José Marcelino Marquetti Díaz (April 26, 1909 – March 29, 1967), better known as Cheo Marquetti, was a renowned Cuban
son
A son is a male offspring; a boy or a man in relation to his parents. The female counterpart is a daughter. From a biological perspective, a son constitutes a first degree relative.
Social issues
In pre-industrial societies and some current ...
Cuba
Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
. He was the son of Mercedes Díaz Campos and David "El Lucumí" Marquetti Suárez, an
Abakuá
Abakuá, also sometimes known as Ñañiguismo, is a Cuban initiatory religious fraternity founded in 1836. The society is open only to men and those initiated take oaths to not reveal the secret teachings and practices of the order. Members are ...
member of Los Chinos Buenos, a mixed band whose members dressed as Chinese. He grew up in the
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.Cayo Hueso
Key West is an island in the Straits of Florida, at the southern end of the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Island, it const ...
. He started his career in 1926 with a sexteto, Minerva. He joined th Belén Puig Orchestra and the Ernesto Muñoz Conjuncto in 1930 as singer of
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 ...
Septeto Nacional
Septeto Nacional (National Septet), or the Septeto Nacional de Ignacio Piñeiro, is a Cuban group credited with expanding the Son musical style before Arsenio Rodríguez. It added the trumpet to percussion, vocals, and strings. The group started ...
de
Ignacio Piñeiro
Ignacio Piñeiro Martínez (May 21, 1888 – March 12, 1969) was a Cuban musician, bandleader and composer whose career started in rumba and flowered in the rise of the son. He was one of the most important composers of son music; in total h ...
). This was followed by stints with Septeto Hatuey, Septeto Facenda and the famous
Septeto Habanero
A septet is a formation containing exactly seven members. It is commonly associated with musical groups but can be applied to any situation where seven similar or related objects are considered a single unit, such as a seven-line stanza of poetry ...
. He is also said to have been a member of Septeto Cuba, Alabama de
Abelardo Barroso
Abelardo Barroso Dargeles (21 September 1905 – 27 September 1972) was a Cuban bandleader and singer, the first sonero mayor (lead singer of the son) to be recognized as such by the Cuban public.
Born in Havana, Cuba, he was the lead singer ...
, Jóvenes del Cayo, Dandy del 40, La Sonora Piñón and Septeto Mora.
In an effort to achieve wider recognition he left Cuba for
Mexico
Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
in the mid forties. Only mildly successful, he returned in 1953. Back 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.Orquesta Sensación, led by Rolando Valdés (to briefly replace the much more famous ''sonero'' Abelardo Barroso). This engagement was followed by temporary stints at a group whose fame survives today, Chappottín y sus Estrellas, whose members at the peak of their success and fame were
Félix Chappottín
Félix Chappottín (March 31, 1907 – December 21, 1983) was a Cuban trumpeter and bandleader. He was a member of three highly successful Cuban bands: Septeto Habanero, Arsenio Rodríguez's conjunto and Conjunto Chappottín, which he direc ...
,
Miguelito Cuní Miguelito may refer to:
*Miguelito (singer) (born 1999), Puerto Rican reggaeton singer
*Miguelito (footballer, born 1981), Portuguese football wingback
*Miguelito (footballer, born March 1990), Portuguese football midfielder
*Miguelito (footballer, ...
Lilí Martínez
Luis Martínez Griñán (19 August 1915 – 26 August 1990), better known as Lilí Martínez, was a Cuban pianist, arranger and composer specializing in the son montuno style. He played in the Conjunto de Arsenio Rodríguez and Conjunto Chappo ...
an Gina Martín , as well as Marquetti. Between 1955 and 1957 he had his own conjunto Los Salseros with whom he recorded a couple of albums for
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 ...
(reissued 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 ...
Venezuela
Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...
and on his return rejoine Orquesta Sensación In 1958, he left the group and formed another conjunto for more recordings. In 1961, he dissolved his group to move to
Panama
Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...
. He returned to Havana in 1963. After his return he was an occasional contributor to Grupo Tutankamen. He died in relative obscurity in El Cerro, Havana,
Cuba
Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
, at the relatively young age of 57.
Style and legacy
Cheo Marquetti is a real "singer's singer" with a beautifully lyrical and expressive voice. Contemporary vocalists and musicians such as Henry Fiol count him as a major influence. A few compilations of Cheo Marquetti's solo recordings have recently been reissued.
Family
His cousin,
Luis Marquetti
Luis Marquetti (August 24, 1901 - July 30, 1991) was a Cuban songwriter and composer. He was born in the town of Alquízar.
Among his well-known ''boleros'' are ''Allí donde tú sabes'' and ''Deuda''.
Career
Born Luis Marquetti Marquetti, he wa ...
, was a famous composer, responsible for, among others, the classic song ''Deuda''.