Efrain Loyola (December 18, 1916 – April 2, 2011) was a

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

flautist The flute is a member of a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, producing sound with a vibrating column of air. Flutes produce sound when the player's air flows across an opening. In th ...

from

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 178,368 in 2022. Since the late 1960s, Cienfuegos has become one of Cuba's main industrial centers, ...

, who had the distinction of being one of the oldest active flautists in the world, had a career that spanned over 7 decades and for a period, was a captain in the Cuban

militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...

and fought in the War against the Bandits.

Early life

Loyola worked as a shoeshine boy and a baker to make a living while learning and playing flute. Some of his earliest work was with the hundred-year-old Banda Municipal de Conciertos of Cienfuegos (Municipal Concert Band of Cienfuigos), which he started playing with in 1937.

Career

Among the groups with which Loyola worked were the Conjunto Tradicional de Sones Los Naranjos, the Ritmica 39 and his own band, The Efrain Loyola Orchestra.

Awards and merits

Loyola was given almost 150 acknowledgments and awards in his lifetime, including: "Worthy Member of the Writers and Artists Association of Cuba ( UNEAC)", "Distinguished Son of Cienfuegos City", "The Jagua Award" and the order of

Jesús Menéndez Jesús Menéndez also known as Chaparra is a municipality and town in the Las Tunas Province of Cuba. It was named after the Cuban trade unionist . Demographics In 2022, the municipality of Jesús Menéndez had a population of 46,729. With a tota ...

, granted by the Cuban Workers' Organization. Loyola was often seen in elegant suits and with a walking stick, on the main streets of Cienfuegos, with his hair straightened in the 1950s style. He was also a

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

fan and admirer of Miguelito Cuní and was considered an authority on Cuban musical history. Loyola was leading his band regularly up until his death. He was buried in the local cemetery of his home town of Cienfuegos by friends, family and admirers.

Legacy

Loyola's son, José Loyola is the current director of the band Charanga de Oro.

Instrument

Loyola played a “Celeste” flute, named after the Cuban flautist and

luthier A luthier ( ; ) is a craftsperson who builds or repairs string instruments. Etymology The word ' is originally French and comes from ''luth'', the French word for "lute". The term was originally used for makers of lutes, but it came to be ...

“Celestino Dias Flores”, who maintained and standardized the wooden 5 key type needed to play charangas with the proper color after the Böehm system appeared and most manufacturers stopped making the 5 and 6 key wooden flutes..

Discography

Loyola has appeared on dozens of Orquesta Aragón records and other releases that have yet to be properly catalogued on the World Wide Web from their Spanish-Cuban sources.

References

External links

* 1916 births 2011 deaths People from Cienfuegos Cuban flautists Cuban soldiers Cuban musicians Cuban bandleaders {{flautist-stub