Antonio Arcaño
Antonio Arcaño in 1970.
Background information
Birth name	Antonio Arcaño Betancourt
Born	(1911-12-29)29 December 1911 Havana, Cuba
Died	1994 (aged 82–83)
Genres	Danzón
Occupation(s)	Musician bandleader
Instrument(s)	Flute

Antonio Arcaño Betancourt (Atarés, Havana 29 December 1911 – 1994) was a Cuban flautist, bandleader and founder of Arcaño y sus Maravillas, one of Cuba's most successful charangas. He retired from playing in 1945, but continued as director of the group until its dissolution in 1958.^[1][2] Despite his early retirement due to health problems, he is considered one of the most influential flautists in Cuba.^[3]

After leaving La Maravilla del Siglo, a very popular charanga, Arcaño founded La Maravilla de Arcaño, later known as Arcaño y sus Maravillas. The band featured the López brothers, Israel López "Cachao" and Orestes López, composers and multi-instrumentalists that originated the danzón-mambo, the direct precursor of the mambo, through compositions such as "Rareza de Melitón", "Se va el matancero" and, above all, "Mambo", the piece that lent its name to the genre.^[4][5] Arcaño was posthumously inducted into the International Latin Music Hall of Fame in 2000.^[6]

See also

• José Fajardo
• Enrique Jorrín
• Félix Reina

References

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