Conjunto Chappottín, also known as Chappottín y sus Estrellas, is a Cuban

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 c ...

conjunto The term ''conjunto'' (, literally 'group', 'ensemble') refers to several types of small musical ensembles present in different Latin American musical traditions, mainly in Mexico and Cuba. While Mexican conjuntos play styles such as '' norteño' ...

from

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

. It was founded in 1950 by trumpeter

Félix Chappottín Félix Chappottín (March 31, 1907 – December 21, 1983) was a Cuban trumpeter and bandleader. He was a member of three highly successful Cuban bands: Septeto Habanero, Arsenio Rodríguez's conjunto and Conjunto Chappottín, which he directed ...

, pianist Lilí Martínez, singer Miguelito Cuní and other members of

Arsenio Rodríguez Arsenio Rodríguez (born Ignacio Arsenio Travieso Scull; 31 August 1911 – 30 December 1970)Giro, Radamés 2007. ''Diccionario enciclopédico de la música en Cuba''. La Habana, v. 4 p. 45 et seq. was a Cuban musician, composer and bandleader ...

's conjunto, which was partially disbanded after his departure to the USA. Currently, the group is directed by Jesús Ángel Chappottín Coto, the grandson of Félix Chappottín.

History

The founding of the band dates back to the 1940s. Its founder

was one of the country's most renowned band leaders with major influences on the Latin jazz and Salsa music of the next decades. With his Conjunto he was the first to add reed and brass instruments to a Latin band at that time. When Arsenio Rodríguez left Cuba in 1950 to undergo an ophthalmological intervention in New York to treat his eye disease, he handed the musical direction over to his first trumpet player,

. The band was renamed Félix Chappottín y su Conjunto Todos Estrellas. The band maintained a large repertoire of Arsenio Rodriguez, adding new pieces by Felix Chappottin and other artists. His son, Angel Chappottin Valdes, was also a trumpeter in the band. Felix Chappottín directed the band successfully until the year of his death in 1983. From 1983 until the 1990s his son Angel Chappottín Valdes was musical director. Since then, the grandson of Felix Chappottín, Jesús Ángel Chappottín Coto, trumpeter, has directed the Conjunto Chappottín together Miguelito Cuni Jr., singer, percussionist and son of the former lead singer Miguelito Cuní. Angel Chappottín Valdes played congas with the group after his retirement. In 2014, Conjunto Chappottín y Sus Estrellas made their first tour of the United States.

Style

The band dedicates to the traditional son with a variety of different stylistic elements such as son-montuno, guajira, guaracha, mambo, danzon, danzonette, charanga, afro-son, bembe,

Cuban rumba Rumba is a secular genre of Cuban music involving dance, percussion, and song. It originated in the northern regions of Cuba, mainly in urban Havana and Matanzas, during the late 19th century. It is based on African music and dance traditions, ...

(made up of yambú, columbia & guaguanco), and cha cha cha. With the additional horn group Arsenio Rodríguez changed the traditional setting of a son band. Arsenio Rodríguez was one of the most influential Cuban musicians of the last century and had major influences of the development of Salsa and Latin jazz. Under the direction of Felix Chappottín, the successor of Arsenio Rodríguez and musical director of the band for more than 3 decades, who was often compared with

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...

, the band gained international reputation.

Members

Founding members

* Felix Chappottín: trumpet, leader * Lilí Martínez: piano, arrangements * Miguelito Cuní: lead vocals * Arturo "Alambre Dulce" Harvey: tres * Sabino Peñalver: bass * Félix "Chocolate" Alfonso: congas * Antolín Suárez "Papa Kila": bongos * Pepín Vaillant: trumpet * Aquilino Valdés: trumpet * Cecilio Cerviz: trumpet * Udalberto "Chicho" Fresneda: guitar, vocals * Carlos Ramírez: guitar, vocals * Conrado Cepero: vocals * René Álvarez: vocals

Current members

* Jesús Ángel Chappottín Coto: trumpet, musical director * Miguel Arcángel Conill Hernández (Miguelito Cuní Jr.): singer and percussion * Ángel Remigio Laborí Hernández: piano * Francisco Vasallo Labrada: tumba * Eduardo Antonio Canas Oliva: percussion * Manuel Guará Colás: trumpet * Gregorio Martínez Pedroso: trumpet * Roberto Ortega Oviedo: trumpet * José Lussón Bueno: singer * Eduardo Font Paniagua: singer * Eduardo Sandoval Nobregas: singer

Selected discography

*1991: Conjunto Chappottin *1992: Estrellas de Cuba *1993: Chappottín y su Conjunto *1993: Sabor Tropical *1995: Canta Miguelito Cuni *1995: Chappotín y sus Estrellas *1995: Serie de Oro *1997: Que Se Funan *1999: Senores del Son *1999: Mi son mi son mi son *2000: Seguimos Aqui Chappottineando *2001: Mariquitas y Chicharrones *2001: Havana Social Club *2002: La Guarapachanga *2003: Son, Boleros y Montuno Con Sabor a Quimbombo *2003: Una Nueva Generacion *2006: Conjunto Chappottín y Sus Estrellas. *2007: Vuelven Los Senores Del Son

References

Publications

* Orovio, Helio (1992). "Diccionario de la Música Cubana". 2da. Edición. La Habana, Editorial Letras Cubanas. * Orovio, Helio (2004). "Cuban Music from A to Z" Edition B&T, * García, David (2006). "Arsenio Rodríguez and the Transnational Flows of Latin Popular Music", Temple University Press

External links

MySpace Seite
{{DEFAULTSORT:Conjunto Chappottin Cuban musical groups Son conjuntos