Abdón Senén Suárez Hernández

Outstanding composer, guitarist, arranger, and writer.

He was born in Manguito, a small town in the province of Matanzas, into a humble family. His first encounter with music came through a phonograph in his home where he listened to recordings of the Septeto Habanero.

He received his first lessons on the Cuban tres at a young age from Sabino Peñalver. At the end of the 1930s, he joined various musical groups in Matanzas. As a teenager, he performed in the Orchestra of Los Hermanos Valladares, where Pérez Prado occasionally came to strengthen the orchestra at town celebrations. Around this time, he composed his first songs.

He moved to Havana, where to survive he worked as a dental technician, messenger, fruit vendor, and self-taught himself to play guitar, without forgetting the tres.

During that period, he joined several small-format groups, winning first prize with one of them in a popular radio program called "La Corte Suprema del Arte."

Later, with Luisito Pla, he joined the trio "Luisito Pla y sus guaracheros" playing the tres for a period of three years. Subsequently, with the presence of Tony Tejera and Gerardo Pedroso, they formed the Caonabo trio and then established the "Conjunto Colonial" together with singer Nelo Sosa and pianist Carlos Faxa, among other musicians. With this group, 20 works were recorded at PANART, which was the group's purpose for forming, and it later disbanded.

Senén then continued with the Trío Caonabó, but this time with Orlando Vallejo, Tony Tejera, and sometimes Roberto Valdés on bass and Puerto Rican trumpeter Celso Vega, taking the name "Quinteto Celso Vega," which had a program on the radio station RCH Cadena Azul. After a period, Celso Vega returned to New York, while Ñico Saquito proposed to the quartet to create "Los Guaracheros de Oriente," with which they made more than twenty recordings on RCA Víctor, premiering works by Ñico Saquito and Celia Romero, among other composers.

Occasionally, Senén joined Luisito Plat to work in Film, Theater, and Radio. Master Ernesto Grenet attended one of their performances and proposed that they join his group, which worked at Tropicana. However, Luisito Plat and Gerardo declined since they had other means of livelihood, while Senén did join the group.

Cabaret Tropicana (1948-1958)
He alternated with personalities such as Bebo Valdés, Nat King Cole and Carmen Miranda, Rita Montaner, Bola de Nieve, Libertad Lamarque, Ana Gloria and Rolando, among others.

In 1950, on a tour of Venezuela, he met Celia Cruz and they became friends. The renowned singer would later interpret several of his works. Upon returning from the tour, Ernesto Grenet gave him the group after his retirement and they made their first presentation at "Rio Club," after which they were immediately recalled to return to Tropicana. His musical interests and desire for improvement led him to study music theory, solfège, and counterpoint—studies that allowed him to develop as an arranger and director. During this period, pianist Rubén González joined his group, as well as singers Laíto Sureda and Orlando Vallejo.

In 1950, with the Puchito label, he included on his first album as "Conjunto Senén Suárez" the theme "Guaguancó Callejero," which enjoyed great acceptance internationally. He remained in the first line as the dance orchestra of Cabaret Tropicana for around ten years.

The Combo of Senén Suárez
Between 1958 and 1959, he formed a new format and began playing electric guitar. Likewise, he performed on the most popular and prestigious stages of Havana's nightlife during those years, accompanying artists of the caliber of La Lupe, Paulina Álvarez, among others. During this period, many musicians opted for Jazz, but Senén followed his then-reference "Arsenio Rodríguez," although to adjust to public demand, he then included drums, tumbadora, piano, and another singer, to be able to assume greater variety of genres.

After the triumph of the revolution, Senén and his combo continued performing at the Salón Rojo of the Cápri and at La Red. Portillo Scull began as a singer, and among the themes they made popular, "Canta lo Sentimental" by Urbano Gómez Montiel stands out. In 1967, he participated in Canada's international exposition, reaping great acceptance from the public, as well as an extension of the initially agreed stay. Upon his return, he developed a series of his own instrumental works and versions of internationally popular themes of the era, fused with Cuban and Caribbean rhythms, an initiative that had both good reception and criticism from extremists of the time.

For his part, Senén participated frequently in different radio and television programs. In the following years, the Senén Suárez combo was included in several artistic embassies around the world, bringing Cuban music to countries such as Canada, Indonesia, Angola, USSR, Nicaragua, Grenada, and Guinea.

He remained musically active until 1988, although he continues to be invited to different radio and television programs as a participant figure in the history of Cuban music.

Authorial Work
He has over a hundred works to his credit in different genres such as guaracha, son, bolero, and rumba. His works have been performed by internationally renowned artists such as Celia Cruz, Benny Moré, Laito Sureda, Oscar de León, La Orquesta Aragón, Orishas, and La Sonora Matancera, among others.

In 1997, he wrote the book "Las Raíces del Son," a research document on the history of the Septeto Habanero, along with a compilation of most of his discography. In recent years, he has dedicated himself to writing a series of articles about his experiences published in a music section of the Cuban cultural portal Cubarte.

Some of His Compositions
La Sopa en Botella
Reina rumba
El Barracón
Vallán Vallende
Columbia y Guaguancó
Ahí Na' Má
Los Pregones de San Cristóbal
La Esquina del Movimiento
Soy Campesino
Guasabeando el Rock and Roll
Bendita Imagen
Mi Bumbané
Tumbao Acaramelao
Dále Pepe
Sandunguéate
Eres Sensacional

Tours
Venezuela (1950)
Indonesia (1963)
Canada (1967)
Angola and USSR (1978)
Nicaragua (1980 and 1984)
Grenada (1981)
Guinea (1983)
Colombia. II International Carnival of the Arts (2008)

Basic Discography
Conjunto Colonial, Director: Senén Suárez, vocals, Nelo Sosa, Ignacio (1946)
Conjunto Montecarlo, Director: Senén Suárez, vocals Orlando Vallejo, Senén and Laíto Sureda (1947)
Conjunto Senén Suárez, vocals Laíto Sureda, Senén and Raúl Fundora (1950)
Conjunto Senén Suárez, vocals Laíto Sureda, Senén and Raúl Fundora (1954)
Conjunto Senén Suárez, vocals Orlando Vallejo (1954)
Grupo de Senén Suárez, Members Tata Güines, Gustavo Tamayo, José Omero Balboa and El Pive (1958)
Conjunto Senén Suárez, vocals Portillo Scull (1960)
Conjunto Senén Suárez, L.D Tumbao Acaramelao, vocals Miguel Hernández, Laíto Sureda and Raúl Fundora, Guest Tata Gutiérrez, compilation of themes recorded in the 1950s, published in (1963)
Combo de Senén Suárez, L.D SON SON, vocals Laíto Sureda, EGREM (1967)
Combo de Senén Suárez (1967)
Combo de Senén Suárez (1971-1972)
Grupo Senén Suárez, vocals Laíto Sureda and Reynaldo, flute Joaquín Olivero (1973) (Not published, EGREM archives)
Combo de Senén Suárez (1978)
Combo Senén Suárez, L.D Un Pequeño Lugar (1979)
Combo Senén Suárez (1980)
Regreso Feliz (2002)