Don Azpiazú

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Justo Ángel "Don" Azpiazú (born February 11, 1893 in Cienfuegos , † January 20, 1943 in Havana ) was a Cuban band leader.

Azpiazú emigrated to the USA and worked there as a pianist. In 1928 he founded his own orchestra, the Havana Casino Orchestra . With this he brought out his first hit in 1930, Peanut Vandor , based on the Rumba El Mansinero recorded the previous year on Victor Records . The song first made real Cuban dance music known in the United States.

His brother Eusebio Azpiazú and his wife Marion Sunshine managed his first concert tour with his orchestra through the USA in 1931; Sunshine, known as The Rumba Lady , sang the Peanut Vendor . His next hit, which was later recorded by Jimmy Dorsey and was part of the repertoire of many dance orchestras, was Green Eyes . His orchestra was the first group to play a salsa on Broadway with the hit Mama Inéz at a Cuban dance performance.

In 1932 he returned to Cuba and then went on a successful European tour. He later appeared in New York in the 1930s in the Rainbow Room with the Casa Loma Orchestra and the Seville Biltmore Hotel . In the early 1940s he recorded a version of Amapola in the United States . In 1943 he died of a heart attack in Cuba. His son Raúl Azpiazú was also known as a musician.

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personal data
SURNAME Azpiazú, Don
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Azpiazú, Justo Ángel
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Cuban band leader
DATE OF BIRTH February 11, 1893
PLACE OF BIRTH Cienfuegos (city)
DATE OF DEATH January 20, 1943
Place of death Havana