, multi-instrumentalist Orestes López, nicknamed "Macho". As an 8-year-old bongo player, he joined a children's son cubano septet directed by a 14-year old

Roberto Faz Roberto Faz Monzón (September 18, 1914 – April 26, 1966) was a Cuban singer who reached the height of his popularity during the 1950s and early 1960s. Like his contemporary Benny Moré, he specialized in many forms of Cuban music such as so ...

. A year later, already on

double bass The double bass (), also known as the upright bass, the acoustic bass, the bull fiddle, or simply the bass, is the largest and lowest-pitched string instrument, chordophone in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding rare additions ...

, he provided music for

silent movie ''Silent Movie'' is a 1976 American satirical silent comedy film co-written, directed by and starring Mel Brooks, released by 20th Century Fox in summer 1976. The ensemble cast includes Dom DeLuise, Marty Feldman, Bernadette Peters, and S ...

s in his neighborhood theater, in the company of a pianist who would become a true superstar, cabaret performer Ignacio Villa, known as

Bola de Nieve Bola de Nieve (literally ''Snowball''; 11 September 1911 – 2 October 1971), born Ignacio Jacinto Villa Fernández, was a Cuban singer-pianist and songwriter. His name originates from his round, black face. Villa Fernández was born in Guanaba ...

."Israel ‘Cachao’ López: Cuban double-bassist and composer who, with his brother, invented the Cuban dance style of mambo in the late 1930s"
''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'' (London), March 24, 2008. Work at the cinema ended in 1930 when

talkies A sound film is a Film, motion picture with synchronization, synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, bu ...

began to be shown in Cuba.Entrevista a Cachao por Eloy Cepero (I)
February 28, 2008. His parents made sure he was classically trained, first at home and then at a conservatory. In his early teens he was already playing contrabass with the Orquesta Filarmónica de La Habana (of which Orestes was a founding member), under the baton of guest conductors such as Herbert von Karajan,

Igor Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ( – 6 April 1971) was a Russian composer and conductor with French citizenship (from 1934) and American citizenship (from 1945). He is widely considered one of the most important and influential 20th-century c ...

and

Heitor Villa-Lobos Heitor Villa-Lobos (March 5, 1887November 17, 1959) was a Brazilian composer, conductor, cellist, and classical guitarist described as "the single most significant creative figure in 20th-century Brazilian art music". Villa-Lobos has globally bec ...

. He played with the orchestra from 1930 to 1960.

Las Maravillas and the origin of mambo

Cachao's and Orestes' rise to fame came with the charanga Arcaño y sus Maravillas, founded by flautist Antonio Arcaño. As members of the group they composed literally thousands of danzones together and were a major influence on

Cuban music The music of Cuba, including its instruments, performance, and dance, comprises a large set of unique traditions influenced mostly by west African and European (especially Spanish) music. Due to the syncretic nature of most of its genres, Cuban ...

from the 1930s to the 1950s. They introduced the nuevo ritmo ("new rhythm") in the late 1930s, which transformed the

by introducing a syncopated final section open to the improvisation of the players and dancers. This section, known as the ''mambo'', was named after the danzón "Mambo", co-written by Cachao and Orestes, which—according to Cachao—referred to the word for "story or tale" used by Kongos and Lucumís in Cuba. In the words of Cuban writer Guillermo Cabrera Infante, it was the "mother of all

s". In their vast repertoire were also compositions by other songwriters such as "Isora Club", written by their sister Coralia López, as well as arrangements of standards such as " Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and songs by

George Gershwin George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned jazz, popular music, popular and classical music. Among his best-known works are the songs "Swan ...

and

Jelly Roll Morton Ferdinand Joseph LaMothe ( Lemott, later Morton; c. September 20, 1890 – July 10, 1941), known professionally as Jelly Roll Morton, was an American blues and jazz pianist, bandleader, and composer of Louisiana Creole descent. Morton was jazz ...

. The Maravillas, or ''La Radiofónica'' as they were popularly known, became a radio sensation in the mid-1940s, having their own program and expanding their lineup to 14 musicians in 1944. The need to constantly write music sheets for each member of the band was one of the reasons why Cachao left the group in 1949. He then joined Blanquita Theater orchestra, whose fifty members played in Broadway-style revues. The Maravillas went on for another ten years. Their

swan song The swan song (; ) is a metaphorical phrase for a final gesture, effort, or performance given just before death or retirement. The phrase refers to an ancient belief that swans sing a beautiful song just before their death while they have been ...

