Andrés Echevarría Callava (April 18, 1919 – January 27, 1996), better known as Niño Rivera, was a renowned Cuban tres player, songwriter and arranger. Early in his career he played with the Sexteto Boloña and Sexteto Bolero, before forming his own conjunto in the 1940s. His music was based on popular Cuban forms such as the son montuno and the chachachá, often with notable
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. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
influences.
Biography
Early life
Niño Rivera was born Andrés Perfecto Eleuterio Goldino Confesor Echevarría Callava on April 18, 1919, in Pinar del Río, Cuba. He started playing the bongo in his uncle's band, Sexteto Caridad, when he was only 5 years old. In 1924 his family 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. He learned to master the tres as a student of the classical guitarist Guyún (Vicente González Rubiera) and the arranger Félix Guerrero. In 1935 he replaced Eliseo Silveira in Tata Gutiérrez's Sexteto Bolero, which he would later direct. He often played in Radio Mil Diez. In 1942 he established the Septeto Rey de Reyes, a son septet featuring a harmonic vocal quartet which he directed. At this time, Rivera became part of the nascent filin movement and started working as a composer/arranger.
Success
Rivera's career improved due to the success of his compositions, especially "El jamaiquino", which he wrote in 1944. In 1949, Rivera became the arranger for Cuba's most successful conjunto, Roberto Espí's Conjunto Casino. In 1956 he traveled to
Mexico
Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
, where he worked mainly as an arranger. In 1957 he recorded the third ''Cuban Jam Session'' for
Panart
Panart was one of the first and most successful independent record labels in Cuba, founded in 1944 by engineer Ramón Sabat. In 1961, its studios were seized by Fidel Castro's communist regime and the label was nationalized, becoming "Panart Naci ...
, which included a series of descargas combining son montuno, swing, guajira, chachachá, guaguancó and conga. In 1958 he founded a new group with a notable horn section called "Niño Rivera y su Conjband" which recorded another album for
Panart
Panart was one of the first and most successful independent record labels in Cuba, founded in 1944 by engineer Ramón Sabat. In 1961, its studios were seized by Fidel Castro's communist regime and the label was nationalized, becoming "Panart Naci ...
. In the 1960s, Rivera and his band would record for EGREM due to the nationalization of the music industry.
Later years
In 1979, Rivera took part in the first series of recordings of Areito's all-star ensemble, Estrellas de Areito, which yielded the album ''Los héroes''. A second album followed in 1981.
Death and legacy
Niño Rivera died on January 27, 1996, in Havana. His daughter, Gloria Rivera, is also a singer and lives in
Minnesota
Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...
.Niño Rivera y su Conjband /ref> His son Mario, is an internationally beloved saxophonist living in Havana.
Compositions
*"Amor en el festival"
*"Átomo" (1949; co-written with Luis Yáñez)
*"Azúcar con ají"
*"Carnaval del amor"
*"Cherivón"
*"Concierto para tres y orquesta" (1986)
*"Cubibop" (1949)
*"El jamaiquino" (1944)
*"Eres mi felicidad"
*"Fiesta en el cielo"
*"Juan José"
*"Monte adentro"
*"No sé lo que tienes"
*"Nuevo son"
*"Ritmo de juventud"
*"Tú y mi música"