Los Zafiros (''The Sapphires'') were a

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

close-harmony A chord is in close harmony (also called close position or close structure) if its notes are arranged within a narrow range, usually with no more than an octave between the top and bottom notes. In contrast, a chord is in open harmony (also c ...

vocal group working from 1962 until 1976. The group was part of the

filín Filin ( es, filin) was a Cuban, but US–influenced, popular song fashion of the late 1940s to the early 1960s. The word is derived from ''feeling'', and is sometimes spelled ''filin'' or even ''el filin''. It describes a style of ''post-micro ...

(feeling) movement, inspired by American

doo-wop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a genre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Chica ...

groups such as

The Platters The Platters was an American vocal group formed in 1952. They are one of the most successful vocal groups of the early rock and roll era. Their distinctive sound bridges the pre-rock Tin Pan Alley tradition and the new burgeoning genre. The ac ...

. Their music was a fusion of Cuban genres, such as the

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 has ...

, with

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

s, R&B, calypso,

Bossa Nova Bossa nova () is a style of samba developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is mainly characterized by a "different beat" that altered the harmonies with the introduction of unconventional chords and an innovativ ...

and early rock and roll.

History

Los Zafiros were formed in Cayo Hueso,

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.

in 1962, by Miguel Ángel Cancio Soria, with the following members:Giro, Radamés 2007. ''Diccionario enciclopédico de la música en Cuba''. La Habana. vol 4, p. 298. *Leoncio Morúa (''Kike'') *Miguel Cancio (''Miguelito'') (Founder and first Director) *Ignacio Elejalde, a

counter-tenor A countertenor (also contra tenor) is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range is equivalent to that of the female contralto or mezzo-soprano voice types, generally extending from around G3 to D5 or E5, although a sopranist (a sp ...

, in high register. *Eduardo Elio Hernández (''El Chino'') *Oscar Aguirre (de Fontana) (first guitar and composer). *later,

Manuel Galbán Manuel Galbán (January 14, 1931 – July 7, 2011) was a Grammy-winning Cuban guitarist, pianist and arranger, most notable for his work with Los Zafiros, Ry Cooder and the Buena Vista Social Club. He died on July 7, 2011, of cardiac arrest at h ...

(guitar) became musical director, and at times Oscar Aguirre (guitar) substituted. The group was highly successful from the start, with high record sales and popular tours at home and abroad. However, some members of the group were self-destructive and undisciplined, with heavy drinking and other activities. Two died young: Ignacio died in 1981 at the age of 37 from a

brain hemorrhage Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), also known as cerebral bleed, intraparenchymal bleed, and hemorrhagic stroke, or haemorrhagic stroke, is a sudden bleeding into the tissues of the brain, into its ventricles, or into both. It is one kind of bleed ...

. Kike died in 1983 from

cirrhosis of the liver Cirrhosis, also known as liver cirrhosis or hepatic cirrhosis, and end-stage liver disease, is the impaired liver function caused by the formation of scar tissue known as fibrosis due to damage caused by liver disease. Damage causes tissue repai ...

. ''El Chino'', beset by vision, speech and drinking problems, lived alone in Cayo Hueso until his death on 8 August 1995 at age 56. Today only one member is alive, Miguel Cancio, who lives in Miami and also Oscar Aguirre the first guitar player. Manuel Galbán and his wife lived in the same house in Havana as in the heyday of Los Zafiros, until he died of cardiac arrest on July 7, 2011. He was active on the Cuban music scene through his work in

The Buena Vista Social Club Buena Vista Social Club is an ensemble of Cuban musicians established in 1996. The project was organized by World Circuit executive Nick Gold, produced by American guitarist Ry Cooder and directed by Juan de Marcos González. They named the g ...

and as a recording artist for World Circuit records. In 2001, World Circuit arranged a special recording session for Galbán and Cancio at

EGREM EGREM (Empresa de Grabaciones y Ediciones Musicales, Spanish for ''Enterprise of Recordings and Musical Editions'') is the national record label of Cuba. It is headquartered in Centro Habana, where its main record studios (''Estudios Areito'' 101 & ...

. Along with Orlando Lopez ('' Cachaito''), Roberto Garcia and Bernardo Garcia (''Chori''), Cancio and Galbán recorded two of their old songs. This session plays a central role in the film and marks the first time that Galbán and Cancio recorded together in over thirty years. In 1987 a revival group known as ''Los Nuevos Zafiros'' was formed.

Discography

* ''Bossa Cubana'' CD (1963–1967, re-released 1999) * ''Los Zafiros Story'' CD (2006) * ''Los Zafiros: Music from the edge of time''. DVD

References

External links

Los Zafiros "Music from the Edge of Time"
Documentary Film Website
Los Zafiros
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Discogs Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the la ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zafiros, Los Cuban musical groups Musical groups established in 1962 1962 establishments in Cuba Doo-wop groups World Circuit (record label) artists