Alí Landaeta

Venezuelan cuatro/harp virtuoso and singer, born Feb. 14, 1943. Landaeta was raised in the Barrio Neuva of Santa Eulalia, Venezuela (20 miles south of Caracas). He began to play the cuatro (a four-stringed instrument that is much smaller than a Spanish guitar and larger than a baritone ukulele) at the age of 9. He taught himself to play several instruments, studied music theory, and taught stringed instruments for 30 years at the Academia de Música Monjosé in Los Teques. He recorded four LPs, one playing harp and three playing cuatro.