El Inolvidable

Cubop City Big Band

El Inolvidable.

El Inolvidable is the reverent nickname Tito Rodriguez was given after his passing in 1973.

The Big Three, as the top of New York Latin bandleaders Machito, Tito Puente and Tito Rodriguez was called, took the fusion of Bebop with Cuban music, also known as Cubop, as it emerged in New York City over the 40s to unprecedented heights, resulting in an enormous popularity of Latin big band music in the following years.

The Cubop City Big Band, who at its inception in 1995 took its name from this genre had

Machito's music as the primary source of inspiration.

After proceeeding with projects with musical themes ranging from latin music icons as Beny Moré, Arsenio Rodriguez, Grupo Afro Cuba and Tito Puente and collaborations with musicians such as Edy Martínez, Alfredo 'Chocolate' Armenteros, Andy González, Armando Peraza, Nelson González, Edmar Castañeda and Roberto Quintero, the time came for the band to complete the ‘Big Three’ theme with this album tribute to 'El Inolvidable’ Tito Rodriguez.

A number of well-known but also some relatively lesser-known compositions associated with Tito Rodriguez were selected and adapted by various arrangers including Colombian arranger Edy Martinez who previously contributed to Cubop City Big Band albums (Moré & More, Arsenio) and bandmembers pianist Marc Bischoff and trombone player Ilja Reijngoud who have been writing intesively for the band during recent projects such as EWF Latino, Que Sensación.

When compiling the repertoire, we delved into Tito's extensive oeuvre, and were once again impressed byTito’s musicianship, the class, the consistent quality and high level of his musical performances over the years.

The standards for soneros, or Latin singers, in terms of timbre, phrasing and timing, have been set high by Tito, allways executed with an apparent and deceptive ease that characterizes the true master, not to mention his super qualities as a timbalero. El Inolvidable, one of the greatest artists and natural musicians from the Latin world, hereby honored by us, The Cubop City Big Band with this album.