, released in 1957, was " Chanchullo", composed by Cachao himself, who organized the session. The song became a hit in the United States as the basis for

Tito Puente Ernest Anthony Puente Jr. (April 20, 1923 – May 31, 2000), commonly known as Tito Puente, was an American musician, songwriter, bandleader, timbalero, and record producer. He composed dance-oriented mambo and Latin jazz music. He was also k ...

's " Oye cómo va", although Puente denied copying Cachao's composition.

Descargas at Panart studios

One day in 1957, Cachao gathered a group of musicians in the early hours of the morning (from 4 to 9 AM), energized from playing gigs at Havana's popular nightclubs, to jam in front of the mics of a

recording studio A recording studio is a specialized facility for Sound recording and reproduction, recording and Audio mixing, mixing of instrumental or vocal musical performances, spoken words, and other sounds. They range in size from a small in-home proje ...

. The resulting

s, known to music aficionados worldwide as Cuban

jam session A jam session is a relatively informal musical event, process, or activity where musicians, typically instrumentalists, play improvised solos and vamp over tunes, drones, songs, and chord progressions. To "jam" is to improvise music without ...

s, revolutionized Afro-Cuban popular music. Under Cachao's direction, these masters improvised freely in the manner of

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

, but their vocabulary was Cuba's popular music. These descargas were released in 1957 by the

Panart Panart was one of the first and most successful independent record labels in Cuba, founded in 1944 by engineer Ramón Sabat. In 1961, its studios were seized by Fidel Castro's communist regime and the label was nationalized, becoming "Panart Naci ...

label under the title '' Cuban Jam Sessions in Miniature'', which followed the longer descargas by Julio Gutiérrez (''Cuban Jam Sessions Vol. 1'' and ''2''), released also by Panart. They have been named by many critics as one of the most essential Cuban records of the 1950s, including being cited by the book ''1000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die''. Between 1957 and 1959 he recorded many more descargas at Panart studios. These recordings were released in the following years by Kubaney and Maype, and re-released by

EGREM EGREM (Empresa de Grabaciones y Ediciones Musicales, Spanish for ''Enterprise of Recordings and Musical Editions'') is the national record label of Cuba. It is headquartered in Centro Habana, where its main record studios (''Estudios Areito'' 101 ...

. He also recorded descargas with Tojo's orchestra and Chico O'Farrill's All-Stars Cubano amongst other ensembles. He worked alongside Peruchín,

Tata Güines Federico Arístides Soto Alejo (June 30, 1930 – February 4, 2008), better known as Tata Güines, was a Cuban percussionist, bandleader and arranger. He was widely regarded as a master of the conga drum, and alongside Carlos "Patato" Valdés, in ...

and Alejandro "El Negro" Vivar.

Exile

In 1958, at the height of the

Cuban Revolution The Cuban Revolution () was the military and political movement that overthrew the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista, who had ruled Cuba from 1952 to 1959. The revolution began after the 1952 Cuban coup d'état, in which Batista overthrew ...

, Cachao's wife left Cuba for

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, and in 1962, three years into

Fidel Castro Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban politician and revolutionary who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and President of Cuba, president ...

's communist regime, Cachao crossed the Atlantic on a ship along with 13 other musicians. After 21 days, they reached the Canary Islands. Cachao settled in

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

, where he joined Ernesto Duarte as a member of his orchestra, Orquesta Sabor Cubano. In Madrid, Cachao also performed with other artists such as

Pérez Prado Dámaso Pérez Prado (December 11, 1916 – September 14, 1989) was a Cuban bandleader, pianist, composer and arranger who popularized the mambo in the 1950s.''On Becoming Cuban: Identity, Nationality, and Culture'' Louis A. Pérez Jr. - 2012 ...

. One year later, in 1963, Cachao reunited with his wife in

, where he played with

Charlie Palmieri Carlos Manuel "Charlie" Palmieri (November 21, 1927 – September 12, 1988) was an American bandleader and musical director of salsa music. He was known as the "Giant of the Keyboards". Early years Palmieri's parents migrated to New York from P ...

