Félix Rafael Herrera Altuna (May 21, 1921 – February 10, 1998), better known as Félix Reina, was a Cuban violinist, arranger, music director and composer. Since the mid-1940s, he was a member of many popular charangas, including
Arcaño y sus Maravillas
Arcaño y sus Maravillas was a Cuban charanga founded in 1937 by flautist Antonio Arcaño. Until its dissolution in 1958, it was one of the most popular and prolific danzón orchestras in Cuba, particularly due to the development of the danzón- ...
, Orquesta América and Fajardo y sus Estrellas. In 1959, after Fajardo went into exile, he became the leader of his orchestra, the Estrellas Cubanas, which he directed until his death. A prolific composer, his most performed danzones include "Angoa", "Los jóvenes del silencio" and "El niche". In the 1950s, he primarily wrote chachachás and his
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 h ...
"Si te contara" became a
standard Standard may refer to:
Symbols
* Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs
* Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification
Norms, conventions or requirements
* Standard (metrology), an object ...
of the genre.
Life and career
Born in
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger, more populous island of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, the country. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is the southernmost island in ...
,
Sancti Spíritus
Sancti Spíritus () is a municipality and capital city of the province of Sancti Spíritus in central Cuba and one of the oldest Cuban European settlements. Sancti Spíritus is the genitive case of Latin ''Sanctus Spiritus'' ("Holy Spirit").
...
,
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 ...
, Félix Reina began his musical studies with his father and with violin teacher Isidro Cintra. After playing in local orchestras for some time, he moved to
Havana
Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center. Soon, he joined Arcaño y sus Maravillas, which was very popular at the time. Directed by flutist
Antonio Arcaño
Antonio Arcaño Betancourt (Atarés, Havana 29 December 1911 – 1994) was a Cuban flautist, bandleader and founder of Arcaño y sus Maravillas, one of Cuba's most successful charangas. He retired from playing in 1945, but continued as director ...
Orestes López
Orestes López Valdés (August 28, 1908 – January 26, 1991), nicknamed Macho, was a Cuban multi-instrumentalist, composer and bandleader. As a double bassist he was a founding member of the Havana Philharmonic Orchestra, and later a member of t ...
and Ulpiano Díaz, which were responsible for the development of the
danzón-mambo
The danzón-mambo (also known as ''danzón de nuevo ritmo'') is a subgenre of Cuban dance music that marked the transition from the classical danzόn to the mambo and the cha-cha-chá. It was also in the context of the danzón-mambo that the Cub ...
in the late 1930s. At the time of Reina's arrival, the Maravillas were a mainstay of Havana's
Radio Mil Diez
Radio Mil Diez (or Radio 1010) was a radio station broadcasting from Havana, Cuba, owned by the Popular Socialist Party (PSP). Radio Mil Diez broadcast for five years, between 1943 and 1948, and played an important role in shaping contemporary Cu ...
, earning the nickname "La Radiofónica". Reina soon contributed several danzones to the group's repertoire including "Angoa", "Los jóvenes del silencio" and "El niche". The latter was covered by
Machito
Frank Grillo (born Francisco Raúl Gutiérrez Grillo; December 3, 1909 – April 15, 1984) known professionally as Machito (previously as Macho), was a Latin jazz musician who helped refine Afro-Cuban jazz and create both Cubop and salsa music ...
and many other bands thereafter.
In 1950, Reina became a member of the newly formed Fajardo y sus Estrellas, he then directed his own orchestra for a short period of time before joining Orquesta América in 1954 at the height of the chachachá craze. The América, directed by Ninón Mondéjar, was the group that pioneered the genre thanks to its first violin
Enrique Jorrín
Enrique Jorrín (December 25, 1926 – December 12, 1987) was a Cuban 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.
Biography
Jor ...
. After touring México with the América, Jorrín decided to stay in the country for some time with his own group, and Reina stayed with him. In 1958, back in Cuba, Reina re-joined José Fajardo y sus Estrellas. Both Jorrín and Fajardo were former members of the Maravillas, like Reina. In June 1959, after touring Japan, Fajardo decided to stay in the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
on their way back to Cuba. Reina and most of the musicians returned to Havana and began working without Fajardo. With Reina as the new leader, the band was renamed Orquesta Estrellas Cubanas and would remain active for the rest of the 20th century. In the 1960s, his bolero "Si te contara" was covered by singers in both Cuba and the United States, thus entering the
Latin music
Latin music (Portuguese language, Portuguese and ) is a term used by the music industry as a catch-all category for various styles of music from Ibero-America, which encompasses Music of Latin America, Latin America, Music of Spain, Spain, Mu ...
repertoire, where it remains a popular song. Among its notable performers are
Antonio Machín
Antonio Abad Lugo Machín (11 February 1903, in Sagua la Grande, Cuba – 4 August 1977, in Madrid, Spain) was a Spanish-Cuban singer and musician. His version of ''El Manisero'', recorded in New York, 1930, with Don Azpiazú's orchestra, was th ...
,
Elena Burke
Elena Burke (born Romana Elena Burgues Gonzalez on February 28, 1928, in Havana, Cuba – June 9, 2002 in Havana, Cuba) was a revered and popular Cuban singer of boleros and romantic ballads.
Biography
She started her career by working in rad ...
Omara Portuondo
Omara Portuondo Peláez (born 29 October 1930) is a Cuban singer and dancer. A founding member of the popular vocal group Cuarteto d'Aida, Portuondo has collaborated with many important Cuban musicians during her long career, including Julio G ...
Tito Rodríguez
Pablo Rodríguez Lozada (January 4, 1923 – February 28, 1973), better known as Tito Rodríguez, was a Puerto Rican singer and bandleader. He started his career singing under the tutelage of his brother, Johnny Rodríguez. In the 1940s, both m ...
, and was later covered by
Johnny Pacheco
Juan Pablo Knipping Pacheco (25 March 1935 – 15 February 2021), known as Johnny Pacheco, was a Dominican musician, arranger, composer, bandleader, and record producer. Born in the Dominican Republic, Pacheco became a leading figure in the New ...
and others.
Reina died on February 10, 1998, in Havana's Calixto García Hospital, having suffered a stroke in the Habana Cafe, known as Benny's corner, located in the Melia Cohiba Hotel in
Vedado
Vedado (, ) is a central business district and urban neighborhood in the city of Havana, Cuba. Bordered on the east by Calzada de Infanta and Centro Habana, Cuba, Central Havana, and on the west by the Alemendares River and Miramar, Havana, Mir ...
. The Estrellas Cubanas continued performing, now under the direction of violinist Gilberto Valdés.