Juana Coralia López Valdés (May 6, 1910 – 1993) was a Cuban pianist, bandleader and composer. Between 1940 and 1956 she directed her own charanga danzonera, being the first woman to direct any such orchestra in Cuba. During her career she composed many popular danzones such as "Llegó Manolo", "El bajo que come chivo", "Los jóvenes del agua fria" and the famous "Isora Club", which became a

standard Standard may refer to: Symbols * Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs * Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification Norms, conventions or requirements * Standard (metrology), an object th ...

in the

Latin music Latin music (Portuguese language, Portuguese and es, música latina) is a term used by the music industry as a catch-all category for various styles of music from Ibero-America (including Music of Spain, Spain and Portuguese music, Portugal) ...

repertoire.

Life and career

Juana Coralia López Valdés was born in

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.

, Cuba, on May 6, 1910, into a family of musicians. Her father, Pedro López, taught her music since she was child. Soon she was employed as a musician, choosing the piano as her preferred instrument. Her older brother,

Orestes In Greek mythology, Orestes or Orestis (; grc-gre, Ὀρέστης ) was the son of Clytemnestra and Agamemnon, and the brother of Electra. He is the subject of several Ancient Greek plays and of various myths connected with his madness and ...

, nicknamed "Macho", was a multi-instrumentalist playing the bass, cello and piano, while her younger brother

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

, nicknamed "Cachao", specialized in the bass. Both Orestes and Israel joined Antonio Arcaño y sus Maravillas in the 1930s. Coralia, started her own orchestra in 1940, and the following year she debuted her composition "Isora Club", dedicated to one of the many clubs where she played with her band. It won the 1941 danzón contest organized by

Radio Mil Diez Radio Mil Diez (or Radio 1010) was a radio station broadcasting from Havana, Cuba, owned by the Popular Socialist Party (PSP). Radio Mil Diez broadcast for five years, between 1943-1948, and played an important role in shaping contemporary Cuban ...

. In 1943, the song was recorded by Arcaño, and many other covers would follow over the years, including Cachao's (1958, 1993),

Orquesta Aragón Orquesta Aragón is a Cuban musical band formed on 30 September 1939, by Orestes Aragón Cantero in Cienfuegos, Cuba. The band originally had the name ''Ritmica 39'', then ''Ritmica Aragón'' before settling on its final form. Though they did not ...

's (1960) and Rubén González's (2000). Coralia's charanga featured flutist Edelmiro Pérez, güirist Alfredo Lazo, timbalero Armando Lazo, singer Rubén Cortada, bassist Pepito Seoani, and a violin section with Raúl Valdés, Jesús Lanza, Tomás Reisoto and

Enrique Jorrín Enrique Jorrín ( Candelaria, Pinar del Río, December 25, 1926 - Havana, December 12, 1987) was a Cuban charanga violinist, composer and music director. He is considered the inventor of the '' cha-cha-chá'', a popular style of ballroom music der ...

, who would later join the Maravillas,

Orquesta América Orquesta América is a Cuban charanga orchestra founded in Havana in 1942, and later based in Mexico City and California. The band pioneered the cha-cha-chá in 1953. History The band was founded in 1942 by singer Ninón Mondéjar with Alex ...

and in 1951 create the chachachá. Coralia's nephew, bassist

Orlando "Cachaíto" López Candelario Orlando López Vergara (February 2, 1933 – February 9, 2009), better known as Cachaíto, was a Cuban bassist and composer, who gained international fame after his involvement in the Buena Vista Social Club recordings. He was nick ...

(son of Orestes), began his career in her band. Despite their many live performances and original compositions, the group never made a recording before their dissolution in 1956. Coralia López died in 1993, two years after the passing of her brother Orestes.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lopez, Coralia Cuban pianists Cuban women pianists Cuban composers Cuban bandleaders Cuban charanga musicians Danzón musicians Danzón composers 1910 births 1991 deaths People from Havana 20th-century pianists 20th-century women pianists