Rafi Escudero
Rafi Escudero | |
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Birth name | Rafael A. Escudero Miranda |
Born | December 30, 1945 San Juan, Puerto Rico |
Genres | Danza, Ballad, Salsa, Seis Junqueño |
Occupation(s) | Musician, Singer, Composer, Poet, Producer, Sub-Director Federal Immigration Services and a Political Activist. |
Instrument(s) | Piano, Violin and Güiro |
Rafi Escudero (born December 30, 1945) is a Puerto Rican musician, singer, composer, poet and political activist.
Early years
Escudero was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico the capital city of the island. His parents were well aware that their son was musically inclined at a young age. They also stressed that their son receive a good education and sent him to study in private schools. They wanted their son to learn about classical music and contracted the services of violin teacher Eduardo Geigel to teach Escudero how to play the violin. When Escudero wasn't in school or taking violin classes, he would spend hours on the family piano until he finally taught himself how to play. He perfected his piano playing by taking piano lessons from the maestro Pedro Escabi.[1]
Early influences
During the 1960s, he enrolled in the University of Puerto Rico where he studied humanities. As a student in the university, he was exposed to the works of some of Puerto Rico's greatest poets: Gustavo Pales Matos (who was his friend and mentor), Antonio Machado, Julia de Burgos and Juan Antonio Corretjer. The works of these poets greatly influenced Escudero and where to serve as the basis for his inspiration.
Modern Danzas
Escudero debuted as a composer with the recording modernized versions of classical danzas. "Lo que yo quiero ser", originally recorded by Pijuan's Sextet and interpreted by Anibal Hernandez, became a national hit contributing to what has been labeled as the renaissance of the Danza. Danny Rivera, recognized as Puerto Rico's "national voice", recorded "Añoranzas", "Carta a Juan Morel" and "Caricias". The recordings were a success and Escudero received the acceptance and recognition from the public and fellow musicians alike.[2]
During the 1970s, Escudero composed many songs that were recorded by the following singers,
Selection of Danza's by Escudero
External audio | |
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You may listen to Luciano Quiñones piano interpretation of Escudero's "Añoranzas" here |
The following is a list of some of Escudero's Danza's:[4]
- Añoranza
- Caricias
- Carta a Morel
Poet
Escudero has written two books of poetry and poetic prose. The first book was titled "En un Mundo de Cuerdos", published by the
Awards and recognitions
Among the many awards and recognitions bestowed upon Escudero are the following, The
Political activist
In 1998, Escudero was named by Puerto Rico's governor
See also
References
- ^ "Rafi Escudero – Fundación Nacional para la Cultura Popular | San Juan, Puerto Rico".
- ^ a b "Rafi Escudero". www.ladanza.com.
- ^ Under Suspicion
- ^ "Sonidos de Danzas Puertorriqueñas". www.ladanza.com.
- ^ "Puerto Rico / Hispanic Chamber of Commerce". Archived from the original on October 16, 2007.
- ^ Senor Boricua Archived October 13, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "PUERTO RICO HERALD: Poll: Residents Want Navy Out". www.puertorico-herald.org.