Biography
Rubén González stood among the final generation of Cuba’s premier Afro-Cuban pianists. For twenty-five years he performed and recorded with the orchestra of Enrique Jorrín, originator of the cha-cha, before withdrawing from professional music by the mid-1980s. His reentry began with a 1996 session alongside the Afro-Cuban All Stars; the resulting album A Toda Cuba Le Gusta, issued the next year, ignited global curiosity about Afro-Cuban repertoire and introduced González to listeners worldwide. His playing on the Ry Cooder-produced Buena Vista Social Club then transformed him into an international figure. He signed with Cooder’s World Circuit imprint and, at seventy-eight, delivered his first solo recording, Introducing...Ruben Gonzalez.
Early promise at the keyboard carried González through graduation from the Cienfuegos Conservatoire in 1934. Although he briefly enrolled in medical school with the goal of becoming a physician, the attraction of music proved decisive. Abandoning those studies, he settled in Havana in 1941 to work as a full-time musician. After recording with the influential multi-instrumentalist Arsenio Rodriguez, he joined Orquestra de los Hermanos, a band that featured Cuban percussionist Mongo Santamaria. An extended stay in Panama and Argentina followed, during which he collaborated with tango players; upon returning to Havana he performed with successive cabaret orchestras. In the early 1960s he entered Jorrín’s ensemble and remained until the leader’s death. González then assumed direction of the group, yet arthritis soon obliged him to declare his retirement. He maintained a minimal public profile until 1996. The renewed activity brought long-deferred recognition, including two albums issued in the United States: Introducing... in 1997 and Chanchullo in 2000. The octogenarian pianist died at his Havana home in December 2003.
Early promise at the keyboard carried González through graduation from the Cienfuegos Conservatoire in 1934. Although he briefly enrolled in medical school with the goal of becoming a physician, the attraction of music proved decisive. Abandoning those studies, he settled in Havana in 1941 to work as a full-time musician. After recording with the influential multi-instrumentalist Arsenio Rodriguez, he joined Orquestra de los Hermanos, a band that featured Cuban percussionist Mongo Santamaria. An extended stay in Panama and Argentina followed, during which he collaborated with tango players; upon returning to Havana he performed with successive cabaret orchestras. In the early 1960s he entered Jorrín’s ensemble and remained until the leader’s death. González then assumed direction of the group, yet arthritis soon obliged him to declare his retirement. He maintained a minimal public profile until 1996. The renewed activity brought long-deferred recognition, including two albums issued in the United States: Introducing... in 1997 and Chanchullo in 2000. The octogenarian pianist died at his Havana home in December 2003.