Carmelo Martel Luciano (1907-1990?)
Originally from the Tetuán neighborhood of Utuado, master Carmelo Martell Luciano was considered by those in the know as one of the most talented and creative of the Island's folk builders. He was famed for his unconventional instruments--instruments which nonetheless were masterpieces of folk art--among them the "rooster cuatro," the "fish cuatro" and the "map of Puerto Rico cuatro: (at left), which was considered his crowning masterpiece. On it are displayed, within the maps of the Island's seven districts, some of the radio towers of the time, the Universtiy of Puerto Rico, the Caribe Hilton hotel, the Capitol building, the Guánica sugar cane refinery, the famed hot-spring Baths at Coamo and the Plaza of Utuado.
      At the age of nine he already played the cuatro and with it enlivened his grade-school events, and by the age of 12 he was fixing broken cuatros, what eventually led him to a life of making his own cuatros. Martell also stood out as a composer: among his composition was the danzas Ondas del Viví and thel vals Carmencito
     He was named as a “Living treasure” by Washington's Smithsonian Institution and a winner of the Competition of Musical Instrument makers of the Institute of Puerto Rican Cultures Popular Arts Program for the years  1962, 1966 and 1970. In 1978 recieved the coveted Agüeybaná de Oro award and from 1981 to 1982 was elected as Master Artisan by the Economic Development Administrations Folk-Crafts Office.
    Besides being a builder, Martell also was a fine composer. Among his compositions are the Danza, “Ondas del Viví " and the vals “Carmencito.”

Summarized from http://www.icp.gobierno.pr/myp/coms/cmartell_06.htm
Visit our Carmelo Martell page and see his magic cuatros!

León (don Leoncito) Ortiz (c.1902-c.1982)
Corozal, PR
The master cabinet- and instrument maker was repeatedly praised by senior makers such as Jaime Alicea, Juan Reyes, Julio Negrón ("he was a real artisan") and Antonio Rodríguez Navarro. He was recognized during the fifties by the Puerto Rican Institute of Culture during their groundbreaking effort to inventory the Island's native crafts and craftspeople. In charge of the inventory was Walter Murray Chiesa who said Ortiz was "venerated by all, particularly when it came to marquetry, and he used wood from the old houses of Corozal...he could place frets like no other maker." Murray Chiesa recalled that he also turned wooden tops on a lathe, which he then gave out as gifts to the children of his town. A street in Corozal is named after him.

Efraín Ronda (1898-2003)
San Germán/Nueva York

View our page dedicated to the notable artisan here.

Roque Navarro (1913-2002)
Adjuntas

 View our page dedicated to the notable artisan here.

Juan Reyes Torres (1932-2005)
Hato Rey

View our page dedicated to the notable artisan here.

Eugenio (Heño) Méndez
(1929-2003)
Las Piedras, Puerto Rico
Widely considered as the greatest master folk artisan of his times. View our page dedicated to the notable artisan here.

Tito Báez
(1935-2004)
Yauco, Puerto Rico/ Brooklyn, New York
Distinguished cuatro, requinto and guitar maker established in Brooklyn, New York City for decades. Originally from Yauco, Puerto Rico--he was as well a renown guitar accompanist ("segunda guitarra") who played with the Sexteto Criollo Puertorriqueño next to Israel Berrios, Neri Orta and Nieves Quintero, among others. don Tito was a long-time consultant and collaborator for our Cuatro Project.

Pellin Medina (1880?-1950?)
Santurce
Renown instrument maker from the Barrio Trastalleres of Santurce. Noted by Joaquín Rivera, jr., as the artisan who rebuilt his four-string ancient cuatro into an eight-string instrument; also noted by the great cuatristas Sarrail Archilla; Yomo Toro and others. He holds the distinction to having made the first nine-string Puerto Rican tres during the early 1930s. His father was a Spaniard who made violins and cellos.

Egido(?) Medina (?-?)
Santurce
Pellino Medina's son, who inherited his tools and business. He made a tres for the famed tres player Mario Hernández.

