Antonio Arcaño Betancourt (Atarés, Havana 29 December 1911 – 1994) was a Cuban flautist, bandleader and founder of Arcaño y sus Maravillas, one of Cuba's most successful charangas. He retired from playing in 1945, but continued as director of the group until its dissolution in 1958.[1][2] Despite his early retirement due to health problems, he is considered one of the most influential flautists in Cuba.[3]
After leaving La Maravilla del Siglo, a very popular charanga, Arcaño founded La Maravilla de Arcaño, later known as Arcaño y sus Maravillas. The band featured the López brothers, Israel López "Cachao" and Orestes López, composers and multi-instrumentalists that originated the danzón-mambo, the direct precursor of the mambo, through compositions such as "Rareza de Melitón", "Se va el matancero" and, above all, "Mambo", the piece that lent its name to the genre.[4][5] Arcaño was posthumously inducted into the International Latin Music Hall of Fame in 2000.[6]
^Díaz Ayala, Cristóbal (Fall 2013). "Orquesta Maravilla de Arcaño"(PDF). Encyclopedic Discography of Cuban Music 1925-1960. Florida International University Libraries. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
