The Latin music world lost a major figure this past Saturday when inventive bassist and composer Israel “Cachao” Lopez passed away. His insightful connection to Cuban music drove him to compose over thousands of danzónes, create the mambo, and instigate a series of inspiring descargas. His bass playing influenced generations of bassists interested in Latin music; his rock solid groove, percussive embellishments, and clave driven solos all became models for future players. Cachao supercharged a variety of music scenes from Havana to New York, Las Vegas, and Miami - everywhere he went, his superior musicality raised the quality of Latin music. Until the end of his life, he served as a proud spokesman for Cuban music traditions, encouraging young musicians to innovate, but understand their history first. Cachao created, influenced, and shaped such a big part of Latin music over the past 89 years, that his death signals the end of a Latin music era.

Cachao’s Foundation In Classical Music
Israel Lopez, better known as Cachao, was born to a musical family in Havana, Cuba during the year 1918. He played bongó in his youth, but his roots pulled him towards the bass. His extended family included at least 40 bassists, and Cachao carried on the tradition proudly. He actively pursued classical studies, which led to a job playing with the Havana Philharmonic during his teens. His age could not restrain his massive musicianship; Cachao stood on a box in order to reach the bass strings. Although Cachao would move in many directions during his time in Havana, classical music remained his core. He performed with the Havana Philharmonic for nearly 30 years, working with a number of famous conductors including Igor Stravinsky and Heitor Villa-Lobos.

The Danzón-Mambo
In 1937, Cachao joined Antonio Arcaño y sus Maravillas, a Havana charanga band that performed danzónes and other popular songs. He continued his work with the Havana Philharmonic, balancing performances between the classical and dance music worlds. His brother Orestes worked as the pianist for Arcaño, and the siblings combined their talents as the band’s primary composers. Despite his busy performance schedule between Arcaño’s band and the Philharmonic, Cachao, in collaboration with his brother, composed thousands of danzónes. One particular composition, Mambo, caused a strong impact with its introduction of the danzón-mambo rhythm. Although Cachao has sited the public’s initial negative reaction to the song, it caught the ear of several musicians, causing a new performance trend. His work during this time set the foundation for Perez Prado, Tito Puente, and many more mambo masters.

Cuban Jam Sessions
In the mid-1950’s, Cachao worked with a variety of musicians that all shared an avid interest in jazz improvisation. Records and radio had spread the jazz sound throughout the island, and many famous stateside bands had performed in Havana. While Havana’s tourist industry catered to American visitors with local big bands, Cachao and many local musicians leaned towards the more improvisatory sound of bebop and combo jazz. They met after their gigs to experiment with jazz ideas and they often incorporated Cuban rhythms. After extensive deliberation, the musicians arranged several after-hours recording sessions at Panart Records. The resulting records, Cuban Jam Session, Vol. 1, 2, & 3 not only displayed the outstanding individual musical abilities inherent in the group; their informal nature captured a fresh and exciting sound. Even today, these recordings are landmarks that every Latin Jazz musician must hear.

Relocating to the U.S.
Cachao moved to the States in the early sixties, and found steady musical work in several different locations. In New York, the Latin music world recognized his significance and immediately accepted him into the inner circle. He worked with area’s finest bands, including Tito Rodriguez and Machito, and guested with groups such as the Tico All-Stars. He moved to Las Vegas in the 1970s, working in a variety of casinos and recording sessions. In the 1980s, he relocated to Miami, and once again found regular work. Although Miami’s Cuban community generally recognized Cachao for his work in pre-Castro Cuba, his celebrity status didn’t help him find high profile performance work. Instead, he spent the decade performing at weddings and clubs, maintaining a low profile.

A Revitalized Career
The 1990s signaled a shift in Cachao’s career that would bring him back to the forefront of the musical world. Saxophonist Paquito D’Rivera featured Cachao prominently on the 1993 album 40 Years of Cuban Jam Session, bringing him together with Miami’s finest Cuban musicians. This successful album brought Cachao into the immediate attention of the Latin Jazz world and reminded the world about his importance. Actor Andy Garcia heard Cachao’s playing and was inspired to chronicle his life in the documentary film Como Su Ritmo No Hay Dos. This movie, and the accompanying albums, Master Sessions, Vol. 1 & 2, propelled Cachao into the national spotlight. He followed the album with a series of successful albums including Cuba Linda and Ahora Si, as well as a major feature in the documentary Calle 54. He won Grammy awards for Master Sessions, Vol. 1, his 2003 collaboration with Bebo Valdes and Patato Valdés, El Arte del Sabor, and Ahora Si. Cachao remained busy until the end of his life, performing at a tribute concert to Generoso Jimenez and recording with Gloria Estefan.

Remembering Cachao at LJC
Fortunately the Latin Jazz world recognized Cachao’s importance during his lifetime, and I’ve planned a few things to continue the celebration of Cachao’s life at LJC. I’ll be highlighting several milestone recordings in Cachao’s career. I’ve focused on some of them before, but I’d like to look at them in the greater context of Cachao’s career. I’ll also be posting some transcriptions of his bass work. Many of these have appeared on my own site before, but I’d like to catalogue them all here to recognize Cachao’s influential bass playing. I would also like to post any thoughts or memories that you might have about Cachao - I’ll be collecting these for the next week and then putting them all in a post. If you’ve got any thoughts on Cachao, please e-mail me. Cachao’s influence was massive - there’s not really any way to recognize it all in a week or two, but we’ll continue a conversation about Cachao that will undeniably last forever.

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