Rubén González Fontanills (26 May 1919 – 8 December 2003) was a Cuban

pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, ja ...

. Together with Lilí Martínez and

Peruchín Pedro Nolasco Jústiz Rodríguez, better known as Peruchín (January 31, 1913 – December 24, 1977), was a Cuban pianist specializing in jazz-influenced Cuban popular music. He was an important figure in the 1950s descarga (jam session) scene i ...

he is said to have "forged the style of modern Cuban piano playing in the 1940s". Between the 1940s and his retirement in the 1980s, he played with Cuba's most successful acts, including

Paulina Álvarez Raimunda Paula Peña Álvarez (June 29, 1912 – July 22, 1965), better known as Paulina Álvarez, was a renowned Cuban singer of danzonetes (sung danzones). She became the leading exponent of the genre during the 1930s, being nicknamed La Empera ...

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 bandleade ...

, Orquesta América del 55,

Orquesta Riverside Orquesta Riverside (known as Orquesta Havana Riverside between 1938 and 1941) was a highly successful Cuban big band that was amongst the most popular ensembles of the 1940s and 1950s. Founded in 1938, it was originally directed by local musician ...

and Enrique Jorrín. In the 1990s, he came out of retirement to play in the revival ensembles

Afro-Cuban All Stars Afro-Cuban All Stars is a Cuban band led by Juan de Marcos González (formerly tres player for Sierra Maestra). Their music is a mix of all the styles of Cuban music, including bolero, chachachá, salsa, son montuno, timba, guajira, danzón, r ...

and

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 gr ...

, also recording solo material and performing live until 2002.

Biography

Early life and career

González was born in Santa Clara, Cuba, on 26 May 1919. His family moved to the small village of

Encrucijada Encrucijada () is a municipality and town in the Villa Clara Province of Cuba. It was founded in 1850 and established as a municipality in 1910. History The municipality was divided into the barrios of Centro, Paso Real, El Santo and Vega Redo ...

when he was 6 years old. He took up the piano at age seven and graduated from the

Cienfuegos Cienfuegos (), capital of Cienfuegos Province, is a city on the southern coast of Cuba. It is located about from Havana and has a population of 150,000. Since the late 1960s, Cienfuegos has become one of Cuba's main industrial centers, especia ...

Conservatory at age 15.Lucy Duran. Sleeve notes from ''Introducing... Rubén González'', World Circuit Records WCD 049, 1997. He grew up wanting to be a doctor and studied medicine, thinking music would remain a hobby he could pursue by night. However, he abandoned his studies after four years because music was "in his blood" and also because of all the encouragement he received from people around him.Sleeve notes from Wim Wenders' ''Buena Vista Social Club'' documentary, Road Movies Filmproduktion, Berlin. Licensed by FilmFour Ltd, 1999. Thus, after graduating from high school, he began playing with groups in Cienfuegos and around the country.

From Havana to Venezuela

In 1941, González moved to

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.

where he played in the charanga of danzonete singer

, as well as Orquesta Elósegui and the orchestra of the CMQ radio station. He became friends with important pianists such as René Hernández,

Anselmo Sacasas Anselmo Sacasas (23 November 1912 – 22 January 1998) was a Cuban jazz pianist, bandleader, composer, and arranger. As a pianist he took inspiration from Cuban tres players like Arsenio Rodríguez, adapting their techniques to his own style as a so ...

, Jesús López and Facundo Rivero. He joined

's conjunto in 1943, replacing Adolfo "Panacea" O'Reilly. Rodríguez advised him to "just play your own style, whatever it is, but don't imitate anyone". Although González's first confirmed recordings with Arsenio's conjunto are dated to 5 July 1945, earlier recordings might feature him, since Panacea's last confirmed recording session took place on 16 November 1943; these recordings were all released by

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...

. In 1945, he left the conjunto—and was replaced by Lilí Martínez—to go to

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...

with the ensemble Estrellas Negras, comprising mostly ex-Rodríguez musicians. With the Estrellas Negras, González toured most of South America—from

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

—and, on his return to Cuba, he joined the Conjunto Kubavana directed by Alberto Ruiz. He also performed with the Orquesta Los Hermanos Castro which, at one time, featured

Mongo Santamaría Ramón "Mongo" Santamaría Rodríguez (April 7, 1917 – February 1, 2003) was a Cuban percussionist and bandleader who spent most of his career in the United States. Primarily a conga drummer, Santamaría was a leading figure in the pachanga an ...

