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Marcelino Guerra
Biography
Affectionately nicknamed "Rapindey," Marcelino Guerra enjoyed tremendous longevity as one of the premier segunda voz (second voice, or harmony) singers in Cuban music. What's more, his numerous song compositions (chiefly in the bolero and son forms) helped give rise to filin, a style which bridged the gap between Cuban popular music and the more complex harmonic vocabulary of American jazz as it pushed from swing and stride into bebop. Guerra was born into a poor family in Cienfuegos, Cuba, circa 1914; he was orphaned at the age of five and raised by his maternal grandmother, who gave him his lifelong nickname Rapindey. Guerra moved to Havana in 1931 and two years later joined Ignacio Pineiro's renowned Septeto Nacional as second vocalist; he also began learning the guitar from Rafael Rebuifero. After singing with several other Havana groups, Guerra joined the orchestra of the legendary Arsenio Rodriguez in 1938, and that group's frequent radio appearances brought Guerra's voice to the entire nation on a regular basis. In 1944, Guerra traveled to New York City to make some recordings; he wound up emigrating there, and would never return to Cuba again. He joined up with Machito's seminal Afro-Cuban Orchestra, essentially the first true Latin jazz group, as second vocalist; they also wound up recording a number of Guerra compositions, the first of several New York orchestras to do so.
Selected Discography

Rapindey
1996