Orlando Lopez (1933 – 2009): 5 Albums To Help Remember Cachaito

February 12, 2009 by chip
Filed under: Jazz, Latin Jazz, Podcasts, Soul/R&B, SoulSites, SoulTrackin', SuperFriends 

Orlando “Cachaito” Lopez was born on February 2, 1933 into Cuba’s legendary musical family. From his early childhood, Cachaito lived his life immersed in music, with exposure to a broad variety of styles. His father, Orestes Lopez, and his uncle, Israel “Cachao” Lopez, were of some of the top musicians of his day, playing with charanga bands, son conjuntos, symphony orchestras, and jazz combos. Young Cachaito joined his father at many rehearsals and performances from artists such as Arcaño Y Sus Maravillas and Arseñio Rodriguez, and he watched his father and uncle develop el nuevo ritmo, the mambo. He traveled with his father to performances by the Havana Symphony and watched as his father and uncle hosted jam sessions, rehearsals, and compositional collaborations at his aunt’s house. This whirlwind of musical exposure led Cachaito to pick up the violin initially, but his grandfather encouraged him to follow the family tradition by switching to bass. Cachaito’s bass studies progressed quickly – at the age of 17, he had joined Arseñio Rodriguez’s band; by the age of 24, he had joined the Havana based big band Riverside; and at 27, he was a member of the National Symphony. Cachaito became a mainstay on the Havana musical scene, laying down the foundation of several different ensembles from popular to jazz and classical.

Cachaito spent much of his adult life working as a sideman, recording and performing in Cuba, until 1996 when he became a member of the Buena Vista Social Club. He performed in popular settings with vocalists such as Omara Portuondo and César Portillo de la Luz, making a statement as part of the filin movement. He served as bass soloist with the National Symphony in their premier of Leo Brouwer’s “‘Arioso,” a tribute to Charles Mingus. He worked as a member of the Orquesta de Musica Moderna, and for a brief time, played electric bass with Irakere. Yet his reputation stayed centered around Havana until the Buena Vista Social Club pushed him into the global spotlight. The hit album and accompanying documentary made him a household name, and his subsequent appearances on albums by Ibrahim Ferrer, Ruben Gonzalez, and all the Buena Vista members only solidified his legend. He traveled the world, performing to large crowds receiving star treatment. He continued to record on every Buena Vista side project, becoming a mainstay among artists like vocalists Ibrahim Ferrer and Omara Portuondo. After spending a lifetime in music, the world recognized the value and strength of Cachaito’s major musicianship.

On Monday February 9, 2009, Cachaito died in Havana due to complications from prostate surgery, leaving the world with a lifetime of major musical achievements. Despite his fantastic success with the Buena Vista Social Club, Cachaito’s legacy in the jazz world remains largely unrecognized. Much of that work occurred in post-Revolutionary Cuba, resulting in restricted stateside access to performances and recordings. Much of that music exists by word of mouth; we can only hope that someday we hear this music and get a fuller picture of Cachaito’s impact. For now, I’ve collected a short list of Cachaito’s work that gives a broad view of him as an artist in both the pre- and post-Buena Vista era. I’ve stuck with easily accessible albums, in the hopes that you might track them down and dig more deeply into Cachaito’s legacy. Many more examples of Cachaito’s work can be found if you look – check out the Anga/Tata Güines collaboration Pasaporte, the Bebo Valdes album Sabor de Cuba, or the Anga solo album Echu Mingua. This list serves as a good starting point though, so check out these recordings and remember Orlando “Cachaito” Lopez, one of the great Cuban bass players.