Rosendo Acosta
Brooklyn, Nueva York

Rosario (Sayo) Otero
Vega Alta
Builder who made the great Ladislao Martínez' first cuatro in 1910, who, he claimed, was the first to make it with the modern shape. We believe it may have been Miguel Hernandez of Arecibo, however.

Juan Olivera (1906-1985)
Yauco
Maker of the eight string cuatros of Heriberto Torres and Norberto Cales

Miguel Hernández (1890-?)
Arecibo
Cuatro-maker that built one of the first violin-shaped modern cuatros shown in the hands of the great crossover cuatrista Joaquín Rivera "El Zurdo de Isabela" circa 1916.

Candelario (don Cando) Vásquez (1899-?)
Juncos

Secundino (don Gundín) Merced (1904-?)
Renown musician, composer and instrument maker from Aguas Buenas. Known for his distinctive bordonúas.

Martín Marrero (?-?)
Río Piedras

William del Pilar (1921-?)
Brooklyn, Nueva York
Widely known among the Boricua musicians in New York City for decades. Originally from Quebradillas, his shop was located for over 50 years at 396, and later 220 Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn, New York. His guitars and cuatros were in demand by some of the most celebrated artists of the great city. One of his customers was the venerated guitarist Andrés Segovia. His son, William, keeps his father's shop active in Brooklyn today.

Carlos Barquero
Skilled Puerto Rican instrument maker working in New York City during the 1950s. One of his cuatros was owned by the great cuatrista/ composer Ladislao Martínez.

Miguel Acevedo Flores
World-class Puerto Rican guitar, violin and cuatromaker, lecturer and teacher, living and working in Trujillo Alto. We hope to interview him soon.
 

Jaime Alicea
Vega Baja

Rafael Avilés Vázquez

Rafael Avilés is a widely-admired master builder in Carolina, Puerto Rico, known for his world-class instrument making technique. He was an instructor of cuarto-making at the University of Puerto Rico and then opened his own school of musical instrument making. He is renown for his outstanding mosaic marquetry work and his innovative instrument designs.

We have prepared a page expressly for the master builder Rafael Avilés Vázquez here (not translated yet, sorry)

Freddy Burgos
An excellent builder from Caguas. His cuatros are played by distinguished cuatristas such as Pedro Guzmán and Manny Trinidad.

Aurelio Cruz Pagán
Prize-winning builder from Morovis
 

José Cuevas
Toa Alta

Manuel Henriquez Zapata
Experienced instrument artesan residing in the Cotuí neighborhood of San Germán, Puerto Rico, who acquired his skills in New York during the 1950s. He keeps up his artesanal interests up in his San Germán neighborhood to this day. Our correspondent in San Antonio, Texas, Felipe Olivera, has let us publish his interview with the seventy-year-old maker, which we offer here.

Diómedes "Yomi" Matos
We could describe “Yomi” Matos as a grand master of Puerto Rican folk string instrument craft. He is without doubt unsurpassed among mainland US builders of Puerto Rican instruments. Born in 1940, Matos was surrounded by instrument makers where he grew up in the Puerto Rican village of Camuy. By the age of 12 he had built his first cuatro and from that time has worked to perfect the construction of a wide-variety of traditional stringed instruments, including cuatros, requintos, classic guitars and the Puerto Rican tres. Matos learned his art by observing master builders such as Roque Navarro and relying on the time tested technique of trial and error. Now retired from his day-job as a factory and home construction worker, his cuatros are considered among the best in the world, sought after by the best Puerto Rican musicians, among which is the renown Yomo Toro, who he used to back up on the guitar and second cuatro during stage performances in New York City.

In 2006 Yomi was awarded the title of National Heritage Master by the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.and a National Heritage Fellowship by the National Endowment of the Arts

Biographical notes from the National Endowment for the Arts

Graciano Montesinos
Builder from Corozal, who has built instruments used by famed cuatrista Edwin Colón Zayas
 

Miguel Méndez
(1937-  )

Originally from Aibonito, Puerto Rico, don Miguel is one of the most celebrated builders of cuatros and other stringed instruments in Puerto Rico. He and his also-famed older brother, the late Eugenio Méndez, learned the art of instrument construction virtually by themselves. He presently lives in Parque Ecuestre, Carolina, Puerto Rico. His shop is located on the upper floors of his home. He takes great care in achieving the best pitch accuracy for his instruments He makes guitars, cuatros, treses, tiples, requintos, mandolins, bordonúas, bandurrias and other Latin American instruments of high quality. We've prepared a page that featured the great artisan here.

