Lilí Martínez
| Lilí Martínez | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Luis Martínez Griñán |
| Also known as | La Perla de Oriente |
| Born |
16 February 1917 Guantánamo, Cuba |
| Died | 17 September 1990 (aged 75) Havana, Cuba |
| Genres | Son cubano, guaracha, bolero |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, composer, arranger |
| Instruments | Piano |
| Years active | 1934-67, 1983 |
| Labels | RCA Victor, Panart, Puchito, Suave, EGREM |
| Associated acts | Arsenio Rodríguez, Conjunto Chappottín |
Luis Martínez Griñán (16 February 1917 – 17 September 1990), better known as Lilí Martínez, was a Cuban pianist, arranger and composer specializing in the son montuno style. He played in the Conjunto de Arsenio Rodríguez and Conjunto Chappottín. Together with Rubén González and Peruchín, he is said to have "forged the style of modem Cuban piano playing in the 1940s".
Martínez was born to a Cuban mother and a Spanish father in Guantánamo on 16 February 1917. He started playing music in local bands at age 17. In 1937 he formed his own band, Los Champions de Lilí Martínez, which worked for the CMKS radio. In 1943 he founded La Rareza del 43. He joined Arsenio Rodríguez's conjunto in 1945 after the departure of Rubén González. In 1950, after Rodríguez decided to continue his career in New York, the members of his conjunto that remained in Havana formed Conjunto Chappottín, with Félix Chappottín as leader and trumpeter, Lilí Martínez as pianist and arranger, and Miguelito Cuní as lead vocalist.
Martínez left Conjunto Chappotín in 1958. In 1960 he married Coralia Camiño. In the early 1960s he played with the conjunto Estrellas de Chocolate founded by Félix "Chocolate" Alfonso. He then directed a band called Los Diablos Rojos in Holguín before officially retiring in 1967. In 1983 he gave an improvised concert together with Chucho Valdés and Frank Fernández at the ICAIC. He died on 26 October 1990 in Havana and his remains were transferred to Guantánamo in 1995.
...
Wikipedia