Rubén González (pianist)

Rubén González Fontanills (26 May 1919 – 8 December 2003) was a Cuban pianist.

González was born in Santa Clara, Cuba, on 26 May 1919.

His family moved to the small village of Encrucijada when he was 6 years old.

He took up the piano at age seven and graduated from the Cienfuegos Conservatory at age 15.

He grew up wanting to be a doctor and studied medicine, thinking music would remain a hobby he could pursue by night.

However, he abandoned his studies after four years because music was "in his blood" and also because of all the encouragement he received from people around him.

Thus, after graduating from high school, he began playing with groups in Cienfuegos and around the country.

Together with Lilí Martínez and Peruchín he is said to have "forged the style of modern Cuban piano playing in the 1940s".

Between the 1940s and his retirement in the 1980s, he played with Cuba's most successful acts, including Paulina Álvarez, Arsenio Rodríguez, Orquesta América del 55, Orquesta Riverside and Enrique Jorrín.

In 1941, González moved to Havana where he played in the charanga of danzonete singer Paulina Álvarez, as well as Orquesta Elósegui and the orchestra of the CMQ radio station.

He became friends with important pianists such as René Hernández, Anselmo Sacasas, Jesús López and Facundo Rivero.

He joined Arsenio Rodríguez's conjunto in 1943, replacing Adolfo "Panacea" O'Reilly.

Rodríguez advised him to "just play your own style, whatever it is, but don't imitate anyone".

Although González's first confirmed recordings with Arsenio's conjunto are dated to 5 July 1945, earlier recordings might feature him, since Panacea's last confirmed recording session took place on 16 November 1943; these recordings were all released by RCA Victor.

In 1945, he left the conjunto—and was replaced by Lilí Martínez—to go to Panama with the ensemble Estrellas Negras, comprising mostly ex-Rodríguez musicians.

With the Estrellas Negras, González toured most of South America—from Mexico City to Buenos Aires—and, on his return to Cuba, he joined the Conjunto Kubavana directed by Alberto Ruiz.

He also performed with the Orquesta Los Hermanos Castro which, at one time, featured Mongo Santamaría.

Between 1948 and the mid-1950s, González played with Ernesto Grenet and Senén Suárez at the Cabaret Tropicana.

At the same time, he became a member of René Álvarez y Los Astros and he often played with Orquesta Gris, Orquesta Ideal de Joseíto Valdés, Orquesta Siboney de Armando Pidre, and Los Hermanos Lebatard.

In the mid-1950s, he toured Venezuela with the charanga Orquesta América del 55.

By the late 1950s, Rubén González was widely known in Cuba and other parts of Latin America.

The first set of recordings was meant to revive the 1950s Cuban big band sound.

This material yielded the album A Toda Cuba le Gusta credited to the Afro-Cuban All Stars and produced by Gold and Juan de Marcos, who also played tres.

It again featured Orlando "Cachaíto" López on bass along with vocalists Ibrahim Ferrer, Pío Leyva, Manuel "Puntillita" Licea, Raúl Planas, Félix Baloy and José Antonio "Maceo" Rodríguez.

In 1954, he backed Rolando Laserie at the Cabaret San Souci.

He established himself in Venezuela between 1957 and 1962, in the orchestra directed by Luis Alfonso Larraín.

He also briefly resided in Argentina, where he played with tango musicians.

González returned to Cuba in 1961, joining the famous big band Orquesta Riverside.

In 1962, he became the pianist for the Orquesta de Enrique Jorrín, and would continue to play for him for the next 25 years.

In 1964, González joined Pucho Escalante's Noneto Cubano de Jazz.

In 1975, he recorded his eponymous solo album backed by members of Jorrín's orchestra; the album was released by Areíto as LD-3582.

In 1979, he recorded the album Los héroes as part of the Estrellas de Areito all-star ensemble.

After Jorrín's death in 1987, González briefly took over the role of bandleader, but retired soon after.

In the 1990s, he came out of retirement to play in the revival ensembles Afro-Cuban All Stars and Buena Vista Social Club, also recording solo material and performing live until 2002.

In 1994, Raúl Planas and Radio Progreso announcer Eduardo Rosillo approached González with the idea of recording new versions of ten songs composed by fellow Cuban pianist Lilí Martínez.

In 1995, Nick Gold (head of World Circuit Records) and Juan de Marcos González (director and tres player of Sierra Maestra) decided to record a series of descarga sessions featuring classic Cuban musicians, including Rubén González on piano, together with African virtuosos Toumani Diabate (kora player) and Djelimady Tounkara (guitarist).

By early 1996, the Cuban musicians had already been selected and the African musicians were about to leave for Cuba, but could not travel because of difficulties in obtaining visas.

Gold then invited Ry Cooder and his son Joachim to participate in the sessions; Ry would play guitar and Joachim African percussion.

The sessions, all of which featured Rubén González on piano, took place in March 1996 in Havana's EGREM studios.

The resulting album, Son Inconcluso, featured a full band including bassist Orlando "Cachaíto" López and Arturo "Alambre dulce" Harvey (ex-tresero with Conjunto Chappottín), among others, and was released in 1999 by EGREM.