Notes by Efráin González

Máximo and Elvin Pérez
Father and son team of builders in Peñuelas
 

Ángel Luis Rivera, "Wimbo"
Morovis
Distinguished builder of cuatros, among the best in Puerto Rico. His cuatros are used by Modesto Nieves, Tony Mapeyé, Ramón Vázquez and others of their stature.

Manuel Rodriguez Feneque,
Rincón
World-class Puerto Rican luthier, maker of classic guitars, requintos and cuatros. Considered to be one of the best builders in Puerto Rico. He has built several instruments by the famed cuatrista Edwin Colón Zayas.

Salustiano Rodriguez
Barrio El Rabanal, Cidra
First-prize winner of the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture's cuatro-making competition

Cristóbal Santiago
Consummate master maker, player and teacher of the Puerto Rican cuatro, still working since the 1960s at his Casa del Cuatro Puertorriqueño in Carolina PR. We've dedicated a page to don Cristóbal here.
 

Jorge Santiago Mendoza
(b. 1930, originally from Arecibo)
Master maker of cuatros, guitars and requintos. He lived and worked in Brooklyn, New York City, from  1951 until 1974. Reputed to be the first maker to build and wholesaleing cuatros using mass-production techniques.

Natividad Tirado
Master builder of guitars, cuatros, treses and baby-basses, currently residing in Delaware. We've created a page dedicated to this master builder (not translated yet) here...

Vicente Valentín Rivera
Vega Baja

Miguel Ángel Vázquez ("Guilín")
Manatí (n. 1928)

Expert and highly-regarded Puerto Rican instrument maker. Few facts about his life and career have emerged due to his reserved and taciturn personality. He established his reputation among professional musicians in New York City. He returned to Manatí, PR in the early 1990s, where he became well-known for his electric stand-up basses. He moved to Orlando in 1995. He presently resides in a rest home in Orlando under the care of his wife Victoria.

 Giants of Yesteryear 
   ...our main link to an ancient cultural heritage

 
 The Old Guard 
   ...these elder masters are the old guard of our musical culture

 
 The International Superstars
  ...present-day giants take the cuatro to theatres around the world

 
 The Young Lions
 ...their remarkable talent carry the cuatro toward a new age

 
 The Newest Generation
 ...the instrument's ultimate destiny is in their hands

 The Great Guitar Accompanists
 ...master 'second guitars' of Puerto Rican music

Eusebio González

El Indio de Sabana Grande [The Indian from Sabana Grande]
(approx. 1850-1925)

Eusebio González Ocasio was recognized as a great cuatrista of his times, native of the Indiera Fria neighborhood of Sábana Grande. The photo at left was taken in 1898, offering evidence that the ten-string cuatro was being played during the nineteenth century.

Listen to Joaquín Rivera playing his ten-string cuatro in a trio with the mandolin of José López Rivera and the violarina (fretted violin) of Felipe Rodriguez in Elenita

The folklorist Francisco López Cruz described Jesús Osorio as "the best cuatrista that Puerto Rico has produced." During the first years of the 20th century, Osorio introduced the cuatro to the discipline of the solfeggio and was the first in naming the strings of the cuatro according to their proper musical notes.
 

Renown cuatrista from the Yauco region, one of the greatest on the four and eight string cuatros.

Confesor Juarbe

Confesor Juarbe appears often in the praises of the great cuatro players of today. He was teacher to the great Sarrail Archilla.

The great self-taught cuatrista plays for the Yauco Philharmonic Orchestra at age 25. At 32 años he moves to New York City where he learns to compose music. Torres was considered the best cuatrista of his time, a master of the four and eight-string cuatro. The doubling of the cuatro's strings is incorrectly attributed to him, but his achievement were legion nonetheless.

