Sonora Matancera
Encyclopedia
La Sonora Matancera is a long-time band. Led by guitarist and vocalist Rogelio Martínez, La Sonora Matancera has been called, by the Guinness Book of World Records, "the group with the longest duration."
Formed by Valentin Cané, bassist
Pablo "Babu" Vásquez, vocalist Eugene Pérez, timbales
player Manuel "Jimagua" Sánchez, trumpet
player Ismael Goberna, and guitar
ists Domingo Medina, José Manuel Valera, Julio Gobín, and Juan Bautista Llopis, the band has gone through many personnel changes in more than seven decades. Dámaso Pérez Prado
was one of the group's pianists and arrangers in its early days. Vocalists in the group have included Daniel Santos
, Bienvenido Granda, Leo Marini, Nelson Pinedo, Alberto Beltrán, Bobby Capó
, Carlos Argentino, Celio González, Myrta Silva
, and its greatest alumna, Celia Cruz
.
The Sonora Matancera is best known for its harmonic use of four trumpets, a trademark sound that has led musical purists to reject attempts from any musical group with the word "sonora" in its name to use it, should the group not feature an all-trumpet brass section. Groups such as the Puerto Rico
-based Sonora Ponceña
follow the rule. Bongo and batá
drums as well as accordion
and hammond organ
featured prominently among the instruments used.
The Sonora is also peculiar for its backup singers, notably Manuel Díaz Alonso, "Caíto", whose nasal delivery was much imitated by many Latino orchestras, most notably for those directed by Venezuela
n-born bandleader and singer Oscar D'León
.
Original director, Valentin Cane, led the band until poor health forced him to retire at the end of the 1930s. Initially known as Septeto Soprano, the group adapted its name to La Sonora Matancera in 1932. Leaving Cuba
, at the advent of the revolution of the 1950s and 1960s, the group settled in New York City, where they continued to share their love of salsa
with enthusiastic audiences.
Formed by Valentin Cané, bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
Pablo "Babu" Vásquez, vocalist Eugene Pérez, timbales
Timbales
Timbales are shallow single-headed drums with metal casing, invented in Cuba. They are shallower in shape than single-headed tom-toms, and usually much higher tuned...
player Manuel "Jimagua" Sánchez, trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
player Ismael Goberna, and guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
ists Domingo Medina, José Manuel Valera, Julio Gobín, and Juan Bautista Llopis, the band has gone through many personnel changes in more than seven decades. Dámaso Pérez Prado
Perez Prado
Dámaso Pérez Prado was a Cuban bandleader, musician , and composer. He is often referred to as the 'King of the Mambo'.His orchestra was the most popular in mambo...
was one of the group's pianists and arrangers in its early days. Vocalists in the group have included Daniel Santos
Daniel Santos (singer)
Daniel Santos was a singer and composer of boleros, and an overall performer of multiple Caribbean music genres, including guaracha, plena and rumba...
, Bienvenido Granda, Leo Marini, Nelson Pinedo, Alberto Beltrán, Bobby Capó
Bobby Capó
Félix Manuel Rodríguez Capó , better known as Bobby Capó, was an internationally known singer and songwriter from Puerto Rico...
, Carlos Argentino, Celio González, Myrta Silva
Myrta Silva
Myrta Silva was a Puerto Rican singer, composer and television producer. She was known affectionately as "La Gorda De Oro".-Early years:...
, and its greatest alumna, Celia Cruz
Celia Cruz
Celia Cruz was a Cuban-American salsa singer, and was one of the most successful Salsa performers of the 20th century, having earned twenty-three gold albums...
.
The Sonora Matancera is best known for its harmonic use of four trumpets, a trademark sound that has led musical purists to reject attempts from any musical group with the word "sonora" in its name to use it, should the group not feature an all-trumpet brass section. Groups such as the Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
-based Sonora Ponceña
Papo Lucca
Enrique Arsenio Lucca Quiñonez, better known as Papo Lucca, born on April 10, 1946, Ponce, Puerto Rico.Papo Lucca is a famous Puerto Rican multi-instrumentalist , but is best known as a pianist. Main musical genre focus are Salsa and Latin Jazz...
follow the rule. Bongo and batá
Bata
Bata or Baťa or Baţa or Batá may refer to:* Bata Shoes , a multinational corporation-Places:* Bat, Afghanistan, a place in Afghanistan* Bata, a commune in Arad County, Romania...
drums as well as accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
and hammond organ
Hammond organ
The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...
featured prominently among the instruments used.
The Sonora is also peculiar for its backup singers, notably Manuel Díaz Alonso, "Caíto", whose nasal delivery was much imitated by many Latino orchestras, most notably for those directed by Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
n-born bandleader and singer Oscar D'León
Oscar D'León
Oscar Emilio León Somoza, better known as Oscar D'León is a Venezuelan musician who became internationally famous for his salsa music. In Spanish, he is known as El Sonero del Mundo . His most famous song is perhaps "Llorarás," which he recorded in 1975 with his group La Dimensión Latina...
.
Original director, Valentin Cane, led the band until poor health forced him to retire at the end of the 1930s. Initially known as Septeto Soprano, the group adapted its name to La Sonora Matancera in 1932. Leaving Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, at the advent of the revolution of the 1950s and 1960s, the group settled in New York City, where they continued to share their love of salsa
Salsa music
Salsa music is a genre of music, generally defined as a modern style of playing Cuban Son, Son Montuno, and Guaracha with touches from other genres of music...
with enthusiastic audiences.
External links
- Discography Florida International UniversityFlorida International UniversityFlorida International University is an American public research university in metropolitan Miami, Florida, in the United States, with its main campus in University Park...
Libraries