Born in Old Havana, Cuba on September 14, 1918, Israel López Valdés – better known by his nickname Cachao – was a double bassist and composer and is known as the co-creator of the mambo. He is also credited as a master of the descarga, which are loose and improvised jam sessions. Playing music since the age of 8 years old, he began his professional career with his brother Orestes (nicknamed Macho) in Arcaño y sus Maravillas, a Cuban charanga formed in 1937 and fronted by flautist Antonio Arcaño. Cachao and Orestes then went on to pioneer the danzón-mambo (later known as the mambo), which was a variation on the danzón, a popular ballroom dancing style. Cachao’s first significant album as a leader was Descargas: Cuban Jam Sessions in Miniature. After working with many musicians and appearing on various recordings, Cachao emigrated to Spain in 1961, eventually heading to America two years later. He became a popular session musician in New York at the height of boogaloo and salsa. Albums released during this period included Descarga (1963) and Cuban Music in Jam Session (1966). Although he continued to release albums, in the ‘70s, he moved to Las Vegas, Nevada and was largely forgotten by the music scene. He eventually made his way to Miami, Florida and settled there. In the 1990s, he was rediscovered by a new audience when actor Andy Garcia helped spark a Cachao revival with the release of a documentary and several albums. In 1994, Cachao won a Grammy Award for his album Master Sessions Volume 1. He won a Latin Grammy for Best Traditional Tropical Latin Album for El Arte Del Sabor, a collaboration with Bebo Valdés and Carlos ‘Patato’ Valdés. He won yet another Grammy Award in 2005 for the album ¡Ahora Sí! Cachao died on March 22, 2008 of kidney failure.
