Antonio Arcaño | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | Antonio Arcaño Betancourt |
Born | Havana, Cuba | 29 December 1911
Died | 1994 (aged 82–83) |
Genres | Danzón |
Occupation(s) |
|
Instrument(s) | Flute |
Antonio Arcaño Betancourt (Atarés, Havana 29 December 1911 – 1994) was a Cuban flautist, bandleader and founder of Arcaño y sus Maravillas, one of Cuba's most successful charangas. He retired from playing in 1945, but continued as director of the group until its dissolution in 1958. [1] [2] Despite his early retirement due to health problems, he is considered one of the most influential flautists in Cuba. [3]
After leaving La Maravilla del Siglo, a very popular charanga, Arcaño founded La Maravilla de Arcaño, later known as Arcaño y sus Maravillas. The band featured the López brothers, Israel López "Cachao" and Orestes López, composers and multi-instrumentalists that originated the danzón-mambo, the direct precursor of the mambo, through compositions such as " Rareza de Melitón", "Se va el matancero" and, above all, " Mambo", the piece that lent its name to the genre. [4] [5] Arcaño was posthumously inducted into the International Latin Music Hall of Fame in 2000. [6]