Juan Bruno Tarraza(1917-2001)

Juan Bruno Tarraza was born in Cuba in 1912. Not much is known about his beginnings but by the early 1940s he had achieved fame as a pianist and composer. He specialized in afro Cuban rhythms and developed a lively stage act to show off his virtuosity with the keyboard. Sometimes he would perform by himself and other times fronting his own band but either way he was quite popular on radio, cabaret and theaters appearing in the best venues all over the world. As a composer he wrote many romantic boleros which were recorded by the top vocalists of the era and became standards of the Latin America songbook. By the mid 1940s he became very popular in Mexico and settled down in that country. His music was featured in Mexican films and he guest starred in many movies from 1946 through 1960. In his long career he has also served as pianist and musical director to some of the most popular Latin performers including including Toña la Negra, Tongolele, Pedro Vargas and most notably Olga Guillot, Cuba's famous "queen of bolero" with whom Mr. Tarraza has had a successful and lasting collaboration for many years. The musician has also made an impact in recording studios turning out some great albums such as "Piano Tropical", "Piano Sabor" and "My Fair Lady Goes Latin." He remained active in show business way into the 2000s.