Editing Sonora Matancera (section)

==Early history: 1920s to 1940s==
===The founding of Tuna Liberal===
[[File:Matanzas_Location.png|thumb|right|Matanzas, Cuba]]

The group was founded on January 12, 1924<ref name="fiul" /><ref name="autogenerated1975">Corredor, Humberto. Liner notes to ''50 Años de la Sonora Matancera''. Various lead singers. Seeco Records, Double Album SSD 4001. Compilation issued in 1975.</ref> in Barrio Ojo de Agua, a neighborhood in the city of [[Matanzas]].<ref name="autogenerated1975"/><ref>The New [[Encyclopædia Britannica]] in 30 Volumes, Micropaedia, Volume VI, ''Matanzas'', p. 683. 1979.</ref> Culturally and demographically, this seaport is located in the most African region of [[Cuba]]. The ensemble was initially named Tuna Liberal for political reasons.<ref name="autogenerated1975"/> The co-founders were Valentín Cané (director, [[Tres (musical instrument)|tres]], guitar and [[tumbadora]], or as it is commonly called, [[conga]]. He was also a songwriter and later on a singer) and Pablo "Bubú" Vázquez Gobín ([[contrabass]]). The other original members were Manuel "Jimagua" Sánchez ([[timbales]]), Ismael Goberna ([[cornet]]/trumpet), Domingo Medina, José Manuel Valera, Julio Gobín, Juan Bautista Llopis (guitarists), and Eugenio Pérez, vocalist.<ref name="fiul" /><ref name="marina">''Rivera, Bernardo''. Notes to ''La ola marina''. Various lead singers. Tumbao Cuban Classics, Compact Disc TCD 114. Compilation released in 2002.</ref> One source believes Valera and Bautista Llopis were the vocalists<ref name="fiul" /> while a second source holds to the position that Eugenio Pérez was the sole sonero. At this point, the band was just a commonplace group and had not yet developed its distinctive sound.

===The 1920s===
In 1925, [[Gerardo Machado]], then Cuban President, invited Tuna Liberal to play at a party for his birthday. This marked a new acceptance for Afro-Cuban groups and a style of music that had previously been barred from certain restaurants and hotels.<ref name="andrews">{{cite book|last=Andrews|first=George Reid|title=Afro-Latin America, 1800–2000|url=https://archive.org/details/afrolatinamerica00andr|url-access=registration|year=2004|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9780195152333|pages=[https://archive.org/details/afrolatinamerica00andr/page/167 167–168]}}</ref>

Personnel changed in 1926, and the name of the band was changed to ''[[Septeto]] Soprano'', due to supposed new singer Eugenio Pérez (according to one source), though he left a few months later.<ref name="marina" /> A different source credits the new name to the vocal range of the singer and [[maracas]] player, Carlos Manuel "Caíto" Díaz Alonso, who became a member the same year.<ref name="fiul" />

Rogelio Martínez joined the group in 1926, after Caíto recommended him to Valentín Cané.<ref name="marina" /> Another source indicates that Rogelio recommended Caíto to Valentín Cané, and that Caíto and Rogelio became members in 1927.<ref name="autogenerated1994">P., J. (The author of these notes did not use a full name, just the cited initials). Notes to ''Se formó la rumbantela''. Various lead singers. Tumbao Cuban Classics, Compact Disc TCD 045. Compilation issued in 1994.</ref> A third source posits that Caíto and Rogelio joined the collective in 1926; both had recorded with pianist and bandleader [[Antonio María Romeu]].<ref name="1952-1958">Unknown author. Cristóbal Díaz Ayala, in the first source cited in the References section, says that the author is Osvaldo Oganes. Notes to ''Sonora Matancera Live on the radio 1952–1958''. Various lead singers. Harlequin Compact Disc HQ CD 79.</ref>

