Chicho Ibáñez, born José Ibáñez Noriega (Corral Falso, 22 November 1875 – Havana, 18 May 1981), was the longest-lived and one of the most important members of the Cuban

trova ''Trova'' is a style of Music of Cuba, Cuban popular music originating in the 19th century. Trova was created by itinerant musicians known as ''trovadores'' who travelled around Cuba's Oriente Province, Oriente province, especially Santiago de Cu ...

. He was significant because, unlike most of the others, he specialized in

Afro-Cuban Afro-Cubans () or Black Cubans are Cubans of full or partial sub-Saharan African ancestry. The term ''Afro-Cuban'' can also refer to historical or cultural elements in Cuba associated with this community, and the combining of native African a ...

genres Genre () is any style or form of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other form ...

. He was a disciple of the

tres Tres may refer to: * Tres (instrument), a Cuban musical instrument * Tres, Trentino, municipality in Italy * ''Tres'' (2014 film), a Filipino anthology drama film based on short stories * "Tres" (song) by Juanes *"Tres", a song by Líbido from thei ...

ero Eduardo Fusté, and a member of early groups in Cárdenas, such as ''Peonia'' and that of Benito Tumborombo. Later he moved to Havana, where he joined ''Los Veintiuno'', directed by Alejandro Sotolongo, which used

claves Claves (; ) are a percussion instrument consisting of a pair of short, wooden sticks about 20–25 centimeters (8–10 inches) long and about 2.5 centimeters (1 inch) in diameter. Although traditionally made of wood (typically rosewood, ebony ...

, maracas, marimbula, bongó and pianito (a wooden instrument with hemp cords). He worked in other groups, and in the '' Sans-Souci'', formerly the leading cabaret in Havana.Giro, Radamés 2007. ''Diccionario encyclopédico de la música en Cuba''. vol 2, La Havana. p250 Ibáñez was the first trovador that we know of to specialize in the

son A son is a male offspring; a boy or a man in relation to his parents. The female counterpart is a daughter. From a biological perspective, a son constitutes a first degree relative. Social issues In pre-industrial societies and some current ...

and also on

guaguancó Guaguancó () is a subgenre of Cuban rumba, combining percussion, voices, and dance. There are two main styles: Havana and Matanzas. Percussion * battery of three conga drummers: the ''tumba'' o "''salidor''"(lowest), ''tres dos'' (middle, playin ...

s and afrocuban rhythms from the

abakuá Abakuá, also sometimes known as Ñañiguismo, is a Cuban initiatory religious fraternity founded in 1836. The society is open only to men and those initiated take oaths to not reveal the secret teachings and practices of the order. Members are ...

. He played the Cuban

rather than the Spanish guitar, and developed his own technique for this Cuban guitar. During his extremely long career, Chicho sang and played the son in streets, plazas, cafés, nightclubs and other venues throughout Cuba. In the 1920s, when the sextetos became popular, he was forced to sell his compositions to these larger groups and their composers in order to survive. His compositions include ''Tóma mamá que te manda tía'', ''Evaristo'', ''No te metas Caridad'', ''Ojalá'' (sones); ''Yo era dichoso'', ''Al fin mujer'' (

bolero Bolero is a genre of song which originated in eastern Cuba in the late 19th century as part of the trova tradition. Unrelated to the older Spanish dance of the same name, bolero is characterized by sophisticated lyrics dealing with love. It h ...

-sones); ''Qué más me pides'', ''La saya de Oyá'' (guaguancos). He worked throughout Cuba, and latterly a short film was made of him.

References

*1974 ''Chicho Ibáñez''. 11min film, Dir. Juan Carlos Tabío. Short film on the trovador José 'Chicho' Ibáñez (1875–1981), who talks and sings at the age of 99. 1875 births 1981 deaths Cuban male singer-songwriters Cuban singer-songwriters Cuban guitarists Cuban male guitarists Cuban men centenarians {{Cuba-musician-stub