Cachao’s New York tenure lasted into the 1970s, resulting in a variety of fantastic recordings. Producer and historian Rene Lopez brought Cachao into descarga settings and full charanga groups, hoping to recapture the magic of his 1950s recordings. Cachao accompanied diverse artists, including Hubert Laws, Eddie Palmieri, Dave Pike, and Louis Bellson. In addition to being recorded extensively, Cachao remained one of New York’s busiest bass players, performing on a regular basis. Despite his successful career, Cachao left New York in the late 1970s searching for a change of pace, and he settled in Las Vegas.

Cachao’s time in Las Vegas passed quickly without any vital recorded works, and in the early 1980s, he escaped from the Las Vegas lifestyle into the Caribbean culture of Miami. For the first time since entering the United States, Cachao lived in a large Cuban community. Many of Miami’s Cuban citizens left the island at a similar time as Cachao, placing them among his generation. They shared cultural preferences and fond memories. In many ways, Miami brought Cachao back into the Cuban culture that he left in 1962.

At the same time, Miami brought Cachao’s musical career screeching to a halt. Although Miami held a large Cuban community, the tourist industry drove the music scene. American pop styles dominated the music market, and DJs slowly moved into clubs, driving out opportunities for live music. Cachao carried the history of Cuban music in his head, but the public didn’t demand his skills. Instead, Cachao pulled together a living playing weddings, quinceaneras, house parties, and small nightclubs. For a time, he performed with the Miami Symphony Orchestra, but lower profile gigs mostly filled his calendar.

These three albums represent the high points of Cachao’s early Miami period. He did record with several other local groups during this time including both Hansel & Raul and Roberto Torres. These albums showcase Cachao’s fondness for descargas, and his interest in improvisation and jazz. They also reveal Cachao’s strong spirit despite his career turn and his ongoing love for Cuban music. Very few examples of Cachao’s playing during this period exist, so if you’ve got an album that I’ve missed, please let me know!

Grupo Wal-pa-ta-ca 1 & 2
Cachao lived in obscurity throughout the 1980s, but some musicians in Miami recognized his importance. These musicians jumped at the opportunity to perform with such a legendary figure and Cachao obliged. In contrast to New York, these knowledgable musicians constituted a much smaller group, and they didn’t go to much trouble to bring Cachao into the spotlight. Instead, they employed Cachao as a member of their groups, and he brought his powerful swing into their ensembles. This support helped Cachao pull together a monthly salary, but it didn’t really recognize his past.

After a few years, Cachao gathered with a group of his peers to organize a series of descargas. Pianist Francisco “Paquito” Hechavarria performed with Conjunto Casino and Orquesta Riverside in Cuba and after leaving in the early 1960s, he built a strong music career in Miami. Drum kit player and percussionist Walfredo De Los Reyes worked extensively in pre-Castro Cuba, accompanying various big bands and participating in the original Panart jam sessions. Local percussionist Tany Gil rounded out the group, performing on congas. Despite a lack of profitable performance venues, the group built a repertoire and recorded two albums of experimental descargas. They took the first syllable from each musicians’ name and called the band Grupo Wal-pa-ta-ca.

The first album, Wal-pa-ta-ca 1, places the group and several guest artists in a diverse descarga setting. The two Cachao compositions form the most traditional pieces on the album. “Panchin” rides over an up-tempo salsa rhythm, incorporating inventive bass playing as well as flute solos from Cuban star Jose Fajardo. “El Caballo De Tom” includes some interesting interplay betwen Cachao and Hecavarria as well as a reference to Tom Jobim’s penchant for whistling melodies. The group visited two basic jam sessions, “La Pausa De Cachao,” and “Yo No Camino Mas,” providing plenty of improvisatory space over straight-ahead Cuban rhythms. Three pieces written by Gil and Hechavarria, “Las Gatas Calientes,” “Bocachaby,” and “Walpataca II,” reveal an experimental tendency, including electric keyboards and effects into the overall sound. This album provided a balance between Cachao’s classic 1950s sessions and the modern influences of the 1980s.