[[File:H003; The Prado.jpeg|thumb|left|Havana in the 1920s]]
The group lost Domingo Medina, Julio Gobín, and Juan Bautista Llopis in their attempt at a more modern sound.<ref name="marina" /> In 1927, at the suggestion of Valentín Cané, the ensemble moved to [[Havana]],<ref>Liner notes to ''40 Años de la Sonora Matancera''. Various lead singers. Seeco Records, Seeco Sonic Sound Series, Double Album, SSD 1001.</ref> intending to stay one week.<ref>''Sublette, Ned''. ''Cuba and Its Music. From the First Drums to the Mambo''. Chicago Review Press. An A Cappella Book. Part V, The Plattist Republic. Chapter 25, The Son Boom, p. 376. 2004.</ref> It remained there for the next thirty-three years.<ref name="fiul" />

Havana was home to a thriving music scene in the 1920s. Septeto Soprano played their first engagements in La Habana at such popular nocturnal haunts as ''El Teatro Alhambra'', ''El Centro Gallego'', ''El Centro Asturiano'', ''La Casa de los Médicos'', ''El Club de los 20'', ''El Club de los Anaranjados'' and other dance clubs.<ref name="autogenerated1975"/><ref name="1952-1958"/> The group alternated at these nightspots with other ensembles of the day, including the likes of [[Sexteto Habanero]], ''Sexteto Munamar'', [[Early Cuban bands#Sexteto Boloña|Sexteto Boloña]], ''Septeto Nacional de [[Ignacio Piñeiro]]'' (one source asserts that this ensemble was a sexteto, not a septeto, at this time),<ref name="1952-1958"/> ''Sexteto Pinareño'', and ''Sexteto Gloria Cubana''.<ref name="autogenerated1975"/><ref name="1952-1958"/> At first the collective did not have an easy time due to the professionalism of the other [[Trio (music)|tríos]], ''cuartetos'', sextetos, and septetos active at this time, but carved out a niche for itself in the Cuban capital.<ref name="autogenerated1975"/>

The move to Havana proved to be consequential. In 1928, the collective made its first [[Sound recording and reproduction|recording]]s, for its first label, [[RCA-Victor]].<ref name="fiul" /><ref>Leicea, Calixto and Humberto Corredor. Liner notes to ''Sonora Matancera''. Recorded in Cuba apparently in 1950. Stinson Records, SLP 92, Volume I, Collector's Series.</ref> The ensemble would eventually record for thirteen different labels.

In 1929, the band signed a contract to perform live on the airwaves of [[Radio Progreso]], making appearances on this station for many years.<ref name="Traigo">P., J. (The author of these notes did not use a full name, just the cited initials). Notes to ''La Sonora trae un tono. La Sonora Matancera en CMQ, 1957''. Cantan Celio González y Carlos Argentino. Translated into English by Mike Baillie. Tumbao Cuban Classics, Compact Disc TCD-096.</ref>

===The 1930s===
[[Son (music)|Son ensembles]] of this time added pianos to broaden their [[Counterpoint|contrapuntal]] and [[Harmony|harmonic]] vocabulary. Trumpets, sometimes as many as three, replaced cornets. The additional instruments meant sextetos and septetos evolved into [[conjunto]]s.  Septeto Soprano added a piano during this decade but did not expand its brass section until the 1940s.

Septeto Soprano made only one recording during this decade. It was for RCA-Victor.<ref name="fiul" />

Some of the individuals important to the group's success began their long association with the collective in the 1930s. In 1932, Rogelio Martínez was appointed co-director.<ref name="fiul" /> He was influential in determining the destiny of the conjunto. Juan Bautista Llopis returned for a brief period, and a new percussionist, ''José "Manteca" Rosario Chávez'', became a member.<ref name="fiul" /><ref name="marina" /> Three more sources say that Manteca joined in 1929<ref name="autogenerated1994"/><ref name="1952-1958"/><ref>''Ledón Sánchez, Armando''. ''La música popular en Cuba''. Ediciones El Gato Tuerto. Una colección de InteliBooks Publishers. Oakland, Ca. Capítulo IV, El son y la guaracha, página 83. 2003.</ref> while one other source states that this happened in 1935. Manteca filled the vacancy created when Jimagua left.

The collective changed its name to ''Estudiantina Sonora Matancera'' in the early 1930s.<ref name="fiul" /> Each change in the group's name was indicative of a change in instrumentation and its corresponding stylistic change.

