The Valdes Dinasty

Considered one of the all times greatest Cuban singers, Vicentico Valdés -brother of Alfredito and Oscar- had a meteoric career in the United States. Born on January 10, 1921, he started his artistic career as vocalist in the second National Septet. 

He later formed part of the Jabón Candado Sextet, the orchestras of Cheo Belén Puig and Cosmopolita, conducted by Vicente O. Viana, Belisario López and Antonio María Romeu. 

During the 1940s, in Mexico, he sang with Humberto Cane´s Tropical Ensemble and with them he recorded "Un meneíto na´má" and "Negro bonito". In Cuba, he formed part of Los Leones Sextet together with Cristóbal Dobal and Marcelino Guerra (Rapindey).

He moved to Los Angeles, California in 1948, and later to New York, where he sang in the HISPANIC THEATER and at the MILLION DOLLAR, PARK PLAZA, PALLADIUM, Puerto Rico.

On that same year, he made recordings with Noro Morales´orchestra: "Guararé", "Una cualquiera", "Qué problema", and "Ya son las doce"; with Tito Puente (between 1948 and 1954): "Arrollando", "Ran-kankán", and "Babaratibiri". But the recordings that really made him popular were the ones he made for the SECCO recording label (1953 and 1958), in Havana, with the Sonora Matancera band: "Decídete", "Una aventura", "Yo no soy guapo", "Solo por rencor", and "Los aretes de la luna".

And so, Vicentico Valdés´ fame as a bolerista became established. He later formed his own orchestra, conducted on different occasions by René Hernández, Charlie and Eddie Palmieri, Javier Vázquez and Horacio Malviccino. Finally, at the peak of his fame, he only sang as soloist and as such made tours in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela, Mexico, Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, Spain and France. Vicentico died in New York on June 26, 1995.

In the middle Miguelito Valdes, on the left Tito Puentes, on the right Vicentico Valdes

Oscar II

The Valdés dynasty continues with Oscar Valdés II, born in Havana on November 12, 1937. He grew up in Pogolotti -a folkloric neighborhood where santeros live- amidst the corner rumba, the beat of the batá in the house of friends who play that instrument, especially a great batá-player named Fermín, an expert on the beats and acknowledged as a master on that instrument. Besides learning the beats with Fermín, Oscar learned the trade of making drums.

It was the year 1949 when Oscar started off in the musical circles. Here's how he tells the story: I clearly recall a day when the old man was playing at the MONTMARTRE nightclub with Bebo Valdés, and I went to see him. I became interested in some batá drums that were lying on the floor and I started to play right there by instinct. It wasn't to show off in front of him because he was busy with his rehearsal. I start to play and he tells me: "I didn't know you knew how to play. 

We're working at La Campana Hotel at Infanta and Manglar. Why don't you go there and practice and get into music?" I said: Fuck, man, I've never done any of this, but he says: "No, no, go there at night". And he bought me a guayabera (typical shirt) so that I could go to LA CAMPANA where my uncle Marcelino Valdés was playing. They let me play the drums there when they were performing dance music. That's how I started in that job, and I got skilled with practice.

In those times, it was common to tell an orchestra: you're finished. Nobody was ever sure of anything, it was hard. I was surprised when Valdés Arnao told me he was taking me into his orchestra. I immediately called the old man and told him about it. 

Then he said to me: "stay in it, that's CMQ´s orchestra and maybe you'll be joining it", and that's just how things came out. I was a boy, thirteen years old, and I became a musician in that orchestra. I started playing bongo and pailas together with Manzano, the drum player; I studied with Guillermo Barreto and Salvador Admiral (father), and that's how I started out my real career as a musician.

From that time on, he started to study at THE CONSERVATORY OF MARIANAO; he studied timpani, he worked with the Symphonic Orchestra, with the orchestras of Gonzalo Roig, Paquito Godino, Carlos Ansa and Enrique González Mántici. He could play in a dance music orchestra or in the symphonic.

He also worked in the orchestras of Rafael Somavilla (son) -that was featured at the Havana Hilton-, in that of the CAPRI HOTEL, at TROPICANA and with the Giant Band of Benny Moré, with which he worked as percussionist until 1959. He had an interesting experience working with the composer and guitarist Leo Brouwer at the ICAIC, recording incidental music for Cuban cinema films.

During that period, he works with the Chucho Valdés band, until 1967 when the Cuban Orchestra of Modern Music was created and he formed part of it. Some of the best Cuban musicians were members of this band, among them Oscar Valdés, father, and conducted by Armando Romeu and Rafael Somavilla.

Regarding his leaving the Modern, Oscar says: I was in the Modern until the bug hit me (like it did to all young people) of wanting to do things. Then one day Chucho told me: "hey, why don't we form a group where we can play what we want to play, for example, popular music". I liked the idea and we started -in 1972- the first rehearsals of what would later become Irakere. We recorded "Bacalao con pan" in 1973 -Irakere´s first record.

When I worked with Irakere, Chucho made the music, I did the lyrics and the group's rhythmic ideas, the use of the batá, the folkloric side, because Chucho is basically a pianist. I was the one who knew about drums and how to use them in that band, so that was always my job with Irakere.

This is how Oscar explains how he left Irakere: I leave Irakere after many years; I wanted my sons to work with me and we set out to try to do something family-like: the Valdés. I worked with them for some time -1993 or 1994-, with Diego, who is an exceptional bassist, and with Oscarito as percussionist. We didn't have the success we expected because it wasn't the right time for the band. 

So we were off since November 2000 until June 2001, and it was that year in July that I found the musicians I needed. I started off with them and something incredible happened: after having five numbers ready -because that was all we had.

I managed to land a steady job in one of the most important jazz spots: LA ZORRA Y EL CUERVO, the JAZZ CAFÉ, THE NATIONAL UNION OF WRITERS AND ARTISTS OF CUBA (UNEAC)
The band was playing instrumental music but on the same line I had always done in Irakere, and the same I'm doing with Diáskara.

Diáskara´s work is based on folkloric roots, but now, for example: numbers like "Mi chaoko", "Obatalá", I interpret them with the Afro Cuban beats but with an arrangement. 

That is, I don't make the tambor fit the arrangement; I make the arrangement fit the tambor. I'm carrying out a work on popular dance music with this band, and that is to rescue traditional music but making a transformation and turning it into contemporary. 

This is, I make a presentation of how the number goes as such, and then I change, because you can't force people to dance to a music that although belonged to their parents or grandparents, they don't have a feel for it now. Along this new line we have ready "Lágrimas negras", "Mamá, son de la loma", "A romper el coco", and "Xiomara".

Perhaps you're thinking that now, with Oscar´s success, ends the story of the Valdés? Well, you're wrong. In our next number you can meet Lázaro -the last in the direct line of Oscar Valdés father.