Niño Rivera

Niño Rivera was born Andrés Perfecto Eleuterio Goldino Confesor Echevarría Callava on April 18, 1919, in Pinar del Río, Cuba. He started playing the bongo in his uncle's band, Sexteto Caridad, when he was only 5 years old.^[2] In 1924 his family moved to Havana, where he took up the tres in Sexteto Boloña, alternating with Sexteto Cárdenas. In 1929 he went back to Pinar del Río, where he reorganized the Sexteto Caridad, before returning to Havana in 1934.^[2] He learned to master the tres as a student of the classical guitarist Guyún (Vicente González Rubiera) and the arranger Félix Guerrero.^[3] In 1935 he replaced Eliseo Silveira in Tata Gutiérrez's Sexteto Bolero, which he would later direct.^[2] He often played in Radio Mil Diez. In 1942 he established the Septeto Rey de Reyes, a son septet featuring a harmonic vocal quartet which he directed.^[2] At this time, Rivera became part of the nascent filin movement and started working as a composer/arranger.

Success

Rivera's career improved due to the success of his compositions, especially "El jamaiquino", which he wrote in 1944. In 1949, Rivera became the arranger for Cuba's most successful conjunto,

In 1979, Rivera took part in the first series of recordings of Areito's all-star ensemble, Estrellas de Areito, which yielded the album Los héroes. A second album followed in 1981.

Death and legacy

Niño Rivera died on January 27, 1996, in Havana. His daughter, Gloria Rivera, is also a singer and lives in Minnesota.^[6] His son Mario, is an internationally beloved saxophonist living in Havana.

Compositions

• "Amor en el festival"
• "Átomo" (1949; co-written with Luis Yáñez)
• "Azúcar con ají"
• "Carnaval del amor"
• "Cherivón"
• "Concierto para tres y orquesta" (1986)
• "Cubibop" (1949)
• "El jamaiquino" (1944)
• "Eres mi felicidad"
• "Fiesta en el cielo"
• "Juan José"
• "Monte adentro"
• "No sé lo que tienes"
• "Nuevo son"
• "Ritmo de juventud"
• "Tú y mi música"

References