Antonio Arcaño
Cuban flautist and bandleader (1911–1994)
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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]
29 December 1911
- Musician
- bandleader
Antonio Arcaño | |
|---|---|
Antonio Arcaño in 1970. | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Antonio Arcaño Betancourt 29 December 1911 Havana, Cuba |
| Died | 1994 (aged 82–83) |
| Genres | Danzón |
| Occupations |
|
| Instrument | Flute |
| Formerly of | Arcaño y sus Maravillas |
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]