, José Fajardo,

Tito Rodríguez Pablo Rodríguez Lozada (January 4, 1923 – February 28, 1973), better known as Tito Rodríguez, was a Puerto Rican singer and bandleader. He started his career singing under the tutelage of his brother, Johnny Rodríguez. In the 1940s, both m ...

and

Machito Frank Grillo (born Francisco Raúl Gutiérrez Grillo; December 3, 1909 – April 15, 1984) known professionally as Machito (previously as Macho), was a Latin jazz musician who helped refine Afro-Cuban jazz and create both Cubop and salsa music ...

, among others. Cachao was one of the most in-demand bassists in New York, along with Alfonso "El Panameño" Joseph and Bobby "Big Daddy" Rodríguez. Joseph and Cachao substituted for each other over a span of five years, performing at nightclubs and venues such as the Palladium Ballroom, the Roseland, the Birdland, Havana San Juan and Havana Madrid. While Cachao was performing with

's orchestra in New York, Joseph was recording and performing with Cuban conga player Cándido Camero. When Joseph left Cándido's band to work with Charlie Rodríguez and

Johnny Pacheco Juan Pablo Knipping Pacheco (25 March 1935 – 15 February 2021), known as Johnny Pacheco, was a Dominican musician, arranger, composer, bandleader, and record producer. Born in the Dominican Republic, Pacheco became a leading figure in the New ...

, it was Cachao who took his place in Cándido's band. After a decade in New York, Cachao moved to

, where he played in Pupi Campo's band at the casinos and as a pianist at a piano bar. In 1977, Cachao recorded with drummers Louis Bellson and Walfredo de los Reyes the experimental album ''Ecué'', where he played piano on the title track. Most significantly, he was brought back into the recording studio by musicologist René López to record two albums as a leader ('' Cachao y su Descarga 77'' and ''Dos''), his first in 15 years. These LPs constituted a sort of "rediscovery" of Cachao for the incipient salsa scene in New York. In 1978, Cachao moved to

, where he played at events such as baptisms, '' comuniones'', ''

quinceañera In Mexico, Mexican and other Latin American cultures, it is customary to celebrate a girl's 15th birthday. In Spanish language, Spanish, the girl celebrating her 15th birthday is called a ; in English language, English, primarily in the Unite ...

s'' and weddings. Despite his lower profile, Cachao recorded several albums with pianist Paquito Hechevarría for the Tania record label, including one as a leader in 1986, ''Maestro de Maestros: Cachao y su Descarga '86''.

Late career

In 1989, actor

contacted Cachao at the San Francisco Jazz Festival, where he was playing with John Santos and

Carlos Santana Carlos Humberto Santana Barragán (; born July 20, 1947) is an American guitarist, best known as a founding member of the Rock music, rock band Santana (band), Santana. Born and raised in Mexico where he developed his musical background, he r ...

. García asked him if he would be interested in a tribute concert and

documentary film A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...

being made in his honor, which Cachao proudly accepted. The concert took place in Miami on July 31, 1992, and it was the centerpiece of the four-day

16 mm 16 mm film is a historically popular and economical Film gauge, gauge of Photographic film, film. 16 mm refers to the width of the film (about inch); other common film gauges include 8 mm film, 8 mm and 35mm movie film, 35 mm. It ...

shoot that yielded ''Cachao... como su ritmo no hay dos'', García's film, released the following year. The success of the concert and film spurred the recording of two new albums, ''Master Sessions Vol. 1'' (1994) and ''Vol. 2'' (1995), as well as international tours. This led to a second "rediscovery" of Cachao, as well as numerous accolades, including several

Grammy The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

and Hall of Fame awards. As a leader, Cachao recorded two more albums to critical acclaim, ''Cuba linda'' (2000) and ''Ahora sí'' (2004). In 2000, he recorded with Bebo Valdés for

Fernando Trueba Fernando Rodríguez Trueba (born 18 January 1955), known as Fernando Trueba, is a Spanish filmmaker, writer, producer and book editor. Career Between 1974 and 1979, Trueba worked as a film critic for Spain's leading daily newspaper '' El Paí ...

