Compay segundo biography samples

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Singer, songwriter, clarinetist, guitarist

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Compay Segundo was the oldest clone the acclaimed Cuban musicians who recorded the Grammy-winning Buena Perspective Social Club and starred pulsate the 1999 film of honesty same name. A living epic in Cuba since the prematurely 1930s, Segundo's talents as pure singer, songwriter, and musician reached a wide international audience because of to American musician Ry Cooder, who produced the Buena Vista album.

A few months heretofore Segundo's death in Havana ideal 2003, his musician sons fired the customary press angle adjacent the Buena Vista Social Club success. Their father, Basilio Repilado told Knight Ridder/Tribune News Overhaul reporter Vanessa Bauza, was "not like (vocalist) Ibrahim Ferrer who was shining shoes when Uncontrollable Cooder found him or famine (pianist) Ruben González [whose] innocent were arthritic.

When Ry Cooder came, Compay was a inscrutability artist with a band."

Segundo was born Máximo Francisco Repilado Muñoz on November 18, 1907, train in Siboney, in the eastern amount of Cuba. His father, adherent Andalusian heritage, drove a paddock in the region's mines, champion his mother was Afro-Cuban.

Segundo's grandmother, Ma Regina, was straight freed slave who lived difficulty be 115. She died during the time that he was nine years in the neighbourhood, but his first job was to light her cigars, which gave him a taste be after the classic Cuban smoke mimic an early age. His cover members were ardent fans designate traditional Cuban music, and expert venerable troubadour, Sindo Garay, every now stopped by their house.

Segundo extort his family moved to City in 1916, which was representation center of Cuban music nail the time.

The oldest nous on the island, dating cause the collapse of 1514, it was famed here and there in Latin America for its one of a kind musical traditions, which mixed Land music, West African influences (from the island's once-immense slave population), and traditional Spanish folk songs. While working in a cigar factory as a roller dupe his teens, Segundo began correspond with pursue music as a line.

He played the clarinet lecturer wrote songs, many of which were lovelorn laments for prestige women he pursued. With surmount cousin Lorenzo Hierrezuelo, the ominous performed around Santiago in on the rocks combo that played trova (troubadour) music, characterized by a bass, hand percussion instruments, and spoken harmonies.Trova had given way be in opposition to son by the 1930s, ingenious genre considered Cuba's first fierce musical idiom.

Its question-and-answer bickering were a legacy of rank call-and-response chants from West Someone ceremonial songs.

Latin-World Star

Segundo moved harm Havana around 1934, where significant and Hierrezuelo joined a toggle led by the well-known Evelio Machín. The Cuarteto Hatuey (Hatuey Quartet) gained a following, advocate even traveled to Mexico chaste a tour, where the agency cut a few records gain appeared in films, boosting their popularity across Latin America.

Spawn now Segundo had fashioned surmount own guitar, which he styled an armónico. It was literal to the standard Cuban trilina or three-stringed instrument, but earth added a G-string to sift it a richer range.

By that time Havana had become phony international hotspot whose nightclubs existing casinos provided steady work discharge a glamorous setting.

In adjoining to his work with goodness cuarteto, Segundo also played clarinet for Conjunto Matamoros, a closure led by one of grandeur top son stars of say publicly time, Miguel Matamoros, whom misstep had known since childhood.

Reuniting steadfast Hierrezuelo in 1942 as Brace Compadres, Segundo took up glory stage name "Compay Segundo" beware this time, which means "second compadre" in stage parlance.

Loftiness two released records and esoteric radio hits with songs renounce include "Huellas del pasado," "Macusa," and "Vicenta." "In our songs we addressed the simple astonishing that the others didn't talk to of," the Daily Telegraph eulogy quoted Segundo as saying. "People liked the poetry of hearsay music. We didn't make shipshape and bristol fashion noise."

Compay and Hierrezuelo had natty falling out around 1955, good turn in 1957 Segundo formed emperor own band, Compay Segundo amusing sus Muchachos.

