Cachao

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is López and the second or maternal family name is Valdés.
Cachao
Cachao in Havana, 1960
Cachao in Havana, 1960
Background information
Birth nameIsrael López Valdés[1]
Born(1918-09-14)September 14, 1918
Habana Vieja, La Habana, Cuba
DiedMarch 22, 2008(2008-03-22) (aged 89)
Coral Gables, Florida, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Musician
  • composer
  • bandleader
InstrumentDouble bass
Years active1926–2008
Labels
Formerly of
Websitewww.israelcachaolopez.com

Israel López Valdés (September 14, 1918 – March 22, 2008), better known as Cachao (/kəˈtʃaʊ/ kə-CHOW), was a Cuban double bassist and composer. Cachao is widely known as the co-creator of the mambo and a master of the descarga (improvised jam sessions).[2] Throughout his career he also performed and recorded in a variety of music styles ranging from classical music to salsa. An exile in the United States since the 1960s, he only achieved international fame following a career revival in the 1990s.

Born into a family of musicians in Havana, Cachao and his older brother Orestes were the driving force behind one of Cuba's most prolific charangas, Arcaño y sus Maravillas. As members of the Maravillas, Cachao and Orestes pioneered a new form of ballroom music derived from the danzón, the danzón-mambo, which subsequently developed into an international genre, mambo. In the 1950s, Cachao became famous for popularizing improvised jam sessions known as descargas. He emigrated to Spain in 1962, and moved to the United States in 1963, starting a career as a session and live musician for a variety of bands in New York during the rise of boogaloo, and later, salsa.

In the 1970s, Cachao fell into obscurity after moving to Las Vegas and later Miami, releasing albums sporadically as a leader. In the 1990s, he was re-discovered by actor Andy García, who brought him back to the forefront of the Latin music scene with the release of a documentary and several albums. Before his death in 2008, Cachao had earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and several Grammy Awards. He is ranked number 24 on Bass Player magazine's list of "The 100 Greatest Bass Players of All Time".[3]

  1. ^ Davis, John S. (2020). "Cachao". Historical Dictionary of Jazz. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 61. ISBN 978-1-5381-2815-2.
  2. ^ Ankeny, Jason. "Cachao - Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  3. ^ "The 100 Greatest Bass Players". bassplayer.com. NewBay Media. Retrieved March 16, 2017.