's concert film ''Calle 54'' and for the album '' El arte del sabor''. He made his last studio recordings as a sideman for

Gloria Estefan Gloria María Milagrosa Estefan (; ; born September 1, 1957) is an American singer, actress, and businesswoman. Estefan is an eight-time Grammy Awards, Grammy Award winner, a Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, and has been named one of t ...

on '' 90 Millas'' (2007). His last concert took place in Miami in September 2007 and was released as a posthumous live album, ''The Last Mambo'', by

Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), commonly known as Sony Music, is an American multinational music company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony Group Corporation. It is the recording division of Sony Music Group, with the other half being the ...

in 2011. In February 2008, Cachao signed a contract with

Penguin Books Penguin Books Limited is a Germany, German-owned English publishing, publishing house. It was co-founded in 1935 by Allen Lane with his brothers Richard and John, as a line of the publishers the Bodley Head, only becoming a separate company the ...

to write a book about his life, which never materialized due to his passing one month later. At the time, Cachao was preparing to record another album and had eight concerts in Europe scheduled for 2008.

Death

Cachao died on the morning of March 22, 2008, in

Coral Gables Coral Gables is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The city is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida and is located southwest of Downtown Miami. As of the 2020 U.S. census, it had a population of 49,248. Cora ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, at the age of 89. He died from complications resulting from

kidney failure Kidney failure, also known as renal failure or end-stage renal disease (ESRD), is a medical condition in which the kidneys can no longer adequately filter waste products from the blood, functioning at less than 15% of normal levels. Kidney fa ...

. On March 26 and 27, a public open-casket

funeral A funeral is a ceremony connected with the final disposition of a corpse, such as a burial or cremation, with the attendant observances. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember and respect th ...

, led by

Alberto Cutié Alberto R. Cutié (born April 29, 1969, in San Juan, Puerto Rico) is a Cuban-American Episcopal priest who is also known as Padre Alberto. He was ordained as a Catholic priest in 1995. He has an internationally recognizable name, due to his work ...

, was held at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church in

. On March 27, he was buried at Vista Memorial Gardens in Miami Lakes.

Family

Cachao was part of a large musical family which at one time had "35 bassists" across multiple generations, although many played other instruments as well. Cachao's older brother, Orestes, played 12 instruments, including bass, cello, harp and piano, and Cachao himself played bass, piano, bongos, tres and trumpet. His sister Coralia was also a bassist and bandleader, but is perhaps best known as a songwriter for her danzón "Isora Club", a standard of the genre. Orestes' son, Orlando, was nicknamed Cachaíto after his uncle Cachao. He was a prolific bassist as well and one of the mainstays of the famed Buena Vista Social Club group, named after one of Cachao's danzones, " Social Club Buenavista". In 2001, Cachaíto recorded his only album as a leader, featuring two songs composed by Cachao. Cachao was married to Ester Buenaventura from 1946 until her death in May 2005. They were survived by their only daughter, María Elena.

Awards and recognition

Honors

In 1994, Cachao was inducted into ''Billboards Latin Music Hall of Fame. He was a recipient of a 1995

National Heritage Fellowship The National Heritage Fellowship is a lifetime honor presented to master folk and traditional artists by the National Endowment for the Arts. Similar to Japan's Living National Treasure award, the Fellowship is the United States government's h ...

awarded by the

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the feder ...

, which is the highest honor in the folk and traditional arts in the United States. In 1999, Cachao was inducted into the

International Latin Music Hall of Fame The International Latin Music Hall of Fame (ILMHF) was an annual event established in 1999 and held in New York City to honor artists who have largely contributed to the Latin music genre. In addition to the induction into the Hall of Fame, the a ...

. He also received a Lifetime Achievement Award a year later. In 2003, Cachao was awarded the 2,219th star on the

. On June 11, 2006, he was honored by

Union City, New Jersey Union City is a City (New Jersey), city in the North Hudson, New Jersey, northern part of Hudson County, New Jersey, Hudson County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the city was List of municipalities in Ne ...

with a star on the Walk of Fame at Union City's

Celia Cruz Celia Caridad Cruz Alfonso (21 October 1925 – 16 July 2003), known as Celia Cruz, was a Cuban singer and one of the most popular Latin artists of the 20th century. Cruz rose to fame in Cuba during the 1950s as a singer of , earning the nickna ...

Park.Rosero, Jessica
"Viva la comunidad Cubano North Hudson celebrates at the annual Cuban Day Parade"
'' Hudson Reporter'' June 18, 2006 On November 7, 2006, Cachao received an Honorary Doctorate of Music from

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music () is a Private university, private music college in Boston, Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern Music of the United ...

during Berklee's Latin Culture Celebration. At the time of his death, the

University of New Haven The University of New Haven (UNH) is a private university in West Haven, Connecticut, United States. History The University of New Haven was founded in 1920 as the New Haven YMCA Junior College, a division of Northeastern University, which sha ...

had also decided to award an Honorary Doctorate to Cachao.