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1. La Cumbancha – Los Amigos

Cachaito spent years watching his father and uncle partake in numerous descarga sessions, both in live performance and in recording studios; that experience translates to a ferociously musical experience on La Cumbancha. Cachaito, along with pianist Frank Emilio Flyn, timbalero Guillermo Barreto, and conguero Tata Güines, formed the core of Los Amigos, a descarga group that walked the line between modern creativity and traditional performance. Flyn’s now classic descarga “Gandinga, Sandunga, Mondongo” recalls Monk’s “Evidence,” and its askew rhythmic vamp pushes the band’s improvisers in new directions. “Pa’gozar” has a more standard approach with a basic chord progression and repeated montuno, but the group approaches it with a no-holds-barred enthusiasm that explodes with excitement. Cachaito’s original descarga “Lazara y Georgina” plays off a distinctly different tumbao, providing an opportunity for Flyn to explore a variety of melodic possibilities. Cachaito plays with the strength and depth of his uncle on several unaccompanied bass solos that serve as introductions to descargas, but there’s more than a simple echo of Cachao. There are shades of Mingus and expressive articulations that reflect a thoroughly modern playing style. The band never forgets their roots though – there’s the elegant sound of danzones such as “Tres Lindas Cubanas” and “La Flauta Mágica” played with grace, style, and a heavy dose of authenticity. These musicians experienced the original innovations of this style, and they treat it with the respect and reverence that it deserves. It’s an interesting balance that speaks volumes about the mastery of these musicians and evokes many unmissable moments. Simply hearing Cachaito add his own unique twist to the classic Cachao feature “Cómo Canta El Contrabajo” is worth the price of the album alone. There’s a wealth of musicianship and plenty of Cachaito on La Cumbancha, making it a must-have piece of any Cachaito collection.

2. Featuring Cachaito – Chucho Valdes

Cachaito was a man of many musical worlds, but the jazz realm was one of his favorites – as a result, he often crossed paths with an artist that belonged to Cuba’s other famous musical family, pianist Chucho Valdes. This recording places Cachaito and Valdes in a trio setting with Irakere drummer Enrique Plá, recorded in 1970. Valdes dominates the session, spending most of the tracks stretching his legendary piano skills across complex melodies and jazz fueled solos. Cachaito shines as an outstanding accompanist here, pushing both Valdes and Plá with a rock steady pulse and a passionate swing. He also displays chameleon-like stylistic skills here, playing the bolero “Dos Perlas Y Un Dolor” with a simplistic beauty before jumping into a bubbling 1970s rock groove on the Valdes composition “Preludio No 1.” The trio shows another side to their musicianship with several sambas, ranging from “Canción de la Tarde” to the Cesar Portillo de la Luz composition “Canción de un Festival,” and even a Brazilian tinged arrangement of the Cuban classic “Tu, Mi Delirio.” Cachaito bows his bass with elegant style, providing a rich bottom end on several boleros such as “Realidad Y Fantasia” and “Novia Mia.” There’s an almost wild side to the collaborative chaos on “Invento No. 4,” a rock blues that relishes loud, over the top performance and syncopated tension. The trio plays with a sly funkiness on the 1970s classic “Sony” (Sunny) that lets Valdes spin greasy blues licks while Cachaito and Plá create an addictive drive. In reality, this album is a Valdes compilation with only half of the twenty tracks actually featuring Cachaito. The raw energy that these musicians put into the performance and the diversity of the tracks make it worth the listen. For a few more gems, check out another Chucho Valdes compilation – Doble Gigante: The Latin Jazz Sides – it features Cachaito playing on three fantastic jazz tracks.

3. The Buena Vista Social Club

I certainly wouldn’t consider this a jazz album by any means, but it is the recording that rocketed Cachaito onto the world stage. Aside from that fact, it’s also an outstanding album that displays a group of master musicians playing traditional music at a very high level. The classic son sound on “De Camino a La Vereda” and “El Cuarto de Tula” bubbles with life and reflects the love that each of these musicians feels for the style. Pianist Ruben Gonzalez gets an opportunity to stretch his gorgeous melodic lines on a couple of danzones, “Pablo Nuevo” and the Cachao composition “Buena Vista Social Club.” The band attacks several boleros with a smoldering understatement, lighting tunes such as “Dos Gardenias” and “Murmullo” on fire with a slow burn. The pure dance excitement of “Candela” pushes the band into a frenzy with a pulsating groove underneath Ibrahim Ferrer’s classic vocal. Cachaito sits at the bottom of the mix, pushing the band with a supportive, yet unobtrusive tumbao. His playing lacks some of the unique characteristics of his jazz explorations, but it’s strong enough to say that the band would have sounded distinctly different without his presence. There are moments when I wish that Ry Cooder and his son Joachim would step aside and let the masters own the spotlight; the guitar, dumbek, oud, and other assorted oddities serve more as a distraction than a positive embellishment. Still, the return to the roots of Cuban music, and the worldwide acclaim that followed it make this album an important milestone both in the history of Cuban music and the career of Cachaito.

