the mambo style in the late 1930s, speeding up the traditional
Cuban dance music "danzón" by inserting a swing to it; and
WHEREAS, The springy bass lines Cachao played, alongside his
brother, pianist/cellist Orestes López, became a foundation of
modern Cuban music, later influencing salsa, Latin-infused
rock'n'roll and R&B; and
WHEREAS, Born in Havana, Cuba, in 1918 into a family of
musicians, Cachao studied classical music, was playing bongos in
a children's group at eight years of age, and played upright
bass with the Havana Philharmonic at 13 years of age; and
WHEREAS, Cachao later played with dance orchestras, joining
the Orquesta Arcaño y sus Maravillas in 1937; and
WHEREAS, As members of the Maravillas, Cachao and his brother
pioneered a new form of ballroom music derived from the
Cuban "danzón"; and
WHEREAS, Cachao integrated the popular Cuban musical
tradition with the pulsating conga, resulting in the beginnings
of the soon-to-be preeminent Latin musical genre, "mambo"; and
WHEREAS, In addition to pioneering mambo, Cachao also was
instrumental in the development of "descargas," improvised late-
night jam sessions that combined Afro-Cuban rhythms, Cuban
melodies and elements of jazz; and
WHEREAS, Due to the Cuban government's strict policy on
American-influenced culture, Cachao left Cuba in 1962 for Spain
before moving to the United States in 1963; and
WHEREAS, In New York, Cachao started a career as a session
and live musician for a variety of bands during the rise
of "boogaloo," and later, "salsa"; and
WHEREAS, In the 1970s, he headlined at famous Las Vegas
hotels and ultimately settled in Miami in 1978; and
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