Pupi Legarreta

Born 1940 in Cienfuegos, Cuba. Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular Music: Cuban violinist, flautist, singer, bandleader, arranger, composer. He relocated to the USA '59; member of USA's second charanga Orquesta Nuevo Ritmo (founded in Chicago mid-1950s by percussionist Armando Sánchez: b 1920, Havana), appeared on their only LP The Heart Of Cuba '60 on GNP. He remained when Mongo Santamaria inherited Nuevo Ritmo personnel and added others to form his own charanga; playing on six of Santamaria's albums on Fantasy '61-2; he wrote all the arrangements on Ay Que Rico! by the Benny Velarde Orchestra on Fantasy late '62. His own debut was Salsa Nova '62 ('New Spice'; reissued as Toda La Verdad '76) on Tico, combining jazz with typical Cuban charanga format, with music director Tito Puente, Carlos 'Patato' Valdez on conga, Osvaldo 'Chi Hua Hua' Martinez on güiro, lead vocalist Totico. He switched to Remo for Pupi And His Charanga, Jala Jala Con Boog-A-Loo (aka Salsa), Pupi: Jala Jala, Soy Campesino, superb descarga-like Pupi En Venezuela (reissued as Pupy y su Charanga on UK Tumi label '93) and Que Lio! '65 to late '60s. Played on studio-recorded descarga sets Pacheco, His Flute And Latin Jam '65 by Johnny Pacheco on Fania, Chi Hua Hua's Descarga Cubana Vol. 1 '66 on Fonseca (reissued as CD Descarga Cubana '91 on Palladium including Chi Hua Hua's Latin Cuban Session Vol. 2 c.1967) and Salsa All-Stars '68 on Salsa produced by Al Santiago. He moved to Fania/Vaya in the 1970s; his own LPs included Pupi y su Charanga '75, with three violins and cello, Don Gonzalo Fernández on flute, Oscar Hernández on piano; El Fugitivo '79, co-produced with Pacheco; and Pupi Pa' Bailar '80, produced by Ray Barretto. Played on Larry Harlow's El Judio Maravilloso, Con Mi Viejo Amigo, El Jardinero Del Amor, La Raza Latina and El 'Albino Divino' '75-8; performed on important all-star charanga gathering Super Tipica de Estrellas '76 on All-Art directed by Fernández. Pupi and Pacheco did Los Dos Mosqueteros -- The Two Musketeers '77 (arranged by Pupi, with two cellos and five violins including Pupi; Pacheco produced, played flute and güiro); Las Tres Flautas '80 with Javier (Vázquez) y su Charanga (the other two flutes were Pacheco and José Fajardo). He joined the Fania All Stars, appeared in their film Live In Africa '74 (UK video title Salsa Madness '91); made his UK debut with them '76; performed on three FAS albums '78-80, including Habana Jam '79 recorded in Cuba, and Live In Africa '86 (recorded '74) and Live In Japan 1976 '86. He played violin on Cachao y su Descarga '77 Vol. 1 '76 and Cachao's Dos '77 on Salsoul; he arranged Roberto Torres Presenta: Ritmo de Estrellas '80 on Guajiro (produced by Torres, including Rudy and Kelvin Zervigon from Orquesta Broadway); same year played on Papaito's wonderful Papaito Rinde Homenaje A Abelardo Barroso on SAR; co-arranged Orquesta Sublime's Simplemente Sublime '81. He contributed to Rica Charanga '86 by Rudy Calzado, Charanga -- Traicion Cubana En Nueva York '87 by charanga Orquesta Son Primero, led by Charlie Santiago.