Strings & Bass

Guitarists, tres players, bassists, and violinists — the string players who wove the harmonic and rhythmic fabric of Cuban music from the earliest son sextetos to modern timba.

The tres cubano carried Son out of rural Oriente. The bass — from marímbula to upright to electric — laid the tumbao that dancers feel in their feet. The violin gave the charanga its elegant top voice. These are the string players whose work is woven into every style on this site.

• Alain Pérez — Bassist, singer, composer (1971)
• Arsenio Rodríguez — Musician, composer, bandleader (1911–1970)
• Compay Segundo — Guitarist, singer (1907–2003)
• David Calzado — Musician, bandleader (1958)
• Elio Revé — Musician, bandleader (1930–1997)
• Enrique Jorrín — Violinist, composer (1926–1987)
• Felipe Cabrera — Bassist
• Israel "Cachao" López — Bassist, composer (1918–2008)
• Joel Domínguez — Bassist
• Juan Formell — Bassist, composer, bandleader (1942–2014)
• Niño Rivera — Tres player, composer (1919–1996)
• Ninón Mondéjar — Musician, bandleader (1918–1993)
• Orestes López — Cellist, composer (1908–1991)
• Pancho Amat — Tres player (1950)
• Ry Cooder — Guitarist, producer (1947)