Wal-pa-ta-ca 2, finds the group moving towards a more experimental approach. Cachao only contributes one piece to this session, “Mi Melodia,” a reconstruction of “Goza Mi Trompeta,” originally found on Cuban Jam Sessions, Vol. 2. The rhythm section maintains a stagnant pattern behind “Dancing Reggae,” allowing for some pop-edged saxophone noodling from Bobby Martinez. Three tracks from the first album, “Las Gatas Calientes,” “Bocachaby,” and “Walpataca II,” all reappear on this release. Two different electric bass players replace Cachao on “Descarga Pa’Elegua” and “Tania Express,” reflecting a contemporary sound. This album doesn’t provide a whole lot of new Cachao material, but the tracks help illuminate his playing during this time.

Both albums were originally released locally in Miami, and only earned a cult following. When Cachao’s career began to emerge nationally again during the 1990s, both albums were released under different names. Walpataca 1 became known as Maestro De Maestros while Walpataca 2 was renamed Latin Jazz Descarga Part 2. Both albums list Cachao as the primary artist, most likely hoping to follow his success. These albums provide looks at some of Cachao’s most unusual performances, and document Cachao’s musical approach during the 1980s.

40 Years of Cuban Jam Session, Paquito D’Rivera
When Cuban saxophonist Paquito D’Rivera began planning for his 1993 album, he structured his ideas around a tribute to Cuban jazz greats José “Chombo” Silva and Gustavo Mas. As D’Rivera organized artists for the date, he found a multitude of musicians hoping to be involved. The elements seemed right for a major descarga session, so D’Rivera cleared a change of plans with his record company. The descarga sessions centered around Miami musicians with a wealth of guests brought into the album from around the world. D’Rivera brought together a wide spectrum of representatives from several generations; older veterans like Cacaho and Silva played together with younger musicians such as Mike and Nicky Orta. The session truely brought 40 years worth of musicians together for a grand descarga.

Cachao performs on four of the ten tracks on 40 Years of Cuban Jam Session. He supports Silva on the tenor sax feature “Cuando Vuelva A Tu Lado,” gently pushing the bolero with his knowledgable groove. His sensitive touch and tasteful fills add a touch of authenticity to the track, recalling the sound of 1950s Havana. The Cachao composition “Descarga ‘93” serves as an album highlight, as it most closely resembles the classic descargas. Cachao opens the piece with a rubato bowed improvisation and proceeds to drive the groove into a ferocious wave of sound. DRivera’s “Lorenzo’s Wings” places Cachao in an up-tempo Latin Jazz setting, playing through a variety of chord changes. He sounds completely comfortable here, adjusting his groove to fit the younger Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez’s drum kit style. The most exciting Cachao moment occurs on “Tres Tristes Tigres,” a D’Rivera composition based upon a Guillermo Cabrera Infante novel. The descarga brings Cachao together with bassists Nicky Orta and Kike Hernandez; the different bass solos illustrate Cachao’s influence on generations of bass players. Through each of these tracks, Cachao’s presence defines the album and brings the descarga concept full circle.

In many ways, this album signaled the end of obscurity for Cachao and the start of a new career. D’Rivera’s high profile presence in the Latin Jazz world meant massive exposure for the album and Cachao. His former New York collaborators remembered Cachao and reached out to him as a result of the album. A new generation of musicians discovered Cachao on D’Rivera’s album, sending them to find his older recordings. Actor Andy Garcia played congas on the album, bringing him closer to Cachao and cementing his decision to create a documentary about Cachao’s life. Offers for higher quality work started to flow towards Cachao and more people acknowledged his important past. In many ways, 40 Years of Cuban Jam Session laid the foundation for Cachao’s revitalized career and his move back into the public eye.

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We revisited 40 Years of Cuban Jam Session earlier at LJC - check out that article HERE.

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Check Out More About Cachao’s Legendary Career:
Essential Cachao Recordings, Part 1: Cachao In Cuba
Essential Cachao Recordings, Part 2: Cachao’s In New York
Essential Cachao Recordings, Part 4: Cachao’s Revitalized Career

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