Antonio Machín

An operatic tenor who broke the color barrier in one of Cuba's most prestigious orchestras, and a musical ambassador to the United States and Europe, Antonio Machín was a pivotal figure in the history of Cuban music who is not always remembered as such. While perhaps the greatest sonero of the pre-war era, his recorded output from this period is frustratingly uneven. Several discs document Machín's career between 1929 and 1938, a prolific period when the superb quality of his best performances was not often equaled. Machin was also by nature an itinerant soul, which may accoun...