Charanga Rubalcaba
| Guillermo Rubalcaba | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Guillermo González Camejo |
| Born |
January 10, 1927 Pinar del Río, Pinar del Río, Cuba |
| Died | September 7, 2015 (aged 88) Havana, Cuba |
| Genres | Danzón, cha-cha-cha |
| Occupation(s) | Bandleader, arranger, composer |
| Instruments | Piano, violin, clarinet, saxophone |
| Associated acts |
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Guillermo Rubalcaba (January 10, 1927 – September 7, 2015) was a Cuban pianist, bandleader, composer and orchestrator specialising in danzón and cha-cha-cha music genres.
Born as Guillermo González Camejo in the town of Pinar del Río, as the son of Jacobo González Rubalcaba he adopted his father's maternal name for professional purposes. Besides, Guillermo Rubalcaba was the father of Latin jazz pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba.
Rubalcaba received formal musical training from his father, Jacobo Rubalcaba, a talented multi-instrumentalist and also one of the first charanga bandleaders to spread the danzón in the western region of Cuba. Likewise, his father composed the legendary danzón El Cadete Constitucional, which has been recorded by countless performers for a long time. Rubalcaba studied at the Orbón Conservatory, where he learned to play not only the piano, but also the violin, the clarinet and the saxophone. At age 15 he became the violinist in the Ases del Ritmo orchestra, later playing in the CMQ radio orchestra and in Ñico Suárez's band. On saxophone he performed in the Montecarlo orchestra and as part of Los Churumbeles.
Not long after moving to Havana, Guillermo Rubalcaba worked as pianist accompanist for famous singers such as Elena Burke, Blanca Rosa Gil and Omara Portuondo, and also developed a close relationship with veteran flutist Richard Egües, who recommended him to violinist and cha-cha-cha bandleader Enrique Jorrín.
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