Cachao
| Cachao | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Israel López Valdés |
| Born |
September 14, 1918 Habana Vieja, La Habana, Cuba |
| Died | March 22, 2008 (aged 89) Coral Gables, Florida, United States |
| Genres | Danzón, mambo, descarga |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, bandleader, composer |
| Instruments | Double bass |
| Years active | 1926-2008 |
| Labels | Panart, Kubaney, Maype, Salsoul, EMI |
| Associated acts | Orestes López, Arcaño y sus Maravillas, Andy García |
| Website | http://www.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. He is considered one of the most influential charanga bassists of all-time, the co-creator of the mambo and a master of the descarga (improvised Cuban jam sessions). He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and won several Grammy Awards from the 1990s. He is ranked number 24 on Bass Player magazine's list of "The 100 Greatest Bass Players".
Cachao was born on September 14, 1918 in Belén, a neighbourhood in Old Havana, into a family of musicians, many of them bassists—around 40 or more in his extended family. He was born and raised in the same house in which José Martí was born.
As an 8-year-old bongo player, he joined a children's septet that included a future famous singer and bandleader, Roberto Faz. A year later, already on double bass, he provided music for silent movies in his neighborhood theater, in the company of a pianist who would become a true superstar, the great cabaret performer Ignacio Villa, known as Bola de Nieve.
His parents made sure he was classically trained, first at home and then at a conservatory. In his early teens he was already playing contrabass with the Orquesta Filarmónica de La Habana, under the baton of guest conductors including Herbert von Karajan, Igor Stravinsky and Heitor Villa-Lobos. He played with the orchestra from 1930 to 1960.
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