4. A Toda Cuba Le Gusta – Afro-Cuban All Stars

In many ways, this project follows many of the popular elements of The Buena Vista Social Club album – roots in traditional son, dance fueled charts, and a vocal emphasis – yet there’s an underlying descarga aesthetic that pushes this recording into a slightly more jazzy direction. The group screams through several dance tracks with a big, assertive sound that relies upon a huge brass section and a driving rhythm section that includes Cachaito, pianist Ruben Gonzalez, and Miguel “Anga” Diaz on congas. The driving groove of “Clasiqueando con Rubén” benefits from Gonzalez’s classical technique and inventive nature, exploding into an all-out descarga featuring individual trombone, trumpet, and percussion statements. The medium tempo son “Amor Verdadero” cooks with a quiet intensity, pushed into high gear with improvisations from Gonzalez as well as tresero and bandleader Juan De Marcos. The band slows into a graceful danzon on “Habana del Este” with extremely lyrical playing from Marcos before the band jumps into a cha cha cha for an inspiring exchange between guest flautist Richard Egües and Cachaito on bowed lines. Cooder shows up with a brief solo on “Alto Songo,” barely distracting from the song’s upbeat dance vibe. Most importantly, Cachaito sits way up in the mix, playing in an intensive and unrestrained fashion. It’s a more honest and clear look at Cachaito’s playing during this period, and it’s a fun album – well worth the listen.

5. Cachaito

Cachaito spent most of his career as a sideman, supporting other artists with his powerful basslines; the success of The Buena Vista Social Club opened a new door for him and allowed him to record this album as a bandleader. With the emphasis of roots in the Buena Vista Social Club albums, one might expect Cachaito to produce an album full of classic descargas and danzones. Cachaito was always a forward-looking musician though, and he takes every opportunity to explore new territories here. Cachao’s classic “Rendencion” references a danzon with the traditional flute lines and common breaks, but the addition of Bigga Morrison’s B-3 Hammond Organ soon morphs this song into a reggae-tinged descarga. The exchange between flautist Policarpo “Polo” Tamayo and guitarist Manuel Galban form the basis of “Conversacion” as Galban’s reverb drenched tone and Morrison’s distorted clavinet mix with violins, resulting in an engagingly unusual sound. Galban saturates his guitar with vibrato and reverb, adding a surf music sound to the Orlando Lopez composition “Wahira” while tenor saxophonist Pee Wee Ellis blows jazz riffs around Ibrahim Ferrer’s vocals. The album takes a fun and interesting left turn as Dee Nasty adds turntables and scratching to Cachaito’s bold tumbao on “Cachaito In Laboratory.” The musicians reach an album highpoint with “Tumbao No. 5 (Para Charlie Mingus)” as Cachaito stretches out his tumbao into a soloistic statement over only percussion, moving into swing and back around the son groove with clever musical twists. There’s a sense that Cachaito knew that he would only have this kind of complete artistic liberty once, and he didn’t hold anything back. The tracks will surprise most Latin Jazz listeners, and may even challenge you at points – it’s a simultaneously weird and wonderful album that has to be heard to have a complete appreciation of Cachaito’s artistry.

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Check Out These Related Posts:
Essential Cachao Recordings, Part 1: Cachao In Cuba
Essential Cachao Recordings, Part 2: Cachao In New York
Essential Cachao Recordings, Part 3: Cachao’s Early Miami Years
Essential Cachao Recordings, Part 4: Cachao’s Revitalized Career

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