Ladislao Martínez
 (1898-1979)

Following are the notes of Edwin Rodríguez

Ladi came to write around 1,500 compositions--especially for the Puerto Rican cuatro--among them danzas, mazurcas and valses.
  His early teachers were Joaquín Gandía and Carlos Soriano. Ladi arrives in San Juan in 1921, where he establishes his residence on Luna street, and organizes his first trio with his brother Encarnación "Cachón" Martínez and Patricio "Toribio" Rijos, who gained his fame playing the scratch-gourd with the bands and orchestras that played evening concerts in the Plaza de Armas in Old San Juan.
   In 1922, Ladislao Martínez was the first cuatrista ever to play on Puerto Rican radio. He played during the inauguration of the first radio station on the Island, WKAQ, which was the fifth radio station in the world, the second in Latin America.
   His first musical composition was the bolero "Mi Vida", recorded on the RCA label, sung by Fausto Delgado with Canario y su Grupo in 1930.
  Ladi decides tu join his trio with Felipe R. Goyco's Grupo Aurora which included the greats Moncho Dávila, Yayo García and Ernestico Mantilla.
   Claudio Ferrer, then just a boy from Bayamón who sang décimas and played scratch gourd, joins the group with the recommendation of the cuatrista Juan Cotto who later will play with Ladi's group.
   Maestro Ladi goes on to play behind the great singers Chuíto el de Bayamón and the great Flor Morales Ramos, known as Ramito, with whom he made his first recordings.
  During the years 1930-31 he records the following pieces: "En mi Carro te Espero" [I await in my car], by don Felo; "Alma Boricua" [Boricua Soul], by Clodomiro Rodríguez; "Linda Serrana" [Beautiful mountain girl], by don Felo; "Noche de Algodón" [Nights of Cotton], of Julio Alvarado; "El Seis Dorado" [Golden Seis], by Ladi, and others.
By 1932 he is participatingas musical director on the radio programs Industrias Nativas (Native Industries) and Los Jíbaros de la Radio. Sarrail Archilla plays first cuatro with him, and the two become the greatest cuatro duo Puerto Rico has ever known.
  Ladi was called "one of the greatest exponents of Puerto Rican folkloric music" by the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture.
  From 1949 to 1965 he lived and played in New York City, spreading our music, completing over 150 recordings during that period.
 
  

Tomás "Maso" Rivera
(1929-2001)

Maso was a supreme culture icon, perhaps the best known and best loved of all the Puerto Rican cuatristas. Better known for his versatility, humor and comic exploits than for his technique, he nonetheless left for posterity a marvelous legacy of original compositions composed in the traditional style, which next to Ladís, make up the lion's share of today's cuatro repertory.

Sarrail Archilla
(1917-2000)

Sarrail Archilla de León was born on February 7, 1917 in the Cibuco neighborhood of Corozal.
   His parents were Graciano Archilla and Tranquilina de León. His father was a public school teacher and his mother a housewife. At the age of seven, his family moves to Utuado. Here Sarraíl studies up to the sixth grade. It was also in Utuado where he met the great cuatristas Pini Maldonado (see below) and Confesor Juarbe. Confesor Juarbe dedicated himself to teaching the cuatro to the young Sarrail and arranged for the purchase of his first instrument.
  At the age of fourteen, Sarrail moves to Arecibo where he meets Prudencio Meléndez, known as "Apprentice", another reknown cuatrista of the period.
  He then moved to Bayamón where he met the great guitarist Juan Santana, whom he accompanied with his cuatro at parties and events.
  During the day Sarrail drove a cab and it was this job that brought him his first big break. In 1935 Sarrail picked up a passenger named William Córdova Chirino, director of the popular radio program Industrias Nativas. Chirino told him his cuatro player had quit and Sarrail let on that he was a cuatrista. Chirino invited him to join the radio group, which at the time was led by the great Ladislao Martinez (see bio to the left) and the rest is history. Sarrail joined as cuatrista on the radio program.
  In 1936 Sarrail met the Maestro Ladi, who was the program's musical director at the time. Sarrail thus becomes first cuatro for the Conjunto Típico Ladi (Ladi always played second cuatro).
   Ten years later Sarrail is living in New York playing with the Quinteto of Celso Vega. He began to play bass (which happens to be tuned to the same notes as the cuatro) and the great demand for good bass players in the city almost makes makes him drop the cuatro. On the bass, he accompanied great New York Orchestras like the ones directed by Tito Puente, Machito and others.
  Sarrail joins Ladi again in 1951 when the great musician arrives in New York City. Shortly after, Sarrail leaves Ladí to join the Machito orchestra. Sarrail would rejoin Ladi and along with the great accompanying guitarist Apolo Ocasio, he resurrects the unsurpassed Conjunto Típico Ladi. After Ladi´s death in 1979, Sarrail dedicated himself to the task of keeping Ladi´s legacy alive, up to the date of his death.
Source: Revista del Instituto del Cuatro Puertorriqueno, No. 6. 1976, courtesy of Jose Enrique Ayoroa Santaliz, esq.

