Flute Wind – Music
The flute is the leading voice of the charanga, from Antonio Arcaño to Richard Egües on the five-key wooden flute in Orquesta Aragón. It is heard in timba too: NG La Banda was founded by flautist José Luis "El Tosco" Cortés.
- Flute
The flute in the charanga
According to Wikipedia, in the charanga francesa flutes and strings replaced the brass and woodwinds of the orquesta típica. In a charanga the flute is a prominent, central voice. See also Violin.
- Antonio Arcaño (1911–1994) founded Arcaño y sus Maravillas, one of Cuba's most successful charangas. Health problems made him stop playing in 1945, but he is considered one of the most influential flautists in Cuba.
- Richard Egües (1923–2006), "la flauta mágica", joined Orquesta Aragón in 1955. According to Wikipedia, his emergence on the five-key wooden flute was significant; he became the foremost exponent of the charanga style of flute playing. He first learned saxophone, clarinet and piano and took up the flute in the late 1940s, partly because flute players could take more breaks during performances.
The flute in timba
José Luis "El Tosco" Cortés played flute in Irakere and then founded NG La Banda, according to Wikipedia usually considered the first timba band. En la calle (1989) was one of the first timba albums. Los Van Van, too, built on a charanga base with flute.