Grammy Awards

Cachao has won several

s for both his own work and his contributions on albums by Latin music stars, including

. In 1994, he won a Grammy for ''Master Sessions Volume 1''. In 2003, he won a

Latin Grammy The Latin Grammy Awards (stylized as Latin GRAMMYs) are awards presented by the Latin Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievement in the Latin music industry. The Latin Grammy honors works recorded in Spanish or Portuguese from any ...

for Best Traditional Tropical Latin Album together with Bebo Valdés and Carlos "Patato" Valdés for ''El arte del sabor''. Cachao won a further Grammy in 2005 for his album ''¡Ahora Sí!''. In 2012, his posthumous live album ''The Last Mambo'' won the Grammy Award in the Best Tropical Latin album category.

Tributes

Cachao has received numerous tributes in the form of dedicated concerts, compositions and recordings from other musicians. The first notable tribute concert to Cachao was organized by musicologist René López and held at

Avery Fisher Hall David Geffen Hall is a concert hall at Lincoln Center on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. The 2,200-seat auditorium opened in 1962, and is the home of the New York Philharmonic. The facility, designed by Max Abramovitz, was o ...

in New York City in 1976. Although the event gathered many of the major exponents of Afro-Cuban music in the country, it received little attention from the press. In 1987, a tribute concert was held at the

Hunter College Hunter College is a public university in New York City, United States. It is one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York and offers studies in more than one hundred undergraduate and postgraduate fields across five schools ...

auditorium in New York City in honor of Cachao. The ensemble was directed by pianist

and featured Alfredo "Chocolate" Armenteros, Orlando "Puntilla" Ríos, Pupi Legarreta,

, as well as Cachao himself. In 1993, the Puerto Rican salsa supergroup Descarga Boricua recorded the track "Homenaje a Cachao" for the album ''¡Esta sí va!'', while pianist Hilario Durán recorded a different piece with the same name for his 2001 album ''Havana Remembered''. Bebo Valdés composed and recorded the piece "Cachao, creador del mambo" in 2004, and re-recorded a segment of the song for the film '' Chico & Rita'' in 2010. In November 2005, a tribute performance dedicated to Cachao took place during the 6th Annual Latin Grammy Awards. It was presented by

and featured Bebo Valdés, Generoso Jiménez,

Arturo Sandoval Arturo Sandoval (born November 6, 1949) is a Cuban-American jazz trumpeter, pianist, timbalero, and composer. While living in his native Cuba, Sandoval was influenced by jazz musicians Charlie Parker, Clifford Brown, and Dizzy Gillespie. In 1977 ...

, as well Cachao himself. In February 2008, Paquito D'Rivera premiered ''Conversaciones con Cachao'', a symphonic suite dedicated to Cachao, during the ''Festival de Música de Canarias'' (Canary Islands Music Festival). The orchestra was directed by Pablo Zinger. A month after Cachao's death, a second documentary film by Andy García was released; ''Cachao: Uno más'' premiered in April 2008 at the

San Francisco International Film Festival The San Francisco International Film Festival (abbreviated as SFIFF), organized by SFFILM, is held each spring for two weeks, presenting around 200 films from over 50 countries. The festival highlights current trends in international film and vid ...

. The inspiration for ''Cachao: Uno más'', made by San Francisco State University's DOC Film Institute, came largely from a concert Cachao played at Bimbo's 365 Club in San Francisco in 2005. The film's premiere was followed by a tribute concert with the John Santos Band at Yoshi's Jazz Club SF. After Cachao's death, his backing band continued to perform as Cachao's Mambo All-Stars and they recorded an album in his honour, ''Como siempre''. On March 15, 2019, a concert titled ''Mambo: 100 Years of the Master - Cachao'' was held in Miami, 100 years after Cachao's birth. It featured 97-year-old Cándido Camero and 89-year-old Juanito Márquez, among others. The latter arranged some of the songs Cachao was preparing to record in 2008 at the time of his passing, which were performed for the first time 11 years later at the concert.