Roque Navarro
(1913-2002)

The great cuatrista Roque Navarro played the cuatro to perfection, and during his time was called "the best cuatrista of Puerto Rico." He also acquired prestige by his cuatro-making, receiving during his career numerous prizes--not only for his playing--but also for his artisanry from the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture and the Puerto Rican Development Agency. He authored many wonderful pieces that were never published such as "Siete Rosas y un Capullo" [Seven Roses and a Rosebud] which became a huge crossover pop hit during the eighties.

Francisco Ortiz Piñeiro
(1919-1963)

   Probably few Puerto Ricans have heard of Francisco Ortiz, one of the most exciting and distinctive cuatristas in our musical history. He backed some of the greatest musicians and singers of his times. His style has profoundly influenced some of today´s most notable players, such as Modesto Nieves and Edwin Colòn Zayas. Respaldó a los más grandes músicos y cantantes de su época, con su maravilloso y distintivo estilo de tocar el cuatro de diez cuerdas.
    Francisco Ortiz Piñeiro was born into the Barrio Jagua Sabana of the town of Ciales, Puerto Rico, el 29 de enero de 1919.  A la edad de 7 años comienza a ejecutar sus primeras notas en el cuatro.
    Durante su trayectoria musical, Panchón compuso alrededor de treinta números instrumentales en el estilo típico. Tocando el papel de "bombardino", hacía gala de su cuatro de una manera magistral y única.
      Para el 1963, el mundo de la musica típica pierde a uno de sus mejores cuatristas de todos los tiempos.
 
 Vean nuestra página dedicada a Panchón Ortiz.

Pascual Meléndez

Like Iluminado Dávila, yet another great cuatrista from Morovis, Puerto Rico. He recorded danzas with Ladí and accompanied Ramito during his Latin American tour.

Norberto Cales
(1888-1979)

Heriberto Torres
(1897(?)-1931)

Considered to be the greatest cuatrista of his time, perhaps of all times. Known for his great skill, as well as for the fact that he was among the very first to record with the cuatro with the group, the Puerto Rican Bohemians, later known as Los Jardineros [the Gardeners]. Recognized as the best four-string cuatro player that ever lived, Torres is reputed to have been the first to place four double-string metal string courses on his instrument, thus creating the eight-stringed cuatro, which was popular in the Southern regions of Puerto Rico for several decades of the twentieth century.

Visit our Heriberto Torres page (untranslated, but with sound clips)

Joaquín Rivera
(1849-1925) 
El Zurdo de Isabela
[Lefty from Isabela

Eusebio González
"El Indio de Sabana Grande"

Pedro Padilla

Originally from the town of Hatillo, Pedro Padilla made his fame on the radio program,  "Atardecer Jíbaro," [Jibaro Evening] which was presented by station WNIK 0f Arecibo, Puerto Rico during the fifties. From there he cast a long and triumphal career as an outstanding professional cuatrista.   Pedro accompanied many huge Puerto Rican artists such as German Rosario, El Indio de Bayamon and Juaniquillo, among others.

Listen to Pedro Padilla playing the Heriberto Torres' composition, a foxtrot titled  Vigoroso. courtesy of the David Morales Collection.

Eladio Maldonado
Yayito

Yayito Maldonado fué uno de los más destacados cuatristas de la escena nuyorquina de la décadas de 1920 y 1930. Conocido igualmente por su grand habilidad en la guitarra tanto como el tres. Durante su carrera se destaca en varios grupos, incluyendo el Trio Boricua, Cuarteto Machín, Quinteto La Plata, Sexteto de Pedro Flores, Canario (Manuel Jiménez) y su Grupo, y el Grupo Antilla.