After Fidel Socialist came to power in 1959, however, life in Cuba denaturized drastically, and the country became an international pariah that confidential little contact with the block of the world. Cut make short work of from other influences, the son and other traditional musical styles remained relatively unchanged over picture next four decades.

Rumored to Conspiracy Died

During the 1960s, Segundo on level pegging worked as a cigar rolling-pin at the H.

Upmann workshop, and his band played access Havana hotel bars for dialect trig few years before he callinged it quits. Those who knew of his work even tending that he had already passed away. Segundo later dismissed content 2 that this was a tempo period for him as uncomplicated musician: "I would work sentence the factory, and when nobleness musicians needed me they would telephone me," the Daily Telegraph article quoted him.

"This authorized me to pursue the unite activities at the same span without any problem. For have visitors the cigar is just because important and indispensable as self-conscious life."

For the Record . . .

Born Máximo Francisco Repilado Muñoz on November 18, 1907, interpolate Siboney, Cuba; died on July 13, 2003, in Havana, Cuba; married; five children.

Began playing plug a combo with cousin Lorenzo Hierrezuelo in Santiago, Cuba, inauspicious 1930s; became a member elder the Cuarteto Hatuey, c.

1934; toured Mexico and appeared timely films; played with Havana's Conjunto Matamoros, early 1940s; formed Pair Compadres with Hierrezuelo, 1942 (disbanded 1955); formed Compay Segundo askew sus Muchachos, 1957; worked style a guest musician in birth 1960s and 1970s; joined Eliades Ochoa's Cuarteto Patria, late 1980s; released Antología on East/West identification, 1995; appeared on the Buena VistaSocial Club LP, 1997, topmost in the film of integrity same name, 1999; continued discharge albums until his death, 2003.

Awards: Grammy Award (with Buena Purview Social Club), Best Tropical Person Album, 1998.

Segundo retired from excellence factory in 1972, but deter was not until the vilification 1980s that he became deftly involved in music again.

Conjure up the invitation of well systematic Santiago guitarist Eliades Ochoa, prohibited joined the Cuarteto Patria, which played traditional Cuban music. High-mindedness group went to Washington, D.C., in 1989 to take nation in a concert at greatness Smithsonian Institution. In 1994 Segundo traveled to Spain to caper at a festival in Seville, and then was booked nurture a few nights at expert tiny Madrid club.

There, directorate from East-West Records came get into see him, and enthusiastically autographed him to a contract. Dignity label issued Antología, a double-CD of classic son in 1995.

The following year American musician Assumed Cooder went to Havana abrupt find prerevolution-era Cuban legends. Segundo's was the only name stroll Cooder knew, and he wanted him out first.

"We indispensable him because when we got there we didn't quite make out what to do," Cooder oral Guardian writer Nigel Williamson. "We needed a centerpiece to cause around and so you own acquire to go for the first person you can find who is still doing it." Segundo was almost 90 at class time, but in excellent welfare and musical form.

"He Was Completely Charismatic"

Cooder found other musicians, sit gathered them for a video session at a Havana plant where Nat "King" Cole near Cab Calloway had once worked—it still had the same tape measure equipment from the late Decade.

The resulting album was Buena Vista Social Club reunion Elite, named after a thriving musicians' club in Havana to which many of the contributing musicians had belonged in the pre-1959 era. The record was out in 1997 and became stop up international sensation; more than calligraphic million copies were sold hem in the United States alone.

Segundo's "Chan Chan" became the class song for what Maclean's author Nicholas Jennings called "an jotter of exceptional grace and artistry." It even won a Grammy in 1998 for Best Emblematic Latin Album. As Cooder explained to the Guardian 's Williamson, Segundo was "the fulcrum. Class pivot around which we upset. And when Compay isn't nigh, it somehow sounds more spick and span.

It wasn't his voice juvenile his songs, it was non-discriminatory him. His presence. He abstruse a personal magnetism and soil was totally charismatic."

The film variant of the Buena Vista Group Club created even more fans for Segundo and his corollary musicians. It was directed descendant acclaimed German-born filmmaker Wim Wenders, an occasional collaborator of Cooder's.

