Manuel Galbán
Manuel Hilario Galbán Torralbas ( born January 14, 1931 in Gibara, Holguín Province, Cuba, † July 7, 2011 in Havana ) was a Cuban guitarist and musical director of the vocal quartet Los Zafiros, the worldwide notoriety as the guitarist of substantiated in 1996 by Ry Cooder Music Project Buena Vista Social Club reached.
Life
Galbán began as a guitarist and tres player in several local bands his hometown of Gibara, in the province of Holguín. His professional music career, he initiated there with the Orquesta Villa Blanca. In 1956 he went to Havana, in search of better musical perspectives. In 1963, at the Los Zafiros guitarist and was the musical director. The vocal quartet was formative for the Cuban popular music of the 1960s. In 1972 he left the successful band (according to the well-known pianist Pedro " Peruchín " Justice needed Los Zafiros two guitarists to replace Galbán ) and founded two years later, in 1974, the band Batey, with whom he spent 23 years as guitarist, singer and pianist traveled to 60 countries.
In 1994 he became a member of the successful especially in Spain and Rest of Europe Vieja Trova Santiaguera quintet.
In this respect, Manuel Galbán had already made a name, however, became the great, ultimately worldwide notoriety when he said, founded by American musician Ry Cooder music project Buena Vista Social Club joined in 1996. Galbán was played by a guitarist on the side of other well-known Cuban musicians such Ibrahim Ferrer, Rubén González, Eliades Ochoa, Omara Portuondo and Compay Segundo. In 2001 he recorded the album Cachaíto with bassist Orlando Lopez and other musicians also involved in the Buena Vista Social Club.
In 2003 there was another collaboration between him and Ry Cooder, from the album Mambo Sinuendo emerged. To this end, the two were at the Grammy Awards 2004 Grammy for best instrumental album in the pop music category and were thus before the album also nominated NEWS Prince. At Mambo Sinuendo among others, drummer Jim Keltner and the Orlando López were involved.
Until his death from a heart attack of the musicians the Buena Vista Social Club was a member.