In 1935, vocalist Manolo Barquín occasionally sang with the group.<ref name="fiul" /> That year it adopted its formal name, Conjunto Sonora Matancera.<ref name="fiul" /> [[Calixto Leicea]] and Humberto Cané (son of Valentín Cané) became members in this year.<ref name="marina" /><ref name="1952-1958"/> Another source claims Humberto Cané joined in 1929.<ref name="autogenerated1994"/>

Calixto Leicea replaced Ismael Goberna, who retired because of poor health and died a few months later.<ref name="marina" /> By then, Calixto had played and made his name with Sexteto Nacional (led by Ignacio Piñeiro), Chaveo y Su Grupo, Juventud Habanera, Sexteto Guarina, and [[María Teresa Vera]].<ref name="autogenerated4">Corredor, Humberto. Liner notes to Sonora Matancera, ''Se formó la rumbantela''. Recorded most probably in Cuba apparently in 1950. Stinson Records, Volume II, Collector's Series, Grabaciones Mundiales C. A. 200–3018.</ref> As was common with musicians of his generation throughout Latin America, he had been a member of a government-sponsored municipal band, ''La Banda Municipal de Matanzas'' (prior to embarking on a career as a professional musician), getting a firm musical education in the process. Calixto Leicea was an excellent songwriter and [[Arrangement (music)|arranger]].<ref name="autogenerated4"/> The band recorded many of his compositions as well as arrangements.<ref name="autogenerated4"/> The collective's theme song "Traigo un tono" is a [[guaracha]] composed in 1947 by Calixto.<ref name="autogenerated4"/>

Humberto Cané succeeded his father on tres and, as well, sang.<ref name="fiul" /> Valentín Cané, having ceded to his eldest son the tres chair, remained a valuable member of the collective, as he still sang, composed and — in a new role — played tumbadora.<ref name="fiul" /> The departure of Humberto Cané in 1944<ref name="fiul" /> signaled the end of the tres as part of the permanent instrumentation of the group.

[[Dámaso Pérez Prado]] (later, in the 1950s, famous as ''El Rey del Mambo'') was the band's first pianist and one of its earliest arrangers from 1936 to 1939.<ref name="fiul" /> ''Severino "Refresquito" Ramos'' was the primary arranger, as well as pianist, from 1939 (but especially since 1942) to 1944<ref name="fiul" /> and, as such, principal architect of the sonic identity of this conjunto. After 1944, he limited himself to arranging and composing.<ref name="fiul" />

In this decade, La Sonora Matancera faced strong competition from such ensembles as Sexteto Guarina, Juventud Habanera de [[Joseíto Fernández]], Sexteto Nacional de Ignacio Piñeiro, Sexteto Segundo Nacional, [[Trío Matamoros]], Sexteto Casino (it would later become a conjunto), Sexteto [[María Teresa Vera]], Conjunto Kubavana, Belisario López, and Orquesta Antonio María Romeu.<ref name="autogenerated1975"/> There was a rivalry between Sexteto Nacional de Ignacio Piñeiro and Sonora Matancera.<ref name="autogenerated1975"/>

The ensemble terminated its association with Radio Progreso by the end of the decade. In 1939, it was signed to a contract by the ownership/management of [[CMQ (Cuba)|Radio CMQ]] (or simply CMQ) for a series of live broadcasts.<ref name="Traigo"/>

===The 1940s===
[[Bienvenido Granda]] sang [[Lead vocalist|lead vocals]] from 1940 to 1954, the first truly important sonero to perform and record with the conjunto. Another source says that he joined La Sonora Matancera in 1942 while a third source says it was in 1944. Whatever the case may be, his association with Sonora Matancera made it famous throughout the Spanish-speaking [[Caribbean]]. No one recorded more tunes with the ensemble than Bienvenido Granda, as he made over 200 recordings during his time with the ensemble.<ref name="ReferenceC" /><ref name="sonoramatancera.com"/>

In 1942, La Sonora Matancera left CMQ. It would now broadcast — with Bienvenido Granda as lead singer — over the airwaves of [[RHC-Cadena Azul|RHC Radio]].<ref name="Traigo"/>