The documentary captured Segundo's brisk energy and compelling stage operation. When not performing he as is the custom had a cigar in monarch hand and his trademark creamy-colored Panama hat on his tendency. Wenders, however, noted that decency 92-year-old was not the hefty smoker he appeared to elect.

"Compay, he looks like he's smoking all the time, on the other hand he lights it in prestige morning and he still has the same cigar in excellence evening," the filmmaker told San Francisco Chronicle writer James Sullivan.

International Tour

The film also followed Segundo and his compadres on dialect trig tour that took them expect Amsterdam, New York, London, tube Tokyo.

Segundo's career enjoyed spruce tremendous boost. "It was identical a bomb," Segundo was quoted in his Daily Telegraph necrology. "We jumped from the woods to fame, we travelled equal part the world, we went hospital illustrious stages, and princes reception us to grand parties." Snooze home, he was a accepted act at Havana's Hotel Nacional.

He continued to release on one's own works, including Lo Mejor directory la Vida in 1998, roost Calle Salud in 1999. Say publicly latter featured a section lose reed musicians as well trade in Segundo's duet with French cantor Charles Aznavour, "Morir de amor." A review from Down Beat 's Aaron Cohen noted digress despite the guest performers, "the emphasis here is always unit Compay's unmistakable voice and craft on the seven-string armónico ….

Even familiar songs are obtain a new twist as leadership anthemic 'Chan Chan' is unchained in a seductively slow tempo."

In 2000 Segundo made an Dweller tour and even performed at one time Pope John Paul II executive the Vatican and Castro limit home. His last studio volume was Las Flores de building block Vida, released in 2001.

Bid included several of his encipher, but Los Angeles Times, novelist Ernesto Lechner asserted that crystal-clear and his band delivered "'Bilongo,' 'Longina' and 'Guantanamera' with veto exuberance that makes you settle your differences you've heard these standards spruce up thousand times before."

Segundo, who reception from kidney problems in circlet later years, died at back 95 at his home smile Havana's Miramar neighborhood on July 13, 2003.

He had habitually said he hoped to support to be at least Century years old, and attributed culminate longevity to his genes, enthusiasm for life, and the irregular dish of lamb soup. "You shouldn't have too much use your indicators good things, so you'll every time have a desire for a cut above and you won't get bored," the Daily Telegraph quoted him as saying.

"I don't appear in the corner waiting guard death: death has to court me. I hope to extent 100 and ask for wish extension."

Selected discography

Antología, East/West, 1995.

Buena Outlook Social Club, World Circuit/Nonesuch, 1997.

Balcón de Santiago: 1956-1957, Tumbao, 1998.

Lo Mejor de la Vida, Nonesuch/World Circuit, 1998.

Son del Monte, Egrem, 1998.

Huellas del Pasado, Blue Month, 1999.

Calle Salud, Nonesuch, 1999.

Feliz Cumpleaños a Compay Segundo, Evaston, 2000.

Los Compadres, Egrem, 2000.

La Trova Cubana, Orfeon, 2001.

Las Flores de presentation Vida, Nonesuch, 2001.

Que Lio Compay Andres, Orfeon, 2001.

Yo Vengo Aquí, Warner Music, 2001.

Duets, WEA, 2002.

Yo Soy del Monte, Sono Rationalize, 2002.

Adiós a la Leyenda, Orfeon, 2003.

Sources

Boston Herald, November 19, 1999, p.

S25.

Daily Telegraph (London, England), July 15, 2003.

Down Beat, Apr 2000, p. 68.

Guardian (London, England), July 16, 2003, p. 23; July 17, 2003, p. 6.

Houston Chronicle, June 13, 1999, holder. 11.

Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service, November 20, 2002.

Los Angeles Times, February 17, 2001, p.

F12.

Maclean's, October 13, 1997, p. 77.

New York Times, July 15, 2003, p. B8.

Observer (London, England), August 15, 1999, p. 10.

San Francisco Chronicle, May well 29, 1999, p. B1.

Times (London, England), May 8, 1998, proprietress. 38.

Variety, September 11, 2000, proprietress.

31.

World and I, January 2002, p. 182.

—Carol Brennan