Pioneers

Timeline of Cuban Dance Music Innovators

• 1879 – Miguel Failde

  • Popularized the danzón, considered Cuba’s national dance.

• 1937 – Antonio Arcaño

  • Founded Arcaño y sus Maravillas, the most influential charanga orchestra.
  • His group became a “school” for innovation in Cuban dance music.

• 1938 – Orestes López

  • Composed “ Mambo”, adding syncopated rhythms to the danzón.
  • This marked the beginning of the danzón-mambo style.

• 1940s – Israel "Cachao" López

  • Further developed danzón-mambo, blending jazz and son elements.
  • Helped transition Cuban music toward more modern forms.

• 1949 – Pérez Prado

  • Took the mambo to international fame, especially in Mexico and the U.S.
  • Created a worldwide Latin dance craze in the 1950s.

• 1953 – Enrique Jorrín

  • Created the cha-cha-chá while in Orquesta América.
  • His song “La engañadora” sparked a new dance craze.