. Between 1948 and the mid-1950s, González played with Ernesto Grenet and Senén Suárez at the Cabaret Tropicana. At the same time, he became a member of René Álvarez y Los Astros and he often played with Orquesta Gris, Orquesta Ideal de Joseíto Valdés, Orquesta Siboney de Armando Pidre, and Los Hermanos Lebatard. In 1954, he backed Rolando Laserie at the Cabaret San Souci. In the mid-1950s, he toured

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 ...

with the charanga Orquesta América del 55. He established himself in Venezuela between 1957 and 1962, in the orchestra directed by Luis Alfonso Larraín. He also briefly resided in Argentina, where he played with tango musicians. By the late 1950s, Rubén González was widely known in Cuba and other parts of Latin America.

Back in Havana

González returned to Cuba in 1961, joining the famous big band

. In 1962, he became the pianist for the Orquesta de Enrique Jorrín, and would continue to play for him for the next 25 years. In 1964, González joined Pucho Escalante's Noneto Cubano de Jazz. In 1975, he recorded his eponymous solo album backed by members of Jorrín's orchestra; the album was released by Areíto as LD-3582.Sleeve notes from ''Rubén González – Indestructible'', EGREM CD 0275, 1997. In 1979, he recorded the album ''Los héroes'' as part of the Estrellas de Areito all-star ensemble. After Jorrín's death in 1987, González briefly took over the role of bandleader, but retired soon after.

Career revival

In 1994,

Raúl Planas Enrique Raúl Planas Fernández (September 18, 1920 – February 28, 2001) was a popular Cuban singer and songwriter. He performed and recorded with many bands and musicians, including Carlos Barbería y su Orquesta Kubavana, Sonora Matancera, ...

and Radio Progreso announcer Eduardo Rosillo approached González with the idea of recording new versions of ten songs composed by fellow Cuban pianist Lilí Martínez.Rosillo, Eduardo (1999). Sleeve notes from ''Son Inconcluso'' (in Spanish). EGREM Records CD0334. (1999). The resulting album, ''Son Inconcluso'', featured a full band including 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 ...

and Arturo "Alambre dulce" Harvey (ex-'' tresero'' with

Conjunto Chappottín Conjunto Chappottín, also known as Chappottín y sus Estrellas, is a Cuban son conjunto from Havana. It was founded in 1950 by trumpeter Félix Chappottín, pianist Lilí Martínez, singer Miguelito Cuní and other members of Arsenio Rodrígu ...

), among others, and was released in 1999 by

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 & ...

. In 1995, Nick Gold (head of

World Circuit Records In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...

) and

Juan de Marcos González Juan de Marcos González (born Juan de Marcos González-Cárdenas; January 29, 1954) is a Cuban bandleader, musician and actor, best known for his work with the Buena Vista Social Club and in the 2021 Sony Pictures Animation film '' Vivo'' as th ...

(director and

tres Tres may refer to: * Tres (instrument), a Cuban musical instrument * Tres, Trentino, municipality in Italy * "Tres" (song) by Juanes * "Tres", a song by Líbido from their album ''Hembra'' * TrES, the ''Trans-Atlantic Exoplanet Survey'' * Templi ...

player of Sierra Maestra) decided to record a series of

descarga A descarga (literally ''discharge'' in Spanish) is an improvised jam session consisting of variations on Cuban music themes, primarily son montuno, but also guajira, bolero, guaracha and rumba. The genre is strongly influenced by jazz and it wa ...

sessions featuring classic Cuban musicians, including Rubén González on piano, together with African virtuosos Toumani Diabate (kora player) and

Djelimady Tounkara Djelimady Tounkara is a Malian musician and one of the foremost guitarists in Africa. Life and career Born in the culturally rich town of Kita, west of the Malian capital, Bamako, Djelimady grew up surrounded with traditional music played by memb ...