[[Pedro Knight]] and ''Ezequiel "Lino" Frías'' left [[Arsenio Rodríguez]]'s conjunto to join Sonora Matancera on the same day in 1944.<ref name="autogenerated1994"/> These two steered the collective towards a more modern sound. The one gave the brass section more heft while the other enhanced the rhythm section. Pianist Lino Frías anchored La Sonora's [[rhythm section]] until 1976.<ref name="fiul" /> He was also a superb composer and arranger.<ref name="autogenerated4"/>

In 1944, the conjunto made its next-to-last recordings for RCA-Victor. It also was signed to a recording contract by the newly established [[Panart Records]].

Original director Valentín Cané led the group till an asthmatic condition forced him to retire in 1946.<ref name="fiul" /> He continued to receive pay as if he were an active member of La Sonora Matancera till he died two years later.<ref name="fiul" /> In 1946, in place of Valentín Cané, [[Tata Güines]], who was a member of the groundbreaking ensemble led by [[Israel "Cachao" López]] in the late 1950s and the early 1960s, became the conguero for a short time.<ref name="fiul" /> ''Carlos "Patato" Valdés'' also held this position for a few months.<ref name="fiul" />

Ángel "Yiyo" Alfonso Furias took over the tumbadora chair in 1948<ref name="marina" /> and thus completed the quintessential lineup. From 1948 to 1954, it consisted of:

* Calixto Leicea: first trumpet chair;
* Pedro Knight: second trumpet chair;
* Pablo "Bubú" Vázquez Gobín: contrabass;
* Ezequiel "Lino" Frías: piano;
* José "Manteca" Rosario Chávez: timbalitos, [[bongó]] and ''cencerro'' (also known as ''campana'');
* Ángel "Yiyo" Alfonso Furias: tumbadora;
* Rogelio Martínez: Director, guitar and coro ([[Backing vocalist|background vocals]]);
* Carlos Manuel "Caíto" Díaz Alonso: maracas and coro;
* Bienvenido Granda: lead vocals, coro (whether he or some other sonero sang lead with the band) and [[claves]].

Sonora Matancera honed its skills over a generation — from the late 1920s to the late 1940s — in the ''academias de baile'' (a special type of dance hall), such as the famous ''Marte y Belona'',<ref name="1952-1958"/><ref name="autogenerated2000">Liner notes to ''Sonora Matancera: Sus Grandes Éxitos (para coleccionistas).'' Recorded in Cuba from 1945 to 1947. Panart Records, LP-2061, Serie 2000.</ref> where nightly La Sonora drew record crowds of the best dancers.<ref name="autogenerated2000"/> Apart from this prestigious ''academia'', other nightspots where La Sonora Matancera entertained the dancing public in the early 1940s were El Habana Sport, another academia de baile, Centro Castellano, La Tropical<ref name="autogenerated1975"/> (one source lists a dance hall called ''La Cervecería Tropical'';<ref name="1952-1958"/> it is not at all clear if these two are one and the same) and Las Playitas.<ref name="autogenerated1975"/><ref name="1952-1958"/> The collective during this time also made live broadcasts on Radio Progreso.<ref name="autogenerated1975"/> Later that same decade Sonora Matancera frequently played in such top dance venues as El Club Atlético Santiago de Las Vegas, Quibikán, Centro Gallego,<ref name="autogenerated1975"/> El Edén Concert, Sans Souci, [[Tropicana Club|El Tropicana]]<ref name="autogenerated1975"/><ref name="1952-1958"/> and Centro Asturiano.<ref name="autogenerated1975"/> At this time La Sonora always performed on the feast day of August 15, known as La Tutelar, at El Liceo Guanabacoa<ref name="autogenerated1975"/> while Arsenio Rodríguez y Su Conjunto Orquestal Todos Estrellas and [[Arcaño y sus Maravillas|Antonio Arcaño y sus Maravillas]] ([[Cachao]] and his brother [[Orestes López]] were members of this orchestra at the time) engaged in a musical ''mano a mano'' on the same day at ''El Manantial de la Cotorra''.<ref name="autogenerated1975"/> Its long tenure in the ''academias'' served La Sonora Matancera well as it transformed the ensemble into an excellent dance band.

