Conjunto Chappottín
Conjunto Chappottín, also known as Chappottín y sus Estrellas, is a Cuban son conjunto from Havana. It was founded in 1950 by trumpeter Félix Chappottín, pianist Lilí Martínez, singer Miguelito Cuní and other members of Arsenio Rodríguez's conjunto, which was partially disbanded after his departure to the USA. Currently, the group is directed by Jesús Ángel Chappottín Coto, the grandson of Félix Chappottín.
History
The founding of the band dates back to the 1940s. Its founder Arsenio Rodríguez was one the country's most renowned band leader with major influences on the Latin jazz and Salsa music of the next decades. With his Conjunto he was the first to add reed and brass instruments to a Latin band at that time. When Arsenio Rodríguez left Cuba in 1950 to undergo an ophthalmological intervention in New York to treat his eye disease, he handed the musical direction over to his first trumpet player, Felix Chappottín. The band was renamed "Felix Chappottín y su Conjunto todos estrellas". Felix Chappottín directed the band successfully until the year of his death in 1983.
From 1983 until the 1990s his son Angel Chappottín Valdes was musical director. Since then the grandson of Felix Chappottín Jesus Angel Chappottín Coto has directed the "Conjunto Chappottín" together Miguelito Cuni jr., singer, percussionist. Miguelito Cuni is the son of the former lead singer Miguel Cuni.
Name
In 1950, when Arsenio Rodríguez left Havana for New York, the band was renamed " Felix Chappottín y su Conjunto todos estrellas". Since 1983 the band has been called "Conjunto Chappottín y sus estrellas".
Style
The band dedicates to the traditional son with a variety of different stylistic elements such as son-montuno, guajira, guaracha, mambo, danzon, danzonette, charanga, afro-son, bembe, Cuban rumba (made up of yambú, columbia & guaguanco), and cha cha cha.
With the additional horn group Arsenio Rodríguez changed the traditional setting of a son band. Arsenio Rodríguez was one of the most influential Cuban musicians of the last century and had major influences of the development of Salsa and Latin jazz.
Under the direction of Felix Chappottín, the successor of Arsenio Rodríguez and musical director of the band for more than 3 decades, who was often compared with Louis Armstrong, the band gained international reputation.
Recent successes - new generation
- Chappottineando
- Wachimango
- Dos Reyes
Format of Conjunto Chappottín and his stars
- Tres-guitar
- Bass
- Piano
- Bongos
- Conga
- 4 trumpets
- 4 singers
Band
Famous founding members
- Arsenio Rodríguez: singer, tresero
- Felix Chappottín : trumpet
- Miguel Cuni : singer
Current members
- Jesús Angel Chappottín Coto : trumpet, musical director
- Miguel Arcángel Conill Hernández (Miguelito Cuní JR) : singer and percussion
- Angel Remigio Laborí Hernández : piano
- Francisco Vasallo Labrada : tumba
- Eduardo Antonio Canas Oliva : percussion
- Manuel Guará Colás : trumpet
- Gregorio Martínez Pedroso : trumpet
- Roberto Ortega Oviedo: trumpet
- José Lussón Bueno : singer
- Eduardo Font Paniagua : singer
- Eduardo Sandoval Nobregas : singer
Discography (selection from the past 15 years)
- 1992: Estrellas de Cuba
- 1993: Chappottín y su Conjunto
- 1993: Sabor Tropical
- 1995: Canta Miguelito Cuni
- 1995: Chappotín y sus Estrellas
- 1995: Serie de Oro
- 1997: Que Se Funan
- 1999: Senores del Son
- 1999: Mi son mi son mi son
- 2000: Seguimos Aqui Chappottineando
- 2001: Mariquitas y Chicharrones
- 2001: Havana Social Club
- 2002: La Guarapachanga
- 2003: Son, Boleros y Montuno Con Sabor a Quimbombo
- 2003: Una Nueva Generacion
- 2006: Conjunto Chappottín y Sus Estrellas.
- 2007: Vuelven Los Senores Del Son
References
- Orovio, Helio (1992). "Diccionario de la Música Cubana". 2da. Edición. La Habana, Editorial Letras Cubanas.
- Orovio, Helio (2004). "Cuban Music from A to Z" Edition B&T, ISBN 0-8223-3212-4
- García, David (2006). "Arsenio Rodríguez and the Transnational Flows of Latin Popular Music", Temple University Press