Alfarona X - music group's director Luis Cruz - Entrevista - Biografía

Latin Beat Magazine, Feb, 2004 by Max Salazar

During the first week of August 1945, nine musicians boarded the S.S. Fairfax in San Juan, Puerto Rico and headed toward New York City. After a four-day trip, the group, La Alfarona X, became the first Puerto Rican trumpet conjunto in New York City. Its musical director, Luis Cruz, a guitarist and vocalist, was born on August 27, 1915, in Naguabo, Puerto Rico. His father, Tiburcio, was a sugar plantation foreman and guitarist who sang aguinaldos, seis chorreaos and maypes during the Christmas season. At this time, jíbaro music was the most popular form of Puerto Rican music.

In 1930, Cruz moved to Santurce to live with an older brother. At age 22, he began writing poetas and taught himself to play guitar. "I became interested in music," said Cruz, "by listening to the radio every day. I was moved by the music of Cuban groups like Septeto Nacional and Casino De La Playa. Many Puerto Rican musicians were influenced by Cuban music. The recordings of Antonio Arcaño and Arsenio Rodríguez greatly influenced Puerto Rican orchestras. Miguelito Valdés' recording of Babalú was a bit in Puerto Rico.

"In 1939, Valdés was with Casino De La Playa when be performed at San Juan's Teatro Tapia. On the same bill was Coniunto Capacetti, with whom I played guitar and sang lead vocals. Half of the tunes I composed; if we played ten songs, six of them were mine. Cuban or New York City-based composers wrote the test of the songs. During the early '40s, the most popular recordings were of Xavier Cugat, Conjunto Caney, Alberto Iznaga's La Siboney, Augusto Coen, Miguelito Valdés, José Buder, Montecino, Polito Galíndez, Machito and Noto Morales. Mostly all the groups in Puerto Rico included their music in their repertoire."

One evening, while Conjunto Capacetti was scheduled to perform in the town of Quintana, Cruz fell in love and married weeks later. Before the year was out, son Luis Jr. was born. In 1936, Septeto Puerto Rico was the most popular band on the island. They worked every day of the week, were heard on radio, and always participated in the big dances.

"In 1936," recalled Cruz, "there was a contest in which about 50 groups competed for the title of 'Most Popular Orchestra of the Year' at Teatro Tapia. The finalists were Septeto Puerto Rico and Conjunto Capacetti and the winner was judged by the loudest applause. Capacetti received the loudest applause so the manager of the Septeto convinced the judges to declare both groups co-winners and allowed them to split the monetary prize. At this time I had already written close to 100 tunes.

"In 1940, I left Capacetti because there was no band discipline, no rehearsals and the sidemen were always late for work. Capacetti was earning $25 per dance in which each musician received $3.S0. Musicians had to accept whatever they were paid, there was no musician's union yet. I decided to form a group with ah unusual name that would make dancers remember it. I wrote several names on a piece of paper and selected "ALFARONA." By itself it meant nothing, so I added an X after it. Alfarona X was founded in 1941 and I wanted good musicians as sidemen. I did not want to get them from other bands. I searched for talented beginners and ones who were retired. The seven-man conjunto consisted of Pucho Márquez (trumpet), Rafael Rodríguez (clarinet), Obaldo de los Santos (tres), Rubén Maldonado (bass), Juan Andino (conga), Felo Marzo (bongó) and I sang and played guitar. A month later I added a second trumpet."

Cruz's group was performing at the Hippodrome on December 7, 1941, when World War II began. The band caught tire with its rumbas, Afro-sones, guarachas and danzones, the salsa of yesteryear. X was in demand; it performed at all the army bases in Borinquen. X was earning $75 per dance and recorded 20 tunes which only soldiers could buy. Ballrooms and clubs sprouted across the island. It was the Cuban rhythms that attracted dancers. Although X never recorded for the Puerto Rican commercial market, they were so popular that they worked Fridays, Saturdays and 5undays. To supplement his musician's income, Cruz worked as a carpenter. Each town in Puerto Rico had a band and when it was scheduled to play in another town, dancers followed to support them. The entire Puerto Rican population enjoyed the rehearsals and dances.

After World War II ended in 1945, army bases closed and music jobs became scarce. Gregorio "Goyito" Rosario, a New York City Latin music impresario also known as "El Gallego," convinced Cruz to relocate his orchestra to New York. X was popular with Nuyoricans who were stationed in Puerto Rico.

"It was in August, 1945," said Cruz, "when we arrived in New York. The stars of New York City's Latin music world were the orchestras of Noro Morales, Machito, Marcelino Guerra, Polito Galíndez, and José Curbelo. The musician's union, Local #802 refused to issue us a card because we had to meet a six-month residency requirement. We had no money; at least in Puerto Rico we had day jobs, but here we bad nothing. Talent agent Federico Pagani approached me and said he could get us work. I turned the offer down. I had a commitment with Goyito. Two months later, X performed at the Park Palace Ballroom located at 110th St and 5th Avenue on the same bill with José Budet Montecino's orchestra, In between sets, X performed at the Goldeu Casino directly underneath the Park Palace. At the end of the evening, each sideman received $4. X was working on weekends only, so at times I had nothing to ear, just so I could save money to cover my expenses. Goyito got me a few days work for a few weeks as a longshoreman.