Discography

As leader

*1957: '' Cuban Jam Sessions in Miniature "Descargas"'' (

) *1958: ''Con el ritmo de Cachao'' (Duarte/Kubaney), reissued as ''Camina Juan Pescao'' (Duher, 1974) *1959: ''El gran Cachao'' (Duarte/Kubaney), reissued as ''Cachao y su Típica Vol. 2'' (Duher, 1974) *1962: '' Jam Session with Feeling'' (Maype, recorded in 1958) *1963: ''Descarga'' (Maype, recorded in 1961) *1966: ''Cuban Music in Jam Session'' (Bonita, recorded in 1961) *1974: ''Descargas con el ritmo de Cachao'' (Modiner, recorded in 1961) *1977: '' Cachao y su Descarga 77'' ( Salsoul) *1977: ''Dos'' (Salsoul) *1986: ''Maestro de Maestros: Cachao y su Descarga '86'' (Tania) *1994: ''Master Sessions, Volume 1'' (Crescent Moon) *1995: ''Master Sessions, Volume 2'' (Crescent Moon) *1997: ''Superdanzones'' (EGREM, recorded in 1961), reissued as part of ''Jazzcuba, Volumen 2'' (

Warner Music Warner Music Group Corp., commonly abbreviated as WMG, is an American multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the " big three" recording companies and the third-largest in the gl ...

, 2007) *2000: ''Cuba linda'' (EMI) *2004: ''Ahora sí'' (Univisión) *2011: ''The Last Mambo'' (Sony) ;Collaborations with Paquito Hechevarría & Tany Gil *1981: ''Walpataca'' (Tania), reissued as ''Latin Jazz Descarga Part 1'' (1994) *1981: ''Típica Pata'' (Tania) *1985: ''Walpataca II'' (Tania), reissued as ''Latin Jazz Descarga Part 2'' (1994)

Singles

*1957: Descarga cubana / Goza mi trompeta (Panart) *1957: A gozar timbero / Sorpresa de flauta (Panart) *1957: Pamparana / Cógele el golpe (Panart) *1957: Trombón criollo / Oye mi tres montuno (Panart) *1958: La cayuga / Cuarenta que son uno (Duarte) *1958: Camina Juan Pescao / Jóvenes de la defensa (Duarte) *1961: Descarga general / El manicero (Discos Latino) *1962: Cachao en España Pt. 1 / Cachao en España Pt. 2 (Duque)

As sideman

With All-Stars Cubano *Descarga número uno / Descarga número dos (Gema, 1957) With Arcaño y sus Maravillas *El que sabe, sabe / Chanchullo (Gema, 1957) With Joe Cain *''Latin Explosion'' (Time, 1964) With Charanga Caribe *''Vol. II'' (Caney, 1980) With Conjunto Yumurí *''La paella'' (Caney, 1980) *''Estampas de mi tierra'' (Caney, 1981) With Kako *''Tributo a Noro'' (Alegre, 1964) With Chano Montes y su Conjunto *''Recuerdan a Chappottín'' (Caney, 1982) With Carlos Montiel *''Distinto y diferente'' (Discos Suyo) With Orquesta Oriental *''Con sasón!'' (Caney, 1980) With Patato & Totico *''Patato y Totico'' (Verve, 1967) With

Eddie Palmieri Eddie Palmieri (born December 15, 1936) is an American Grammy Award-winning pianist, bandleader, musician, and composer of Corsican and Puerto Rican ancestry. He is the founder of the bands La Perfecta, La Perfecta II, and Harlem River Drive. ...

*''Champagne'' (Tico, 1968) With

*''Tito Tito Tito'' (Westside, 1964) With The Salsa All Stars *''The Salsa All Stars'' (Salsa, 1968) With Bebo Valdés *'' El arte del sabor'' (Blue Note, 2001)

Filmography

*''Cachao... como su ritmo no hay dos'' (1993) *'' Cachao: Uno más'' (2008)

References

External links

* *
Cachao
''Rate Your Music''.
Cachao
''Discogs''. *
Cuba's Cachao is king of TumbaoCachao gets star on Walk of Fame"Cachao: Uno Más"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cachao 1918 births 2008 deaths Cuban double-bassists Cuban composers Cuban male composers Cuban bandleaders Cuban charanga musicians Danzón musicians Danzón composers Mambo musicians Grammy Award winners Latin Grammy Award winners Deaths from kidney failure Musicians from Havana Cuban emigrants to the United States Musicians from Miami 20th-century American musicians Latin music composers National Heritage Fellowship winners Cuban male musicians