Paquito Hechavarría (21 February 1939 – 27 September 2012) was a Cuban pianist. Hechavarría built his career in Cuba by playing in some of the most popular orchestras, including Conjunto Casino,

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 Los Armónicos. However, he is primarily known for his later work with

Miami Sound Machine Miami Sound Machine was an American band of Latin-influenced music that had featured the vocals of Cuban-born recording artist Gloria Estefan (née Fajardo). Established in 1975 by Emilio Estefan Jr., the band was originally known as the Miami ...

, the band that catapulted

Gloria Estefan Gloria Estefan (; born Gloria María Milagrosa Fajardo García; born 1 September 1957) is a Cuban-American singer, actress, and businesswoman. Estefan is a seven-time Grammy Award winner, a Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, and has been ...

to international stardom. He has collaborated with popular artists such as

David Byrne David Byrne (; born 14 May 1952) is a Scottish-American singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, writer, music theorist, visual artist and filmmaker. He was a founding member and the principal songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist of ...

Santana Santana may refer to: Transportation * Volkswagen Santana, an automobile * Santana Cycles, manufacturer of tandem bicycles * Santana Motors, a former Spanish automobile manufacturer Boats * Santana 20, an American sailboat design by W. D. Sch ...

and

Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera (; ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. Known for her four-octave vocal range and ability to sustain high notes, she has been referred to as the " Voice of ...

Career

Paquito Hechavarría was born on 21 February 1939 in Cárdenas,

Matanzas Matanzas (Cuban ) is the capital of the Cuban province of Matanzas. Known for its poets, culture, and Afro-Cuban folklore, it is located on the northern shore of the island of Cuba, on the Bay of Matanzas (Spanish ''Bahia de Matanzas''), east ...

, Cuba. He 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.

to study piano at the Conservatory. In the 1950s he began to play in important bands such as

, Conjunto Casino and Felipe Dulzaides y Los Armónicos. In 1960 he performed in

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 and ...

's ''Our Man in Havana'' and Walfredo de los Reyes' ''Cuban Jazz''. In 1962 Hechavarría moved to Miami. Two years later he recorded a jazz album with percussionist Nelson "Flaco" Padrón, who was also a member of Los Armónicos and had moved to Miami as well. His first solo album, ''Piano sentimental'' came in 1965. In the 1970s he was a member of Fly Out Band, recording the theme for ¿Qué Pasa, USA?. In 1978 he played the synthesizer on ''Ecué: Ritmos cubanos'', an album by

Louie Bellson Louie Bellson (born Luigi Paulino Alfredo Francesco Antonio Balassoni, July 6, 1924 – February 14, 2009), often seen in sources as Louis Bellson, although he himself preferred the spelling Louie, was an American jazz drummer. He was a composer, ...

and Walfredo de los Reyes. He recorded a solo LP, ''Piano alegre'' in 1980. In 1981 he formed a

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 was ...

ensemble called Walpataca with Walfredo de los Reyes,

Cachao Israel López Valdés (September 14, 1918 – March 22, 2008), better known as Cachao ( ), was a Cuban double bassist and composer. Cachao is widely known as the co-creator of the mambo and a master of the descarga (improvised jam sessions). T ...

, and Tany Gil. He continued playing alongside Cachao, and he later played with

, recording the smash hit "

Conga The conga, also known as tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed drum from Cuba. Congas are staved like barrels and classified into three types: quinto (lead drum, highest), tres dos or tres golpes (middle), and tumba or salidor (lowest). ...

". He continued working with

, appearing in albums such as ''

Mi Tierra ''Mi Tierra'' (''My Homeland'') is the third studio album by Cuban-American recording artist Gloria Estefan, released on June 22, 1993, by Epic Records. Produced by husband Emilio Estefan, it is a Spanish-language album and pays homage to her Cuba ...

'', ''

Alma Caribeña ''Alma Caribeña - Caribbean Soul'' is the ninth studio solo album and third Spanish album recorded by Cuban-American singer-songwriter Gloria Estefan. It was first released by Epic Records in France on May 9, 2000, and in North America on May 23 ...

'' and '' 90 Millas''. In 1995, he collaborated with fellow Cuban singer

Rey Ruiz Rey Ruiz (Reinerio Ruiz born June 21, 1966 in La Lisa, Havana, Cuba) is a salsa singer from Cuba. Ruiz reached international fame across Latin America, Europe and among Hispanic music fans in the United States. Biography Rey Ruiz demonstrated a ...

on the song "

Piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

" from his album of the same name which topped the ''Billboard'' Tropical Airplay chart. He recorded his last solo album, ''Frankly'', in 2009. Paquito Hechavarría died on 27 September 2012 in his Miami Beach apartment.

Discography

As leader

*''Sentimental Piano'' (Bluebell, 1965) *''Piano alegre'' (Discolor, 1980) *''Paquito y su Tumbao: Latin Jazz'' (Bongo Latino/Kubaney, 1994) *''Piano'' (Sony, 1995) *''Frankly'' (Calle 54, 2009)

As sideman

With Louis Bellson and Walfredo de los Reyes *''Ecué: Ritmos Cubanos'' (Pablo, 1978) With Jorge Cabrera y su Conjunto Yumurí *''La paella'' (Caney, 1980) *''Homenaje a Arsenio Rodríguez'' (Kubaney, 1981) With Cachao *''Walpataca'' (Tania, 1981) *''Maestro de Maestros'' (Tania, 1986) With Miami Sound Machine and Gloria Estefan *''

Primitive Love ''Primitive Love'' is the ninth studio album and second English-language record by the Miami Sound Machine, released in August 1985, by Epic Records. A 2CD remastered version of the album was scheduled for March 31, 2017 by Vibe on Records, bu ...

'' (Epic, 1985) *'' Let It Loose'' (Epic, 1987) *''

Cuts Both Ways ''Cuts Both Ways'' is the debut solo album by American recording artist Gloria Estefan. Though the release marked the first time Estefan was billed solely as a solo artist, Miami Sound Machine still performed instrumentation for the album. It ...

'' (Epic, 1989) *''

'' (Epic, 1993) *''

'' (Epic, 2000) *'' 90 Millas'' (Sony, 2007)

References

External links

Paquito Hechavarría

AllMusic 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 ...

. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hechavarria, Paquito Cuban pianists Latin jazz pianists 1939 births 2012 deaths 20th-century pianists Orquesta Riverside members