Rafael Lay, the Aragón Orchestra and their legacy in Cuban music

The Aragon Orchestra was founded in Cienfuegos, in 1939, by the prominent musician Orestes Aragon. Their music has the traditional characteristic sound of the Cuban son and its main leader was Rafael Lay Apesteguía.

Lay was born on August 17, 1927, into a humble family in Cienfuegos. He showed musical talent from an early age. He received his first violin as a gift at the age of nine, but had to interrupt his studies due to financial difficulties.

He continued learning his instrument and became the first violin of the Aragón Orchestra at 13 years of age. Throughout his career, he stood out as a violinist, conductor, arranger and composer.

His leadership led to Aragon Orchestra to achieve a characteristic sound that he preserves to this day and that allowed him to achieve great popularity and worldwide fame.

In his history the Aragon Orchestra It has numerous awards, the most recent being the Latin Grammy for best Traditional Tropical Album with the disk Cha Cha Chá: Tribute to the traditional, in 2021.

Rafael Lay He left a significant musical legacy in Cuban Culture, being recognized for his arrangements and compositions, such as the famous boleros "Nosotros" by Pedro Junco and "Noche azul" by Ernesto Lecuona.

In addition to his work with the Aragon Orchestra, Lay also directed other groups and provided advice to various groups and orchestras. He died in a car accident on August 13, 1982 on the Trinidad-Cienfuegos highway, leaving a lasting legacy in Cuban music.

Reasons to remember Rafael Lay and enjoy the Aragón Orchestra

1. The Aragon Orchestra It genuinely represents Cuban son, danzón, bolero and cha cha chá.
2. Over the course of more than eighty years, Cuban music figures such as Benny More, Damaso Pérez Prado and Felix Chapotín.
3. The three directors of the group have been: the founder, Orestes Aragón Quintero, the successor, Rafael Lay and his son Rafelito Lay Bravo. They have created their own sound, a unique style and have known how to respect tradition and remain faithful to that sound for decades.
4. The Aragon Orchestra He has performed on important international stages such as the Lincoln Center in New York; at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory, Moscow; at the Olympia, Paris; and at Expo '70, held in Osaka, Japan, among many others.
5. They have toured Japan, the United States, France, Spain, Germany, Colombia, Mexico, Chile, the Soviet Union, Venezuela, Egypt, Guatemala and Angola, among more than twenty countries.
6. The group maintains its charanguero format with 14 musicians on stage, four violins, güiros, timpani, piano and voices.
7. The directors have maintained a premise of teamwork. The orchestra is a sum of talents and creations with a common goal "Let the Aragón Orchestra be the one that shines".
8. It is a group with three successive generations of musicians, more than 700 recorded songs and around one hundred albums.
9. Whoever listens to Aragón remembers the inimitable sound of her violins and flute.
10. UNESCO declared the Aragón Orchestra as Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2005.

The Aragón sound is part of the collective imagination of Cubans. He was associated for decades with Radio Progreso and the popular space Alegrías de sobremesa, now defunct.

The repertoire of the Aragon Orchestra It includes traditional Cuban songs such as El bodeguero, Nuestros, Cachita, Pare Cochero, Son de la loma, Guajira con tumbao, Yo no bailo con Juana, Calculadora, Si saber danza mi son and El paso de Encarnación, among many others.