El Conjunto Casino on and off the record

Latin Beat Magazine, Nov, 2001 by Frank M. Figueroa

Their Cuban fans crowned the Conjunto Casino as "Los Campeones del Ritmo" (The Rhythm Champions), recognizing their mastery of all genres of Latin music. Their repertoire included sambas, porros, cumbias, boleros, congas, guarachas, sones, mambos, chachachás, sucu-sucus and several other rhythms. The flexibility of their instrumentation, coupled with a talented array of vocalists, allowed the group to produce quality performances in all types of music.

The conjunto evolved from a neighborhood group organized in Havana, in the early 1930s and was called Sexteto Miquito. Then, the number of musicians in a group frequently did not match its name. Sextetos had more than six members and septetos had more than seven. The Sexteto Miquito, for example, had added a piano to its instrumentation. In 1937, Esteban Grau reorganized the band adding two trumpets and called it "Septeto Casino." The new ensemble gained needed experience performing in local dance halls and radio broadcasts. In 1941, two key players joined the group: vocalist Roberto Espí and bass player Cristóbal Doval.

Espí told an interviewer that his entry into the Septeto Casino happened in an interesting way. He met daily with some friends at the Café Yara in Havana, to enjoy some conversation and drink coffee. One day in 1941, an itinerant troubadour stopped to sing at their table. Espí grabbed a guitar and joined the troubadour in song. Present at the Café that day was Esteban Grau, leader of the Septeto Casino. He heard Espí sing, liked what he heard and invited the singer to join the septeto.

The newcomer suggested to Esteban Grau to change the name to "Conjunto Orquestal Casino," since the group now numbered more than seven players. They finally settled on "Conjunto Casino." The original members of Conjunto Casino were: Esteban Grau, (leader, tres guitar and singer), Juan Fuentes "Bolita" (singer), Enrique Rodríguez "El Diablo Rojo" (piano), Pepe and Manolo Saladrino (bass and vocals), Guillermo Romero "Picadillo" (bongos), Eduardo Periqué and Alberto Armenteros (trumpet).

In 1941, Roberto Espí and Cristóbal Doval replaced the Saladrino Brothers on vocals and bass. The group continued to gain popularity in Cuba and abroad. That year, they signed a recording contract with RCA Victor. The first session included four numbers. In those days, the typical recording session consisted of two slow numbers and two fast-rhythm tunes. Each 78-rpm record had a bolero on one side and a guaracha or a son on the other. The song titles recorded were: Cada noche un amor, Con la lengua afuera, Canción del Alma and A mí qué. The Conjunto continued to expand and in 1942, Nelo Sosa joined the all-star roster of vocalists.

Conjunto Casino's popularity in Mexico resulted in an invitation in 1944 to perform at the Cabaret Sans Souci in that country's capital city. The offer came from the management of the Sans Souci nightclub in Havana. They were opening another Sans Souci in Mexico and asked the Conjunto Casino to inaugurate the new club. In Mexico's Sans Souci, they alternated with the Mario Ruiz Armengol Orchestra.

Something happened during that trip to Mexico that caused the replacement of Esteban Grau by Roberto Espí as leader. Two possible explanations have been offered for this. Roberto Espí maintains that Esteban Grau had to return to Cuba due to his condition as a diabetic that made it impossible for him to perforro. Another account alleges that there was dissatisfaction among the musicians with Grau's leadership and they asked him to leave.

There was also another significant loss to the Conjunto Casino during their stay in Mexico. Singer Nelo Sosa became seriously ill and had to return to Cuba. The Conjunto had to find a replacement in a hurry. Singer Alfredito Valdés had just arrived in Mexico and was looking for work. Espí signed him to sing with the group for the length of their stay in Mexico. While in Mexico, the Conjunto Casino made several recordings for RCA Victor featuring Alfredito Valdés on vocals. Among them were the following: El vendedor que no Fa, Yo saludá, Ña ña rube and Tinajas y tinajones.

After the Conjunto returned to Cuba in 1945, singer Roberto Faz permanently replaced Nelo Sosa. Conga player Carlos "Patato" Valdés also joined the group that year. Up to that time, the Conjunto did not have a full-time conga player. Trumpet player Miguelito Romero would at times lay the trumpet aside and play the conga. Vocalist Roberto Faz remained with them for the next 13 years and Patato Valdés left in 1954.

In the mid-1940s, the Conjunto Casino became a sensation with their hit recordings and personal appearances. The group traveled extensively, including visits to Venezuela and Puerto Rico in 1946. They returned to Puerto Rico in 1948, where they shared the bandstand with the Rafael González Peña Orchestra at the Escambrón Beach Club. They also played musical background for singer/dancer Maria Antonieta Pons, Kiko Mendive and Ruth Fernández. In 1950, the Conjunto Casino performed in the Dominican Republic. The group also made a memorable trip to New York in 1953.