Septeto Nacional de Ignacio Piñeiro

In 1927 Havana-born bassist and vocalist Ignacio Piniero established Septeto Nacional De Ignacio Piniero, an ensemble that has remained central to Cuban music across more than seven decades. As early innovators of Son, the rhythmic fusion of African and Cuban traditions that later shaped Salsa, the Mambo, and Latin jazz, the septet became the first Son group to place trumpet in a prominent lead role. International attention arrived after their appearance at the 1928 World Exposition in Seville, where they earned recognition as the first band to reference “salsa” in the 1933 recording “Echale Salsita.” Piniero himself composed the track, which George Gershwin later adapted as the opening theme of his “Cuban Overture.” After Piniero’s death in 1968, ending his 41-year tenure at the helm, a succession of directors has led Septeto Nacional De Ignacio Piniero. Guitarist and composer Rafael Ortiz assumed leadership following Piniero’s passing and transferred the role to lead singer Carlos Embale in 1982. When Embale departed because of illness in 1998, guitarist Richard Aymee Castro succeeded him. Faithful to their founding style, Septeto Nacional De Ignacio Piniero continues to deliver a dance-driven repertoire that mixes montano, merengue, bolero, rumba, and cha cha cha.