(guitarist). By early 1996, the Cuban musicians had already been selected and the African musicians were about to leave for Cuba, but could not travel because of difficulties in obtaining visas. Gold then invited

Ry Cooder Ryland Peter "Ry" Cooder (born March 15, 1947) is an American musician, songwriter, film score composer, record producer, and writer. He is a multi-instrumentalist but is best known for his slide guitar work, his interest in traditional music, a ...

and his son

Joachim Joachim (; ''Yəhōyāqīm'', "he whom Yahweh has set up"; ; ) was, according to Christian tradition, the husband of Saint Anne and the father of Mary, the mother of Jesus. The story of Joachim and Anne first appears in the Biblical apocryph ...

to participate in the sessions; Ry would play guitar and Joachim African percussion."Interview with Ry Cooder in Los Angeles"
by Betty Arcos, host, "The Global Village" Pacifica Radio 27 June 2000. ''Buena Vista Social Club'' site.

Public Broadcasting Service The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educa ...

(PBS). Retrieved on 13 September 2014. The sessions, all of which featured Rubén González on piano, took place in March 1996 in Havana's

studios. The first set of recordings was meant to revive the 1950s Cuban big band sound. This material yielded the album ''

A Toda Cuba le Gusta ''A Toda Cuba le Gusta'' is the first studio album by the Afro-Cuban All Stars, produced by Cuban bandleader and musician Juan de Marcos González and Nick Gold, and released on April 9, 1997 on World Circuit Records. This album was the first ...

'' credited to the

and produced by Gold and Juan de Marcos, who also played tres. It again featured Orlando "Cachaíto" López on bass along with vocalists Ibrahim Ferrer, Pío Leyva,

Manuel "Puntillita" Licea Puntillita (Manuel Licea Lamouth; January 4, 1921 in Yareyal, Holguín – December 4, 2000 in Havana) was a Cuban popular singer. Puntillita was active in the 1940s and 1950s, and later gained notice when he joined other elderly Cuban musicians ...

, Félix Baloy and José Antonio "Maceo" Rodríguez.Sleeve notes from ''A Toda Cuba le Gusta – Afro-Cuban All Stars'', World Circuit Records WCD 047, 1997. Cooder also played slide guitar on Lilí Martínez's famous

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 curren ...

"Alto Songo". In the sleeve notes, Juan de Marcos wrote: "This album is dedicated to Rubén González, genius of Cuban piano". The second set of recordings were meant to revive the acoustic sound of the 1940s Cuban

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

and filin movements. It yielded the critically acclaimed ''

'' album. Gold was credited as executive producer, Juan de Marcos as

A & R Artists and repertoire (colloquially abbreviated to A&R) is the division of a record label or music publishing company that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists (singers, instrumentalist ...

consultant and Cooder as producer.Sleeve notes from ''Buena Vista Social Club'', World Circuit Records WCD 050, 1997. Here Rubén González on piano and Cachaíto on bass accompanied singers

Compay Segundo Máximo Francisco Repilado Muñoz Telles (18 November 1907 – 13 July 2003), known professionally as "Compay Segundo", was a Cuban trova guitarist, singer and composer. Biography Compay (meaning '' compadre'') Segundo, so called because he ...

, Ibrahim Ferrer, Omara Portuondo and Eliades Ochoa.Nigel Williamson. Sleeve notes from Wim Wenders' ''Buena Vista Social Club'' documentary, Road Movies Filmproduktion, Berlin. Licensed by FilmFour Ltd, 1999. Cooder played guitar on all but one track. In April 1996, and using left over studio time after the sessions that had produced the previous two albums, the solo album '' Introducing...Rubén González'' was recorded in just two days, live with no overdubs.Nigel Williamson. Sleeve notes from ''Introducing...Rubén González'', World Circuit Records WCD 049, 1997. All three albums were released on Nick Gold's World Circuit Records in 1997. In early 1998,

Wim Wenders Ernst Wilhelm "Wim" Wenders (; born 14 August 1945) is a German filmmaker, playwright, author, and photographer. He is a major figure in New German Cinema. Among many honors, he has received three nominations for the Academy Award for Best Docu ...

filmed a documentary entitled ''

'', and González and his colleagues became famous worldwide.

Later years and death

Between 1997 and 2000, González recorded his next album, ''

Chanchullo "Chanchullo" (; literally: "scam", "racket", "hustle") is a danzón-mambo composed by Cuban bassist Israel "Cachao" López. It was first released as a single in 1957 by Arcaño y sus Maravillas. It was the third single released on Cuban independ ...

