José Curbelo

Pianist, bandleader, and manager José Curbelo was born in Havana; he had a Cuban mother and a father who had been raised in America and played violin with the Havana Philharmonic. At eight, Curbelo began two years of study under composer Pedro Menendez and then attended the Molinas Conservatory in Havana. At 16, he played in bands around Havana and helped form the Havana Riverside Orchestra. Following that group's tour of South America, he made his way to New York in 1940. In New York, Curbelo found work in various bands and appeared at the El Morocco, among other places. Jos...