See our Heriberto Torres page here.

Norberto Cales Martínez was one of the supreme exponents of the eight-string cuatro, a member of the venerated fraternity of Southern custristas that included Heriberto Torres, Pedro Hilario and later, Tuto Feliciano.

  Hear Norberto Cales & the Yauco Philharmonic Orchestra in an interpretation of the danza, Sara

Visit our Norberto Cales page here.

Yayito Maldonado was one of the most distinguished performers of the New York musical scene during the decades of 1920 and 1930. He was well known equally for his skills on the cuatro, guitar and the tres. During his career he is featured in many groups, including the Trio Boricua, Cuarteto Machín, Quinteto La Plata, Sexteto de Pedro Flores, Canario y su Grupo, and thel Grupo Antilla.

Listen to Yayito playing an early four-gut-string cuatro in the Christmas tune, Aguinaldo de Navidad 

Yayito with Canario y su Grupo: Al Romper la Aurora  (Antonio & David Morales collection)

Now listen to Yayito playing an early cuatro with the Trio Boricua in Al Llegar a Machuelito 

Rafael Sánchez
Fello

Cuatrista from the Barrio Abras of Corozal. The Corozal historian Antonio Moreno tells us that the great guitarist and folklorist Paquito Lopez Cruz of Naranjito received his first music lessons with him. He also says that the great Maestro Ladí would visit him from Vega Alta, like other cuatristas from other regions, to hear him play his rustic cuatro. He never wanted to change his cuatro, even when a new one was given to him. He never recorded or even left his town of Corozal. His son, on the other hand, was the famed Paquito Sanchez, first guitar of the Cuarteto Mayarí when it began, who later was integrated into the Cuarteto Marcan in New York, and then later formed the Sexteto La Plata." He died of tuberculosis in 1940. 

Notes by Dr. Mike Fucile of Corozal

Juan Hilario

Cuatrista from the Southern region of the Island. Hilario played the early four-string cuatro. He was one of the great four and eight-string cuatristas from Yauco, a group that includes his father Pedro Hilario, Norberto Cales, Heriberto Torres, and Tuto Feliciano.

He was a cuatristas in the Ladí and don Felo's Grupo Aurora during the 1930s. Later he becomes the first cuatrista (of a long list to follow) to join Ladi's in Ladí's new group, Industrias Nativas and is the cuatrista later replaced by Sarriel Archilla. In the photo at left we see Juan Coto when he performed with Titi Amadeo's group Rosas de Oro during the 1930s.

A pioneering cuatrista who recorded with Rafael Hernández in New York. He has been recognized as the first cuatrista to introduce the cuatro into Jazz music. Composer of "Confesion", which was sung by the great singer, Francisco Quiñones «El Paisa».
 

Named by the folklorist Heriberto Torres Vázquez as "one of the most gifted of the Puerto Rican players of the cuatro that came from the center of the Island." The great cuatrista Roque Navarro (see below) told us: "The one who inspired me the most was from my home town, and died about twenty years ago [circa 1956]. That man who played the cuatro was fifty years ahead of his time. That man was out of his world playing the cuatro. And Norberto [Cales] knew him too. He was nicknamed Fife. He was called Rafael Medina. He was a shoemaker. I'd go to hear him and watch how he'd move his fingers. That's how I learned--watching him. He was my spiritual maestro.."
 

Efraín Ronda
(1899-2003)

We are preparing a page dedicated to Efraín Ronda here.

Maestro Ladí was arguably the musician who made the greatest impact on the cuatro and its music during the twentieth century. He rescued and renewed the 19th century traditional forms on the cuatro. He created an enormous treasury of music in both the traditional and contemporary styles, as well as a new way to hear and play the cuatro. He adapted music from other lands to the cuatro, but each time giving it distinctly Puerto Rican feel. Many of the great older players of today consider him to have supplied the foundations for their playing styles.

Visit our Maestro Ladí page here.

