Alberto Socarrás

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Alberto Socarrás Estacio , (born September 19, 1908 in Manzanillo (Cuba) , † August 26, 1987 in New York City ) was an American flautist (also clarinetist and saxophonist ) and orchestra conductor of Cuban origin, who played both Latin American music and jazz . He introduced the flute to jazz.

Live and act

Socarras learned to play the flute from 1915 onwards from his mother, Dolores Estacio, before continuing to study at the Conservatory of Santiago de Cuba and the Timothy Music Conservatory in New York.

First he played in the theater orchestra of Arquimedes Pous and in some jazz bands in Havana before moving to the USA in 1927. He immediately became a member of Clarence Williams' band and in the same year recorded his first flute solo in jazz ( Shooting the Pistol for Paramount Records ). Between 1928 and 1933 he was part of the revue The Blackbirds ; he was also involved in Lizzie Miles ' recording of You're Such a Cruel Papa to Me (1928) with another flute solo . He played other recordings for Walter Bennett's Swamplanders (1930) and for Russell Woodings Grand Central Red Caps (1931). In 1933 he played with Benny Carter . In 1934 he founded his own band, which performed in the Cotton Club and Small's Paradise . In 1935 he played with Sam Wooding , and then as "Cuba's response to Duke Ellington to conduct their own" bands, including musicians like Edgar Sampson , Mongo Santamaría and Cab Calloway were and with whom he repeatedly recorded since 1935 and also in the Carnegie Hall occurred . In 1937 he played with Erskine Hawkins , then on a European tour as musical director of the Cuban women's band Anacaona . In 1939 he formed a big band again under his own name, to which Dizzy Gillespie belonged. From 1947 he recorded several times for RCA Victor ; these recordings were then summarized as Socarrás and His Magic Flute on an album. He was also involved in recordings of Babs Gonzales in 1949 and Tito Puente's album Tambo in 1959 ! involved.

Discographic notes

  • Socarras, His Magic Flute and Orchestra: Latin Impressions. Decca Records 1956
  • Jean Vincent with Orchestra Conducted by Alberto Socarras: The Soul Of Haïti . Vanguard Records 1957
  • Socarras and His Orchestra: Cha Cha Cha and Mambos . Decca Records 1959

Lexical entry

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Giro Radamés Diccionario enciclopédico de la música en Cuba . Vol. 4. La Habana 2007, p. 155
  2. ↑ Pioneers of Jazz Flute ( Memento from August 14, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
  3. ↑ a b Cary Ginnell The Evolution of Mann: Herbie Mann and the Flute in Jazz Milwaukee 2014, p. 9
  4. ↑ Alicia Castro with Ingrid Kummels & Manfred Schäfer Anacaona. The Amazing Adventures of Cuba's First All-Girl Dance Band . London: Atlantic 2007 p. 149ff.
  5. ↑ See Alberto Soccaras
personal data
SURNAME Socarrás, Alberto
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Socarrás Estacio, Alberto
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American jazz and latin musician
DATE OF BIRTH September 19, 1908
PLACE OF BIRTH Manzanillo (Cuba)
DATE OF DEATH August 26, 1987
Place of death New York City