Sonora Matancera - Personnel Changes

Personnel Changes

The group had many personnel changes in their nearly eight decade history. Manteca filled the vacancy created when Jimagua left. Depending on the source, Manteca was a mainstay of the rhythm section until either 1955 or 1957, retiring as had other members through the years because of health matters. Simón Domingo "Minino" Esquijarroza then became the percussionist.

In 1935, Calixto Leicea and Humberto Cané (son of Valentín Cané) joined. Another source claims Humberto Cané became a member in 1929. The former replaced Ismael Goberna, who retired because of poor health and died a few months later. By then, Calixto Leicea had played and made his name with Sexteto Nacional (the source cited apparently meant Septeto Nacional de Ignacio Piñeiro; research indicates that there was no ensemble active in Havana over the course of the 1920s by the name of Sexteto Nacional), Chaveo (or Chareo) y Su Grupo, Juventud Habanera, Sexteto Guarina and María Teresa Vera. As was common with musicians of his generation throughout Latin America, he had been a member of a government-sponsored municipal band, La Banda Municipal de Matanzas, prior to embarking on a career as a professional musician, getting a firm musical education in the process. Calixto stopped recording with the collective in 1978, yet accompanied La Sonora wherever it performed. The latter succeeded his father on tres and, en plus, sang. Valentín Cané, having ceded to his eldest son the tres chair, continued to be a valuable member of the collective, as he still sang, composed and — in a new role — played tumbadora. The departure of Humberto Cané in 1944 signaled the end of the tres as part of the permanent instrumentation of the conjunto. The ensemble did not use it for many years afterwards.

Dámaso Pérez Prado (later, in the 1950s, famous as El Rey del Mambo) was the group's first pianist and one of its earliest arrangers from 1936 to 1939. Severino "Refresquito" Ramos was the primary arranger, as well as pianist, from 1939 (but especially since 1942) to 1944 and, as such, principal architect of the sonic identity of this conjunto. After 1944, he limited himself to arranging and composing until he retired in 1957. Javier Vázquez, son of Bubú, then became the arranger.

Bienvenido Granda sang lead vocals from 1940 to 1954, the first truly important sonero to perform and record with the ensemble. A second source claims that he became the lead singer in 1942 while a third source indicates that this occurred in 1944. Yet a fourth source says that Bienvenido Granda joined in 1945. As previously mentioned, accessible data concerning the early history of this collective is uncertain. His association with Conjunto Sonora Matancera made it famous throughout the Spanish-speaking Caribbean. No one recorded more tunes with the conjunto than Bienvenido Granda, as he made either 205 or 217 recordings from 1944 — or 1945 — to 1954. He left after a bitter argument with Rogelio Martínez over money. Bienvenido Granda wanted higher pay than his colleagues — an impossibility because the band was a cooperative. All, including the director, received the same salary. In 1954, Estanislao "Laíto" Sureda replaced Bienvenido Granda as male lead singer, at times singing coro with Rogelio and Caíto. He remained with the ensemble till 1956. In that year, Celio González replaced Laíto on lead vocals (besides singing coro with Rogelio, Caíto, and Laíto and playing the güiro). He stayed until 1959, then returned in 1961 and continued as vocalist and güiro player until 1965.

On the same day in 1944, Pedro Knight and Ezequiel "Lino" Frías joined, leaving the Arsenio Rodríguez conjunto. These two steered the collective towards a more modern sound. The one gave the brass section more heft while the other enhanced the rhythm section. Pedro Knight, second husband and eventual widower of Celia Cruz, retired as a trumpeter in 1967 to be his wife's full-time manager. Ramón Emilio "Chiripa" Aracena became the new second trumpet chair that same year. Pedro was the last surviving member of the classic lineup of this ensemble when he died in 2007.

Pianist Lino Frías anchored La Sonora's rhythm section until 1976. His guajeos (alternatively called montunos or tumbaos) and the improvisational quality of the solos he derived from these repeated, syncopated vamp sections were elegant and percussive in equal measure, steeped as these were in Cuban/Afro-Cuban piano tradition. A guajeo is the typical Cuban/Afro-Cuban ostinato melody, a motif or phrase continually repeated in the same musical voice, usually consisting of arpeggiated chords in syncopated patterns. Guajeos are hybrids of the African and the European ostinato. Javier Vázquez followed Lino as pianist.

Calixto Leicea and Lino Frías were excellent songwriters and arrangers. The band recorded several of their compositions as well as arrangements. The collective's theme song "Traigo un tono" is a guaracha composed in 1947 by Calixto. It served as the conjunto's calling card on its many radio broadcasts and numerous live presentations.

Original director Valentín Cané led the group till an asthmatic condition forced him to retire in 1946. He continued to receive pay as if he were an active member of Conjunto Sonora Matancera till he died two years hence. In 1946, in place of Valentín Cané, Tata Güines — a member of the groundbreaking ensemble led by Israel "Cachao" López in the 1950s — became the conguero for a short time. Carlos "Patato" Valdés followed him that very year for a few months.

Ironically, Valentín Cané did not enjoy the golden age of the ensemble he had co-founded and dedicated his professional life to. Nevertheless, he is chiefly responsible for the classic configuration of La Sonora. Rogelio Martínez became director when Valentín Cané died.

Ángel "Yiyo" Alfonso Furias took over the tumbadora chair in 1948 — a year of profound developments — and remained an important member until 1980. With the incorporation of Yiyo into the band under discussion, all the pieces of the puzzle finally fell together to create the collective's unmistakable style. It had taken over two decades to get to this point. The quintessential Conjunto Sonora Matancera lineup, from 1948 to 1954, consisted of:

• Calixto Leicea: first trumpet chair;
• Pedro Knight: second trumpet chair;
• Pablo "Bubú" Vázquez Gobín: contrabass (Elpidio Vázquez, another son of Bubú, replaced him in 1954);
• Ezequiel "Lino" Frías: piano;
• José "Manteca" Rosario Chávez: timbalitos, bongó and cencerro;
• Ángel "Yiyo" Alfonso Furias: tumbadora;
• Rogelio Martínez: Director, guitar and coro;
• Carlos Manuel "Caíto" Díaz Alonso: maracas and coro (he was a member until his passing in 1990);
• Bienvenido Granda: lead vocals, coro (whether he or some other sonero sang lead with the band) and claves.