Ñico Rojas

Guitarist and composer Ñico Rojas was the premier exponent of the Cuban filin movement, which fused traditional bolero rhythms with American jazz harmonies and melodies to reinvent the island's musical culture. Born José Antonio Rojas Beoto in Havana on August 3, 1921, he was the son of an architect and thus encouraged to pursue his interest in the arts, receiving his first guitar at age 13. Rojas' interest in formal musical training proved negligible, however, but while studying civil engineering at the University of Havana he returned to the guitar, teaching himself to play ...