Biography

Orquesta Revé (once known as "El Charangón de Elito Revé") is one of the most influential, globally renowned groups in Cuban music history. Founded in the mid-'50s by timbalero/composer/arranger Elio Revé Matos (1930-1997), affectionately called "the Father of Salsa," they became a musical training ground for seven generations of musicians. Among them were pianist Chucho Valdes and singer Ibrahim Ferrer. The bands Ritmo Oriental, Los Van Van, Los Dan Den, and Los 440 were all created by former members of Revé's groups. Their sound wed popular, pre-revolutionary urban son to the folk roots of changüí music from Eastern Cuba, employing hand drums and other percussion instruments, violins, horns, guitars, tres, flutes, vocals, etc. in a new approach to dance music. They recorded dozens of albums beginning with 1968's De Habana a Lima Con la Orquesta Revé. 1987's La Explosion Del Momento was licensed by Peter Gabriel's Real World for international release. The band toured the world many times. Elio Revé was killed in a car accident in 1997, but the group continued with his son taking the lead. Elito Revé Jr. y Su Charangón released a string of albums that carried on the band's tradition, while also, as on 2022's Evolucion 6.5, adding updated elements. Elio Revé Matos was born in the rural community of Baracoa in the Guantánamo region on Cuba's eastern tip. He began playing timbales at an early age, and as a teen became a professional musician playing with changüí groups while becoming obsessively interested in Havana's urban son variants he'd heard on the radio. At 25, he moved to the city and began integrating himself into the local scene. In 1956, he formed Elio Revé y Su Ritmo Changüí, the first incarnation of Orquesta Revé. They got club and festival work almost immediately, and in 1958 they issued the singles "Como Pita El Camión" and "Se Va Pa'l Monte." Both received airplay. Later that year, the band quit en masse to form Ritmo Oriental. Revé had no choice but to start over. Working his band to expand the reach of changüí and to graft it onto son, the well-rehearsed and road-tested band signed to Egrem. Juan Formell (founding member of Los Van Van) joined the band as their musical director in 1968. He immediately set about modernizing their approach with an orchestrated, more electric pop sound that recalled the productions of Anglo stars Petula Clark and Lulu. Their singles from the period put Revé on the map. The four-track Changüí 68 EP was composed by Formell and netted the radio hits "El Martes" and "Qué Bolá Qué Bolón." Tu Amor y El Sol, a second EP issued that year, netted the hit "Fifí, Teté Y Popó." Formell left in 1970, and the band returned to their more traditional charanga sound on several singles. Their proper debut album, De Habana a Lima Con la Orquesta Revé, arrived in 1971 and won great popularity across Latin America for the singles "La Batea" b/w "Dominga" and "Todo Es Nuevo" b/w "La Ultima Canción." 1973's Charanga Con Funky, dominated the Cuban airwaves and won popularity across the Caribbean for its soulful pop charanga. The group closed the book on their initial pop period with 1974's Orquesta Revé as their bandleader began experimenting with textures, sounds, and instrumentation. 1980's Elito Revé y Su Ritmo Changüí was the first album to showcase Orquesta Revé's timeless meld of modern and traditional, rural and urban, with bongos, tres, and three trombones expanding the typical charanga lineup (critics soon drafted the term "charangón" to describe it). Largely arranged by pianist Manolo Coipel, who also wrote several songs, the set offered energetic fun on dance jams such as "Negra Con Pelo," "Matingo," and "Mi Changüí," and netted a hit single with the love song "A Mí." The band toured incessantly for the next several years, during which time they underwent more lineup changes. Rumberos Latinoamericanos appeared in 1985. One of their most highly regarded albums, the lineup was directed by pianist/arranger Juan Carlos Alfonso. More than half of its tunes were released as singles, including the propulsive "Ruñidera" and "Sé Que Tú Sabes Que Yo Sé." In 1986, Orquesta Revé played a world tour that took them to Europe and North and South America. The following year, they released La Explosión Del Momento. Their best-known album, it was licensed and distributed by Peter Gabriel's Real World Records. The band also went to England to take part in the Real World Festival, performing and collaborating with artists from across the globe in studio and on-stage. The following year, the band issued De Nuevo, a collection of re-recordings, with a bonus eight-song medley by songwriting Cuban vice president Juan Almeida. 1989's ¡Que Cuento Es Ese! was the last album directed and arranged by Alfonso-- who soon left to create Los Dan Den. His songs --"La Gente No Se Puede Aguantar" and "Más Viejo Que Ayer Má Joven Que Mañana" -- along with the title track and "¡Que Te Importa A Tí," all won airplay in Cuba and the Caribbean. Pianist/arranger Antonio Gómez replaced Alfonso for 1990's Suave Suave, a South American and Canadian hit thanks to the title cut and title track and "Anda y Recógela." Orquesta Revé toured virtually everywhere but the U.S. in support. 1993's Papá Eleguá was the final album to include Revé. His son Elio Revé, Jr. joined on piano, and the set was arranged by Reyner Ardiles. Its notable hits, "Changui Maria" and "Pupú Chan Chan," became performing standards. In the 1994 single "Suave, Suavito," Reve dismissed the plentiful Havana rumors of his impending demise. On July 23, 1997, however, he was killed in a freak accident while on tour. After his death, his son carried on the band's history with Elito Revé Jr y Su Charangón. They cut Changüí en la Casa de Nora in 1999, and toured the globe playing jazz festivals. The traditional opening title track, the burning "Soy Revé," and "Muévete Pa' Qui" showcased the continued high quality of compositions and arrangements. Changüí Homenaje 45 Años offered a redone, uptempo collection of band standards from their catalog framed in modern charts and production. The album sold well in South America and Europe. 2005 saw the release of the studio offering Se Sigue Comentando and the live Con la Mano en la Masa. With new bassist and musical director Aisar Hernández, they issued another pair of albums in 2007: Fresquecito became something of an international smash after its title track single, the bassist's "La Viuda," and a stellar remake of the 40-year-old "El Martes" propelled it to the charts. They followed it at the end of the year with the DVD release En Concierto. 2010's ¿De Qué Estamos Hablando? offered a host of redone Orquesta Revé classics -- "Ya Sé Cantar, Ya Sé Bailar" and "La Boda En Bicicleta" -- alongside bracing modern compositions such as "Elegia a Elio Revé Matos," in tribute to their founder. The set was populated with special guests including pianist and former member Chucho Valdés and vocalist Kola Loka. La Aplanadora De Cuba offered new and redone tunes. It appeared in 2014 but drew notice only in Cuba, where it landed inside the Top Ten. Elito Revé Jr. y Su Charangón continued touring Latin America and Europe, and performing across Cuba. 2016's acclaimeded, kinetic La Salsa Tiene Mi Son won the band airplay and touring opportunities in the continental U.S., Canada, and Mexico and charted across the Caribbean. Its title-track single, Yo Me Muero en La Habana, appeared to global acclaim in 2018 and was followed by the star-studded Uea! in 2019. The set included a host of guest singers including El Micha, El Nene, and Ronald Gonzalez. It, too, charted in Cuba, reaching number three. In February 2022, the band issued Evolucion 6.5 to mark 65 years of continuous musical activity. It offered a modern approach, with lush trombones, layered percussion, multi-tracked tres, and choral vocals that lay deep in the Afro-Cuban cut. The songs "El Domino" and "Maria Belen" charted because of their compelling and frequent rhythmic changes, while the redo of 1989's "Mas Viejo Que Hier" reminded listeners of the band's rich and colorful history. ~ Thom Jurek, Rovi