In the 1940s, the conjunto more than held its own against such important groups as Orquesta Casino de La Playa, Arsenio Rodríguez, Orquesta Ideal, Cheo Belén Puig, [[Arcaño y sus Maravillas|Antonio Arcaño y sus Maravillas]], Conjunto Jóvenes del Cayo, and Orquesta Almendra.<ref name="autogenerated1975"/> Together with this cooperative these bands made Cuba "El Paraíso Musical de las Américas" ("The Musical Paradise of [[the Americas]]").<ref name="autogenerated1975"/>

From the mid-1940s till the end of the 1950s, the collective had a program as "artistas exclusivos" ("exclusive artists") on Radio CMQ called ''"Cascabeles Candado"''.<ref name="Traigo"/>

In the period 1947–1948, the group made a number of recordings (Bienvenido Granda as lead singer on the majority of these numbers) as Conjunto Tropicavana<ref name="fiul" /> or Conjunto Tropicabana.<ref name="marina" /> The name change was to avoid legal problems, since the band was still under contract to Panart Records.

As this decade drew to a close, Sonora Matancera decided on a course of action that would become standard practice: the incorporation of non-Cuban lead singers into its ranks (without excluding the use of Cuban artists). The first non-Cuban singers were [[Puerto Ricans]], singer/composer [[Daniel Santos (singer)|Daniel Santos]] and guarachera/songwriter [[Myrta Silva]]. Some of these vocalists were featured lead singers. Others were invited to record a limited number of songs during a brief period of time.<ref name="fiul" />

Daniel Santos performed and recorded with the collective beginning in 1948.<ref name="fiul" /><ref name="ReferenceC" /><ref name="sonoramatancera.com"/> His five-year stay<ref name="ReferenceC" /><ref name="sonoramatancera.com"/> with La Sonora helped it achieve world-wide fame. The cooperative returned to airing live broadcasts at Radio Progreso in 1948 with Daniel Santos as the featured lead vocalist.<ref name="Traigo"/>

Myrta Silva was the first woman to join the musical collective. Over a short time in 1949, she recorded four studio sessions with the conjunto.<ref name="fiul" /><ref name="ReferenceC" /> She left by 1950. Myrta returned in 1952 and made a number of live recordings.<ref name="1952-1958"/><ref name="Cubanacán">''La Sonora Matancera ¡En Vivo!'' Inéditas. Live radio broadcasts from the late 1940s to the end of the 1950s. Compiled with the assistance of Jaime Jaramillo and Osvaldo Oganes. Various lead singers. Cubanacán Records, Compact Disc CUCD 1707.</ref><ref name="Algo Nuevo">Ramírez Bedoya, Dr. Héctor and Rafael Viera. Notes to ''Algo Nuevo de lo Añejo de la Sonora Matancera''. Para coleccionistas. Live recordings derived from radio station tapes, music videos and amateur recordings. Various lead singers. Yumurí Records, Compact Disc 1032.</ref>

In 1949, the ensemble recorded twenty-two songs for Ansonia Records. The conjunto made said recordings using its real name.<ref name="fiul" /> That same year, moreover, it signed with Seeco Records,<ref name="fiul" /> which was owned by New York City-based Sidney Siegel.<ref name="Sublette">{{cite book|last=Sublette|first=Ned|title=Cuba and Its Music: From the First Drums to the Mambo|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fZZ4QKZEumIC&pg=PA575|year=2007|publisher=Chicago Review Press|isbn=9781569764206|pages=575–}}</ref> The first recording for this label was made on November 25, 1949, the guaracha "Tocando madera", with Bienvenido Granda as sonero.<ref name="autogenerated1975"/> The association with Seeco Records lasted until 1966, with the last recordings having been made in the prior year.<ref name="fiul" /> The source does not indicate if the group was still contractually obligated to Panart Records when it recorded for Ansonia and when it signed, as well as recorded, with Seeco.<ref name="fiul" />