Si al Gran Combo de Puerto Rico se le conoce como "La Universidad de la Salsa", al Conjunto Chappottín, desde hace 50 años, se le denomina "La Academia del Son". Conjunto Chappottin y sus Estrellas, one of the most renowned Son bands in Cuba, has performed internationally to the critical acclaim of many American, European and African fans.
The founding of the band dates back to the 1940s. It’s founder, Arsenio Rodríguez, was one the country's most famous band leader with major influences on the Latin jazz and Salsa music of the next decades. With his Conjunto he was the first to add reed and brass instruments to a latin band. When Arsenio Rodríguez left Cuba in 1950 to undergo an ophthalmology operation in New York to treat his eye disease, he handed the musical direction over to his first trumpet player, Felix Chappottin. The band was renamed "Felix Chappottin y su Conjunto Todos Estrellas". Felix Chappottin directed the band successfully until the year of his death in 1983. From 1983 until the 1990s his son Angel Chappottin Valdes was musical director. Since then the grandson of Felix Chappottin Jesus Angel Chappottin Coto has directed the “Conjunto Chappottin” together with singer and percussionist Miguelito Cuni Jr. Miguelito Cuni is the son of the former lead singer Miguel Cuni.
Conjunto Chappottin y sus Estrellas is one of the most renowned Son bands in cuba and has performed in the major Cuban music halls and in many american, european and african countries. The band dedicates to the traditional son with a variety of different stylistic elements such as son-montuno, guajira, guaracha, mambo, danzon, danzonette, charanga, afro-son, bembe, rumba (made up of yambu, columbia & guaguanco), and cha cha cha. With the additional horn group Arsenio Rodríguez changed the traditional setting of a son band. Arsenio was one of the most influential Cuban musicians of the last century and had major influences of the development of Salsa and latin jazz. In 1950, when Arsenio Rodríguez left Havana for New York, the band was renamed " Felix Chappottin y su Conjunto Todos Estrellas". Under the direction of Felix Chappottin, the successor of Arsenio Rodríguez and musical director of the band for more than 3 decades, who was often compared with Louis Armstrong, the band gained international reputation.
Musicians on "La Academia Del Son" By Conjunto Chappottin:
