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 ...
n
close-harmony
A Chord (music), chord is in close harmony (also called close position or close structure) if its notes are Voicing (music), arranged within a narrow range (music), range, usually with no more than an octave between the top and bottom notes. In ...
vocal group working from 1962 until 1976. The group was part of the filín (feeling) movement, inspired by American
doo-wop
Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a subgenre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, ...
groups such as
The Platters
The Platters are an American vocal group formed in 1952. They are one of the most successful vocal groups of the early rock and roll era. Their distinctive sound bridges the pre-rock Tin Pan Alley tradition and the new burgeoning genre. The act ...
. Their music was a fusion of Cuban genres, such as the
bolero
Bolero is a genre of song which originated in eastern Cuba in the late 19th century as part of the trova tradition. Unrelated to the older Spanish dance of the same name, bolero is characterized by sophisticated lyrics dealing with love. It h ...
, with
doo-wop
Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a subgenre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, ...
,
ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...
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.Giro, Radamés 2007. ''Diccionario enciclopédico de la música en Cuba''. La Habana. vol 4, p. 298.
*Leoncio Morúa (''Kike'')
*Miguel Cancio (''Miguelito'') (Founder and first Director)
*Ignacio Elejalde, a counter-tenor, in high register.
*Eduardo Elio Hernández (''El Chino'')
*Oscar Aguirre (de Fontana) (first guitar and composer).
*later, Manuel Galbán (guitar) became musical director, and at times Oscar Aguirre (guitar) substituted.
*last guitarist was Máximo Armenteros.
The group was highly successful from the start, with high record sales and popular tours at home and abroad. The group made an appearance on the
Morecambe and Wise
Eric Morecambe (John Eric Bartholomew; 14 May 1926 – 28 May 1984) and Ernie Wise (Ernest Wiseman; 27 November 1925 – 21 March 1999), known as Morecambe and Wise (and sometimes as Eric and Ernie), were an English comic double act, working ...
Christmas show in 1971. However, some members of the group were self-destructive and undisciplined, with heavy drinking and other activities. Two died young: Ignacio died in 1981 at the age of 40 from a
brain hemorrhage
The brain is an organ (biology), organ that serves as the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals. It consists of nervous tissue and is typically located in the head (cephalization), usually near organs for ...
. Kike died in 1983 from
cirrhosis of the liver
Cirrhosis, also known as liver cirrhosis or hepatic cirrhosis, chronic liver failure or chronic hepatic failure and end-stage liver disease, is a chronic condition of the liver in which the normal functioning tissue, or parenchyma, is replaced ...
. ''El Chino'', beset by vision, speech and drinking problems, lived alone in Cayo Hueso until his death on 8 August 1995 at age 56. Today only one member is alive, Miguel Cancio, who lives in Miami and also Oscar Aguirre the first guitar player and Máximo Armenteros, the Last guitar player.
Manuel Galbán and his wife lived in the same house in Havana as in the heyday of Los Zafiros, until he died of cardiac arrest on July 7, 2011. He was active on the Cuban music scene through his work in The Buena Vista Social Club and as a recording artist for World Circuit records. In 2001, World Circuit arranged a special recording session for Galbán and Cancio at
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 ...
. Along with Orlando Lopez ('' Cachaito''), Roberto Garcia and Bernardo Garcia (''Chori''), Cancio and Galbán recorded two of their old songs. This session plays a central role in the film and marks the first time that Galbán and Cancio recorded together in over thirty years.
In 1987 a revival group known as ''Los Nuevos Zafiros'' was formed by Mariano Suárez del Villar, supported by Eduardo El Chino. They were renowing the group until today, but without success.
Discography
* ''Mas De Los Zafiros'' LP (19??, Areito – LPA 3268)
* ''Bossa Cubana'' CD (1963–1967, re-released 1999)
* ''Los Zafiros Story'' CD (2006)
* ''Los Zafiros: Music from the edge of time''. DVD
Discogs
Discogs ( ; short for " discographies") is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. Database contents are user-generated, and described in ''T ...