Guillermo Rubalcaba was the director and founder of the legendary Charanga Rubalcaba. He was considered – together with Rubén González – to be one of Cuba’s best pianists. Guillermo was also a member of a reputable musical dynasty that includes his sons Jesús (piano) and William (bass), who play in his band, and the jazz prodigy Gonzalo Rubalcaba.
The veteran pianist preserved the finest traditions of popular Cuban music. Guillermo was the guest pianist at most of the live concerts of the Buena Vista Social Club and also worked with Afro Cuban all Stars and Soneros De Verdad.
Guillermo Rubalcaba was born on January 10, 1927, in Pinar del Rio. He dedicated over 50 years of his life to creating and performing the best Cuban music. While living in his native province of Pinar del Rio he toured with his brother’s Monte Carlo jazz band, Ases del Ritmo, and Eden Pinareño.
In 1962, Guillermo Rubalcaba founded La Charanga Rubalcaba. The band preserved the original format of the charangas as they were in the decade of the 1930s, and also maintained the style of performance and the repertoire of the charangas. When the most noted charangueros are talked about, one immediately remembers the name of Guillermo Rubalcaba, one of the biggest charangueros of the last hundred years.
Guillermo Rubalcaba combined a refined melodic expression with a sense of rhythm that had pure Cuban flavor. Maestro Rubalcaba’s impressive ability at musical improvisation made him famous, to the point where he influenced most contemporary pianists that work in dance bands.
Guillermo Rubalcaba died on September 7, 2015.
Discography:
Vivencias (Areito, 1988)
Fundadores del Sabor (Discmedi, 1995)
Por eso yo soy cubano (Eurotropical Muxxic, 1998)
El Danzón de la Reina Isabel (Eurotropical, 2000)
A corazón abierto (Eurotropical, 2002)
Entre dos generaciones (Envidia Records, 2003)
Pasado y Presente (Pimienta Records, 2003)
Con sello de calidad (Envidia, 2004)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
