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Mambo Master Cachao Dead at 89
 Israel
Cachao López — the legendary Cuban composer, songwriter and bassist
known simply as “Cachao” — died last March at age 89 in Coral Gables,
Florida. Cachao is revered as the pioneer of the mambo, the genre
created in the late 1930s that became the bedrock of modern Cuban music,
salsa, and the Latin-influenced genres of rock and r&b.
Born in 1918, Cachao’s 80-year career began in the silent movie era as
he accompanied pianists in movie theaters in his native Havana. At 13,
he became the bassist of the Havana Philharmonic, a position he held for
30 years. Simultaneously, with his brother Orestes, he played in a
succession of dance orchestras and smaller ensembles as the duo wrote
thousands of songs in the traditional Cuban styles of charanga and
danzón. Slowing their frenetic rhythms to create an infectious and
danceable style, they created their first mambo in 1937, a genre that
ultimately packed dance floors worldwide. In Havana, Cachao assembled
jam sessions — descargas — where recordings by Cachao y Su Ritmo
Caliente became the foundation of salsa.
In 1962, Cachao moved to Spain before migrating to New York City to work
with bands including those under the leadership of Tito Rodríguez and
Eddie Palmieri. He relocated to Las Vegas, then to Florida where, in
1990, actor/director Andy Garcia organized recording sessions with
leading Cuban musicians and a tribute concert for the Grammy-winning
Master Sessions Volume I; Master Sessions Volume II and the concert
filmed for a documentary, Cachao, Como Su Ritmo No Hay Dos. Garcia went
on to produce two more albums with Cachao, Cuba Linda and the 2004
 Grammy-winning
Ahora Sí.
Honored with a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment
for the Arts and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, at the time of
his death Cachao was planning recording sessions and a European tour. A
documentary, Cachao, Ahora Sí, is set for release next month.
"We are deeply saddened by the passing of one of Latin music's greats,”
said Delia Orjuela, BMI Assistant Vice President, Writer/Publisher
Relations, Latin. “A true icon, Cachao’s music crossed many borders,
languages and generations. As the creator of the mambo and one of the
greatest bassists of the 20th century, he will remain one of music's
greatest architects and ambassadors.” Salsarican
Mourns....
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