Norosbaldo Morales (January 4, 1911 – January 15, 1964) was a Puerto Rican pianist and bandleader.

Biography

Morales was born in the subbarrio

Puerta de Tierra Puerta de Tierra is a ''subbarrio'' (subdistrict) occupying the eastern portion of the Islet of San Juan and the ''barrio'' of San Juan Antiguo in the municipality of San Juan, Puerto Rico. The name Puerta de Tierra ( Spanish for ''land gate'') ...

San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan (, , ; Spanish for "Saint John") is the capital city and most populous municipality in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2020 census, it is the 57th-largest city under the ...

, and learned several instruments as a child. He played in

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

from 1924 to 1930, then returned to Puerto Rico to play with Rafael Muñoz. He emigrated to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

in 1935, and played there with Alberto Socarras and

Augusto Cohen Augusto is an Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish given name or surname. Notable people with the name include: * Augusto Aníbal * Augusto dos Anjos * Augusto Arbizo * Augusto Barbera (born 1938), Italian law professor, politician and judge * Augusto ...

. In 1939, he and brothers Humberto and Esy put together the Brothers Morales Orchestra. He released the tune "Serenata Ritmica" on

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American Decca's president. ...

in 1942, which catapulted him to fame in the Latin music scene, then dominated by

rhumba Rhumba, also known as ballroom rumba, is a genre of ballroom music and dance that appeared in the East Coast of the United States during the 1930s. It combined American big band music with Afro-Cuban rhythms, primarily the son cubano, but also c ...

and later by

mambo Mambo most often refers to: *Mambo (music), a Cuban musical form *Mambo (dance), a dance corresponding to mambo music Mambo may also refer to: Music * Mambo section, a section in arrangements of some types of Afro-Caribbean music, particula ...

. His band rivaled Machito's in popularity in New York in the 1940s. It was during this time that his orchestra played for the Havana Madrid nightclub. His lush 1952 ''Mambo with Noro'' 10" album is a landmark in conjunto latin music, a classic mambo album that was part of the 1950s mambo craze, showing the influence of Puerto Rico in the new style. In 1960 Morales returned to Puerto Rico and played locally; he also worked with Tito Rodríguez,

José Luis Moneró José Luis Moneró (April 6, 1921 in Juncos, Puerto Rico – February 15, 2011) was a Puerto Rican musician and bandleader. Music career Moneró first sang at the Tapia Theater at age 17. He then went on to Condado Vanderbilt Hotel. And thereafter ...

Chano Pozo Luciano Pozo González (January 7, 1915 – December 3, 1948), known professionally as Chano Pozo, was a Cuban jazz percussionist, singer, dancer, and composer. Despite only living to age 33, he played a major role in the founding of Latin jazz. ...

, Willie Rosario and

Tito Puente Ernest Anthony Puente Jr. (April 20, 1923 – June 1, 2000), commonly known as Tito Puente, was an American musician, songwriter, bandleader, and record producer of Puerto Rican descent. He is best known for dance-oriented mambo and Latin jazz ...

. Among the musicians who played in Morales' orchestra were Ray Santos, Jorge López, Rafí Carrero, Juancito Torres, Pin Madera, Ralph Kemp, Pepito Morales, Carlos Medina, Lidio Fuentes, Simón Madera, Ana Carrero, Pellin Rodriguez, and Avilés. The height of his fame and record production was his production of rumba records with his sextet, done after he gave up the big band idea. His use of the piano as both melody and rhythm was highly innovative at the time. Linda Mujer" Campanitas de Cristal" Perfume de Gardenias" Me Pica La Lengua"and Silencio" all songs composed by others, were four of his big successes in this line.

Death

Like his brothers, Morales suffered from

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ...

and, by the early 1960s, he was severely

obese Obesity is a medical condition, sometimes considered a disease, in which excess body fat has accumulated to such an extent that it may negatively affect health. People are classified as obese when their body mass index (BMI)—a person's we ...

and nearly blind. He died of

uremia Uremia is the term for high levels of urea in the blood. Urea is one of the primary components of urine. It can be defined as an excess of amino acid and protein metabolism end products, such as urea and creatinine, in the blood that would be no ...

on January 15, 1964, at Hospital San Jorge, in

San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John, may refer to: Places Argentina * San Juan Province, Argentina * San Juan, Argentina, the capital of that province * San Juan, Salta, a village in Iruya, Salta Province * San Juan (Buenos Aires Underground), ...

, aged 53. He was buried in Puerto Rico Memorial (also known as Cementerio Fournier) in

Carolina, Puerto Rico Carolina (; ) is a city and municipality located on the northeast coast of Puerto Rico. It lies immediately east of the capital San Juan and Trujillo Alto; north of Gurabo and Juncos; and west of Canóvanas and Loíza. Carolina is spread over ...

References

External links

Noro Morales
at Flickr Commons
Noro Morales
Music of Puerto Rico. 1911 births 1964 deaths People from San Juan, Puerto Rico 20th-century Puerto Rican musicians RCA Victor artists {{Caribbean-musician-stub