Enrique Jorrín ( Candelaria, Pinar del Río, December 25, 1926 -

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.

, December 12, 1987) was 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 ...

n charanga violinist, composer and music director. He is considered the inventor of the '' cha-cha-chá'', a popular style of ballroom music derived from

danzón Danzón is the official musical genre and dance of Cuba.Urfé, Odilio 1965. ''El danzón''. La Habana. It is also an active musical form in Mexico and Puerto Rico. Written in time, the danzón is a slow, formal partner dance, requiring se ...

Biography

At an early age, his family moved to the El Cerro neighborhood of Havana, where Jorrín was to live for the rest of his life. At the age of 12, he began to show a particular interest in music and decided to learn the violin. He then pursued musical studies at the Municipal Conservatory of Havana. He started out as a violinist in the orchestra of Cuba's National Institute of Music, under the direction of González Mántici. In 1941, he became a member of the '' danzonera'' Hermanos Contreras. It was here that he became interested in popular music. Next, he joined the renowned '' charanga'' Antonio Arcaño y sus Maravillas. In the early 1950s, while a member of Ninón Mondéjar's Orquesta América, he created a new genre of dance music which became known as the '' cha-cha-chá.'' He lived in

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

from 1954 to 1958 after a tour with the América. He and Félix Reina, the other violinist in the group, decided to stay. In 1964, he toured Africa and Europe with his orchestra- Orquesta de Enrique Jorrín. From 1964 onwards, he recorded extensively for the Cuban record label

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 1974, he organized a new ''charanga'', which included singer Tito Gómez and pianist Rubén González. This orchestra is still active in Havana and includes many songs by Jorrín in their active repertoire. All his accomplishments were all fulfilled while raising his nephew Omar Jorrin Pineda, who grew up playing the piano for the orchestra as he got older. Omar Jorrin Pineda currently resides in a small Cuban community in New Jersey known to be Union City.

Works

Among his numerous compositions are: Danzones: * Hilda * Liceo del Pilar * Central constancia * Doña Olga * Silver Star Cha-cha-chás: * Arpeando el Cha-cha-chá with Miriam de Cinca on harp * La engañadora * El alardoso * El túnel * Nada para ti * Osiris * Me muero

Discography

* Orquesta de Enrique Jorrín; "Todo Chachacha"; Egrem CD-0044 * Orquesta Enrique Jorrín; "Por Siempre Jorrín"; Egrem CD-0644

References

* Orovio, Helio. 1981. Diccionario de la Música Cubana. La Habana, Editorial Letras Cubanas. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jorrin, Enrique Cuban violinists Male violinists Cuban composers Male composers Cuban bandleaders Cuban charanga musicians Mambo musicians Cha-cha-cha musicians 1926 births 1987 deaths 20th-century violinists 20th-century composers 20th-century male musicians Cuban male musicians