Oigan a Yayito tocando un cuatro antiguo de cuatro cuerdas de tripa, tocando en el estilo "mandolina" tan popular en sus tiemps, junto con Canario y su Grupo en una grabación de los 1920 titulada Aguinaldo de Navidad
(Mp3 2.8 meg)

Yayito con Canario y su Grupo: Al Romper la Aurora (coleccion David Morales)

Ahora oigan a Yayito en cuatro antiguo con el Trio Boricua en Al Llegar a Machuelito. Cantando oirán a Pastor Villa y Fausto Delgado en guitarra. Grabado en Nueva York en Mayo 31 de 1929.

Arturo Avilés
Arturito

Sor Ángel Torres

Juan Cotto

Durante los comienzos de la década de 1930 fue cuatrista en el Grupo Aurora de Ladí y Don Felo. Luego forma parte del nuevo grupo Industrias Nativas del Maestro Ladí, y en el 1936-37 es reemplazado como cuatrista por Sarriel Archilla.,

Cristino Maldonado
Don Pinín

Uno de los mejores cuatristas que tuvo Puerto Rico, quien recogió gran fama en los años treinta.
    Cristino Maldonado Muriel nació el día 5 de diciembre del 1893 en el barrio Yeguada de Vega Baja. Su papá era comerciante y su mama comadrona. A temprana edad, su tio le fabricó un cuatro, el cual su papá no le dejo tocar mucho por que consideraba que era una pérdida de tiempo. A los ocho años, Pini quedo huérfano de madre y se tuvo que responsabilizar de su familia ya que su papá los abandonó. Trabajó en los cañaverales y tocando su cuatro para conseguir sueldo.
   Ya para los 15 anos, había desarrollado su propio estilo de tocar el cuatro y amenizaba muchos bailes locales. Luego se mudo a Utuado donde su papá tenia un negocio. Aquí se casó con su segunda esposa Unrania Sigurani de Maldonado y introducen al mundo siete hijos. Utuado vino a ser su hogar por muchos anos y tanto lo quiso que muchos de sus temas les incluía el nombre de este pueblo, como A Utuado Todo Mi Amor.
   Don Pini escribió mucha música y no se limitó a música típica. Entre sus más famosas piezas encontramos a De Lejanas Tierras, Retorno al Vivi, Recuerdos de Lares, A Mis Amigos, Desesperación, etc.

Fuente: Revista del Instituto del Cuatro Puertorriqueño, No. 11. 1978, cortesía del Licenciado José Enrique Ayoroa Santaliz

Oigan a Don Pini tocando su composición, Retorno Al Viví, en una grabación casera (Cortesía Ray Vázquez)

Pepe Rodríguez

Frank Santos de Orlando,
Florida nos escribe:
"Buscando mas enseñanza en este instrumento, tuve el gran gusto de conocer a Don Pepe Rodriguez. In mediatamente me sorprendio el arte tan inmenso que este senor tiene. En Orlando es considerado por todos como el gran maestro de cuatro y guitarra.
     Para hacerle esto corto, quiero decirle que estuve molestando a Don Pepe por dos anos. Al fin de ese termino el reconocio que yo tenia interes genuino. Don Pepe me acepto como estudiante y ahora soy el unico estudiante permanente que el tiene. Este senor tiene miles de composiciones para el cuatro. El toco mucho con El Maestro Ladi y era gran amigo de Archilla. El es hermano de el fallecido Baltazar Rodriguez, de Morovis."

Juan "Papi" González

Pedro Hilario
(1880-1914)

Notable cuatrista de la región de Yauco. Uno de los grandes cuatristas Yaucanos de cuatros de cuatro y ocho cuerdas, grupo que incluye Norberto Cales, Heriberto Torres, y Tuto Feliciano.

Juan Hilario

Antiguo cuatrista de la región Sur de la isla. Ejecutante del cuatro antiguo de cuatro cuerdas sencillas.

José Rodríguez

Jesús Osorio López
Maestro Jesús
[1874-1954]

Prudencio Meléndez
El Aprendiz

Reconocido cuatrista Arecibeño.

Juan Peña

Confesor Juarbe