PeruchÃn
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Biography
Born in Banes, Cuba on January 31, 1913, pianist, bandleader, and composer Pedro Nolasco Jústiz RodrÃguez was better known by his stage name PeruchÃn. His jazz-influenced form of Cuban music and his involvement in Havanaâs descarga scene in the 1950s had made him one of the most influential Cuban pianists of all time. When he was young, he studied saxophone and piano but eventually had to abandon the sax due to his asthma. His family relocated to Santiago de Cuba in 1933, where he would eventually join Orquesta ChepÃn-Chovén. In the 1940s, he played with several different ensembles in Cuba including Los Trovadores del Tono, Orquesta Casino de la Playa, Los Swing Boys, Conjunto Matamoros, Trio Matamoros, and Armando Romeuâs Tropicana Club. During the second half of the â40s, he moved to Panama and performed with various musical projects before returning to Havana by the end of the decade. PeruchÃn became even more active in the Havana music scene. He performed with Julio Gutiérrezâs orchestra, double bassist Alfredo León, and Orquesta Riverside. PeruchÃn joined Benny Moréâs Banda Gigante in 1953. He became a popular contributor to many of the local improvisational jam sessions â known as descargas â before releasing his debut album, His Piano and Rhythm Accompaniment, in 1954. He continued to perform with various artists throughout the â50s, encouraging and supporting many artists like Julio Gutiérrez, Chico O'Farrill, Emilio Peñalver, and others. PeruchÃn still found time to record his own albums including The Incendiary Piano of PeruchÃn (1961) and Guantanamera (1965). As the 1960s came to a close, he worked more with jazz groups and became less involved in the local Havana scene. He continued to perform and record occasionally, releasing the album Piano y Ritmo in 1975. PeruchÃn died on December 24, 1977.
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