Ruben Gonzalez: may 26, 1919-december 8, 2003 - pianist - Obituario

Latin Beat Magazine, Feb, 2004 by Frank M. Figueroa

By 1996, Cuban pianist Rubén González had resigned himself to the life of a "has been," barely existing on a small government pension, living in a small apartment where his old piano had succumbed to the termites. To relieve his boredom, Rubén trudged daily into the streets of Havana searching for a place where he could sit at a piano and exercise his arthritic fingers. Ah, but he still had his memories of when he was one of Cuba's most requested pianists. He still remembered performing on tire or six radio and television programs daily. He often asked himself how he managed to keep up with a busy schedule that included:

Performing with the Orquesta America on Union Radio al 5:00 p.m. Playing on Radio Cadena Habana from 7 to 8 p.m. Providing the music for the interludes between movies in Havana theaters with Pidle's Orchestra. Joining the González Mánticci Orchestra for several television programs on CMQ. Playing the piano at the Hotel Nacional's Cabaret Parisien by 11 p.m.

Then there were all those dances at which he played. Those were the glory years of 1954, "55 and '56. He could also recall the great years with ArsEnio Rodríguez's group, Enrique Jorrin's orchestra, and playing for the "Queen of the Danzonete," Paulina Alvarez. He remembers how he met Arsenio, purely by luck. He rented the house where he still lives, and to his surprise, Arsenio lived next door. The talented blind musician heard Rubén practicing on the piano and liked what he heard. He asked González to join his conjunto. That was 1944, the year when pianist Lino Frías and trumpeter Pedro Knight left Arsenio's group to join the Sonora Matancera. How he treasured those four years with Arsenio! He taught him to play in the authen6c son style and bow to refine his piano solos. Rubén still remembers his words:

"Your piano solos are good, but remember when you play them, don't repeat the phrases. Make a mental plan of what you are going to play and then introduce something else, something of your own. Remember you complete your plan and then, when you're ready to come back with the band, take an instant to listen to how the music is going and then come in to play accompaniment."

Arsenio had a stronger influence on his playing than his former idol Anselmo Sacassás, the brilliant pianist of the Casino de la Playa orchestra. González remembered how he memorized some of Sacassás' piano solos and played them exactly as the master. Those Sunday matinees at the gardens of La Tropical are deeply embedded in his memory. At that time, two charanga orchestras and a "son" conjunto competed with each other. Usually, the bands were "The Big Three": Arcaño y Sus Maravillas, Orquesta Melodías del 40, and Arsenio Rodriguez and his All-Stars.

In 1945, González had an offer to go to Panamá and told Arsenio about his plans. The bandleader accepted his decision gracefully and said: "Rubén is the only one who had the courtesy to tell me be was leaving," (referring to Lino Frías and Pedro Knight). González recommended Luis "Lilí" Martínez Griñán to Arsenio as his substitute. That pianist would achieve greatness with Arsenio Rodríguez's conjunto.

However, 54 years later, González was faced with the sudden realization that he was now 77 years old, living in poverty, his body throbbing with arthritic pain and hardly anybody remembered him. He didn't realize that his life was about to undergo a miraculous transformation. A famous North American guitarist had arrived in Havana searching for musicians to make a special recording. Ry Cooder had already established a reputation for recruiting musicians from different parts of the world to record with him; among them a Navajo flutist, a guitarist from Timbuktu and some unusual singers from the Russian republic of Tuva.

For the Havana project, Cooder brought with him the North American producer Nick Gold, and in Cuba he enlisted the services of musician and producer Juan de Marcos González. The latter bad been the leader of the popular Cuban group Sierra Maestra. Cooder entrusted de Marcos González with the task of recruiting the musicians and vocal artists for the recording. The Cuban producer brought together a pick-up band of thirteen musicians, including timbal player Julienne Oviedo Sánchez, who was only thirteen years old at the time. To his great surprise, Rubén González was invited to join as the featured pianist. The vocalists were a collection of seasoned singers that included Ibrahim Ferrer, Manuel "Puntillita" Licea, Eliades Ochoa and Omara Portuondo.

González happily accepted the invitation, but he thought it would be a short engagement and that he would then revert to his anonymity. He was completely wrong. The recording session that was planned as a two-CD production was extended to three and the third one was dedicated in its entirety to Rubén González. Its title is ironic--Introducing Rubén González, as if an 84-year old pianist had to be introduced.

He recounts what happened on the first day of recording: "When I reached the studio on the first day of recording, I found Ry Cooder tuning up his guitar in a corner of the room. I went directly to the piano and started playing. Suddenly, he put his guitar aside and stared at the piano. He carne close to me and said something that I did not understand. Later Compay Segundo carne in and said to me: 'Listen, Rubén, the big man has gone crazy with your playing.'"