Don Pini plays his own composition, Retorno Al Viví, in a home recording. (courtesy of Ray Vázquez)

Ray Vazquez and Polo Ocasio play de familiar Christmas piece written by don Pinin,
De Lejanas Tierras

Cristino Maldonado Don Pinín
(1893- ?)

One of Puerto Rico's best cuatristas, who was famous during the nineteen thirties. Cristino Maldonado Muriel was born in the barrio Yeguada of Vega Baja. At an early age, he was given a cuatro made by his uncle, which his father forbade him from playing saying that it was a waste of his time. At the age of eight, his mother died and his father left, so he had to become responsible for his family. He worked as a sugar cane cutter and played the cuatro to make money. By the age of 15 he had developed his own playing style and thus livened up many local dances. Later he moved to Utuado where his father had a business. There he married his second wife Urania Sigurani de Maldonado and brought into the world seven children. Utuado came to be his home for many years and was so fond of it that many of his compositions included the name of his town, such as A Utuado Todo Mi Amor [To Utuado with all my love]. Don Pini wrote a lot of pieces and did not limit himself to traditional music. Among his famous pieces we find the Christmas favorite, De Lejanas Tierras, and Retorno al Vivi, Recuerdos de Lares, A Mis Amigos, Desesperación, and many others.

Revista del Instituto del Cuatro Puertorriqueño, No. 11. 1978, written by José Enrique Ayoroa Santaliz

Archilla and Ladí play the cuatro as a duo for the first time on the radio with Ladí's Conjunto Industrias Nativas beginnin in 1936, establishing a new way to hear the cuatro. The play together, Sarrail playing first and Ladí playing second cuatro, until Ladí's death in 1979. The polished and sophisticated sound that they cultivate together raise the cuatro from its rustic ambiance and to a higher plane which is now called Puerto Rican "classic music." After Ladí's death, Archilla keeps the Conjunto Típico Ladí alive playing as a duo with Modesto Nieves.

Visit our Sarrail Archilla page here.

"I was the first to bring the cuatro into Salsa music and I've had the opportunity to travel the world around playing the cuatro: I've been in Japan, in Europe, [in Africa] and I've been to these places repeatedly, and these countries already know Yomo Toro and what I've carried in my hands is the cuatro. I haven't taken a guitar, or an electrico guitar, or a requinto, none of those things. I carry the Puerto Rican cuatro because you've got to honor Puerto Rico and the national instrumento of Enchanted Island Puerto Rico is the cuatro..."

Our page dedicated to Yomo can be found here

Neri Orta (1920-2012)

All those who knew the great master Neri Orta concur that other than his mentor,  Ladislao Martínez, no one in the world of the cuatro him in regards to ability, knowledge, experience, art and his commitment to the music and to the national instrument. Our page dedicated to Neri Orta can be found here.

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. He was born in 1919 in the Barrio Jagua Sabana of Ciales, Puerto Rico. At seven years of age he begins to execute his first notes on the cuatro. One of his first teacher was the cialeño Manolo Otero.
   During his musical trajectory, Panchón compuso composed more than thirty instrumental pieces in the traditional styles. When he played the "bombardino" part of danzas, he showed off his cuatro in a unique and masterful manner. Samples of his work survive in the several recording of the Trío Cialeño with Chuíto el de Bayamón and in several Puerto Rican films.
                                                                  See our Panchón Ortiz page here

See Pascual Melendez
on YouTube here

A renown disciple and accompanist to Maestro Ladi. He was born in Manatí but moves to Morovis at an early age. There he begins his relationship with his instrument and develops his musical ear. At twenty he heads towards San Juan, where he begins as a worker in a button factory. He organizes his first group, known as the conjunto Orión, along with Pepe Rodríguez. As Pascual became a maste of his instrument and its music, he joins musicians of the order of Juan Peña, Jaime Peña and Chin Peña, and together they organize the group, Melodías Nativas. When Pascual mastered the cuatro to perfection, he meets Maestro Ladí, Iluminado Ayala and don Felipe Goyco (don Felo), and they form the conjunto Industrias Nativas, which brought glory to our music. En 1971 he travels to France, England, Spain and other European capitals accompanying the group Areyto and thel Ballet de Tony D´Astro.
Redacted from a eulogy written in 1990 by Dr. Miguel A. Arroyo

Juan Peña

We've dedicated a special page for Juan Peña, the great cuatrista from Morovis who accompanied the great troubadours Ramito, Luisito and Moralito

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, he 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.