'', at EGREM Studios in Havana and

Angel Recording Studios Angel Recording Studios Limited (also referred to as Angel Studios) was a British recording studio based in the eponymous recording and mixing complex in Islington, London. The company was incorporated by James Warren Sylvester de Wolfe on 5 De ...

in London.Sleeve notes from ''Chanchullo'', World Circuit Records WCD 060, 1997. Some recordings he made in September 1999 at EGREM studios were released by EGREM as ''Rubén González and Friends'' in 2000. His last public appearances took place in

Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...

and Cuba in 2002. In the morning of 8 December 2003, Rubén González died at his home in Havana after a long illness which had prevented him from walking and eventually led to renal and respiratory problems. He was survived by his wife, Eneida Lima, and is buried in Havana's Cristóbal Colón Cemetery.

Style and legacy

Rubén González is considered an innovator of the

son cubano Son cubano is a genre of music and dance that originated in the highlands of eastern Cuba during the late 19th century. It is a syncretic genre that blends elements of Spanish and African origin. Among its fundamental Hispanic components are t ...

piano style. The genre's early ensembles (''sextetos'' and ''septetos'') lacked pianos, and these were introduced in the late 1930s by the first three

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' ...

s: Arsenio Rodríguez's conjunto, Alberto Ruiz's Conjunto Kubavana, and Conjunto Casino. González played in the former two, which made him a pioneer in the genre. Apart from the son, González had a profound knowledge of the danzón and his improvisations are characterized by harmonic subtleties. His style has been described as "romantic and angular", possessing "strong lyricism" with characteristic "swirling arpeggios". Like his contemporary

, González was influenced by

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

, particularly by

Bud Powell Earl Rudolph "Bud" Powell (September 27, 1924 – July 31, 1966) was an American jazz pianist and composer. Along with Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, Kenny Clarke and Dizzy Gillespie, Powell was a leading figure in the development of mode ...

and

Thelonious Monk Thelonious Sphere Monk (, October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including " 'Round Midnight", ...

, which made him one of the grandfathers of

Afro-Cuban jazz Afro-Cuban jazz is the earliest form of Latin jazz. It mixes Afro-Cuban clave-based rhythms with jazz harmonies and techniques of improvisation. Afro-Cuban music has deep roots in African ritual and rhythm.{{cite web, Cuba: Son and Afro-Cuban ...

. His style has influenced Eddie Palmieri, amongst others.

Discography

As principal artist

* '' Rubén González'' ( Areito, 1975) * '' Introducing...Rubén González'' (World Circuit, 1997) * ''

'' (World Circuit, 2000)

As sideman

;With Noneto Cubano de Jazz * ''Jazz Cuba'' (Areito/Palma, 1964) ;With Estrellas de Areito * ''Los héroes'' (Areito, 1979) ;With Afro-Cuban All Stars * ''

'' (World Circuit, 1997) ;With Buena Vista Social Club * ''

'' (World Circuit, 1997) * '' Buena Vista Social Club at Carnegie Hall'' (World Circuit, 2008) * ''

Lost and Found A lost and found (American English) or lost property (British English), or lost articles (also Canadian English) is an office in a public building or area where people can go to retrieve lost articles that may have been found by others. Frequen ...

'' (World Circuit, 2015) ;With Raúl Planas * ''Son Inconcluso'' (EGREM, 1999) – Recorded in 1994; reissued as ''Trilogía De Boleros'' in 2002 on the Exotica labelSleeve notes from ''Trilogía De Boleros'' Exotica, EXTC018. (2002). * ''Dos Grandes – Con la Orquesta Jorrín'' (EGREM, 2000) – Recorded in 1989Sleeve notes from ''Dos Grandes – Raúl Planas & Rubén González'', EGREM CD 0392. (2000).

Compilations

* ''Rubén González and Friends'' (EGREM, 2000) * ''Todo sentimiento'' (Yemayá, 2004) * ''The Essential Rubén González'' (Manteca, 2006)

Filmography

;With Buena Vista Social Club * ''Buena Vista Social Club'' DVD (Road Movies/Sony VCD0040, 1999) – Directed by Wim Wenders ;With Afro-Cuban All Stars * ''Afro-Cuban Legends'' DVD (Warner Music Vision 8573-88531-2, 2001) – Directed by Tony Knox

Notes

References

External links

Rubén González discography
at

allmusic.com AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

Rubén González discography
at discogs.com * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gonzalez, Ruben 1919 births 2003 deaths Cuban pianists People from Santa Clara, Cuba Buena Vista Social Club World Circuit (record label) artists Nonesuch Records artists 20th-century pianists Orquesta Riverside members