Visit our Maso Rivera page here.

Agustín Feliciano Tuto
(1932-2005)

Yauco-native Tuto Feliciano was, in our opinion, on of the best Puerto Rican cuatro players of modern times, at the same technical level as Ladí, Nieves Quintero, Neri Orta, Francisco Ortíz Piñeiro and Yomo Toro. He was a masterful tres player besides, a skill he developed from his early days. He backed the legendary Ramito for many years. He spent his last years as a resident of New Jersey, performing on television and on recordings. Just before his death he allowed us several interviews and a treasury of private photographs, some of which we've included on his own webpage.

Visit our Tuto Feliciano page here.

A native of the town of Hatillo, Pedro Padilla first became known playing on the radio program "Atardecer Jíbaro,"[Jíbaro Twilight"] which came out of Arecibo radio station WNIK during the fifties. From there he propelled a long and triumphant career as an outstanding professional cuatro player. Padilla accompanied major Puerto Rican traditional singers such as German Rosario, El Indio de Bayamon and Juaniquillo, among others. He currently has an enthusiastic following on the United States West Coast.

List to Pedro Padilla playing a difficult Heriberto Torres composition, a fox trot called El Vigoroso. (Courtesy David Morales collection).

Goyo Salas
A cuatrista from Ponce that worked as a cuatrista and tresista in numerous groups from the Southern region of the Island, such as the Grupo Campesino of the great plena singer Toñín Romero; in 1949 with the great troubadour Arturo Silvagnoli and his group Aires de Borinquen; and in 1957 with the Ponce group Trio Primavera, with whom he recorded several recordings on the Casa Greco label. Goyo Salas also appeared on radio, playing during the fifties in the famous program, Fiesta en el Batey.

Hear Nicanor Zayas play here

Nicanor Zayas
(1910-2009)

Even though Nicanor Zayas Berrios never recorded commercially, he is considered one of the most respected expert cuatrista of our times. Zayas was one of the first cuatristas that took the cuatro out of the jíbaro music sphere, opening its repertory to world and pop music of his day. His musical tastes were broad and all-encompassing: it included South American, North American and Mexican music--even movie tunes. His friend, the cuatrista Ray Vazquez told us of Zayas:  "A living legend at 98 years of age, he was very influential to cuatro players of the mountainous regions of central Puerto Rico (Ciales- his native town, Morovis, Orocovis, Barranquitas, etc.). I would quickly reference him any day I am asked to produce cuatro music that sounds “authentically Puerto Rican”. His rapid triplet scales and punchy right hand execution is a very idiomatic style which I have incorporated into my “jíbaro-style” interpretations, which is also a trademark of Francisco”Pancho” Ortíz Piñeiro, his counterpart in the Musica Jíbara style (Don Nicanor leaned more toward instrumental and popular tunes). He has shared with me a numerous amount of his compositions and advice, and I am honored by his friendship, as well as that of his beautiful family."

Edgardo Miranda
(1952 -2009)
A truly excellent cuatro and guitar player who was also a skilled composer and arranger. He traveled through Puerto Rico, the Caribbean, the Americas and the world, with great Jazz artists as well as traditional and pop musicians. He also appeared on television, and on Broadway. As a founding member of the seminal s Pleneros de la 21, Edgardo was a key figure in the originality, development and popularity of the group. Edgardo Miranda was doubtlessless one of the best Latino jazz guitarists and one of the most innovate artists on the Puerto Rican cuatro. His untimely departure represents a great loss to Puerto Rican music and to his companions of the Pleneros de la 21, who he played with since the group's inception more than 25 years ago.
                                                          Translated from notes from www.fondaboricua.com