Graciano Gómez Vargas

Performer, composer, flutist and guitarist. When we speak of son composers, Graciano is almost always overlooked, yet he contributed important pieces to the rich body of this genre.

He was born in Havana, Cuba on February 28, 1895. He died on May 22, 1980.

His father, Marcial, was a tobacco worker, and Graciano inherited the trade; his mother, Mercedes, was a homemaker. His inclination toward music came from Juvenal, his paternal uncle, who was a singer and guitarist.

In 1909 he began studying flute with Máximo del Castillo and, later, with Ramón Donadio, he began learning guitar technique.

By 1912 he was already considered a skilled guitar player, to such a degree that he dared to accompany troubadours of the caliber of María Teresa Vera, Oscar Hernández and Manuel Luna.

Because he lived near the Vista Alegre café, which was located on Belascoaín and Malecón streets, he frequented that place where Havana's aristocratic bohemia gathered in the early twentieth century. There such figures as Gustavo Sánchez Galarraga, Alberto Yarini and Eduardo Robreño would meet and converse with the troubadours. Manuel Luna, Sindo Garay, Isaac Oviedo, Oscar Hernández and Manuel Corona would go there to make a living singing their songs.

Artistic Career

In 1920 he participates in the inauguration of the Italian cabaret-restaurant Lido-Benice, as a singer with the Curbelo Orchestra and the duo Los Americanos.

In 1921 he travels to Miami with the Marina Band and the Cuban Troubadours Quartet, made up of:

Miguel Zaballa
Guámaro del Castillo
Santiago Small (tres player)
Pepe Luis, (El Americano)
Later he performed on PWX for the Cuban Telephone Company, participated in the inauguration of Radio Salas and performed at the Jockey Club and Cabaret Montmartre.

In 1931 he founded, with Isaac Oviedo, the Selecto quintet, made up of:

Isaac Oviedo, (guitar and director)
Graciano Gómez, (tres)
Juan Cisneros, (bass)
Rolando Scott, (piano)
Zafir Palma, (singer)
Later Barbarito Diez replaced Zafir as singer. With this group they performed at the Vedado Tennis Club. Also, with Isaac Oviedo, he created the Septeto Matancero.

In 1933 he toured:

San Juan, Puerto Rico — in this country he inaugurates the casino of the Escambrón Club
Santo Domingo
Haiti
Jamaica
New York, (performed from 1938 to 1939)
As an accompanying guitarist, Graciano Gómez ornamented his harmonies with contrapuntal effects, almost always made up of double strings and contrary motion, which characterized him as a guitarist.

He wrote very good lyrics and beautiful melodies. He performed alongside:

Sindo Garay
Manuel Corona
Ernesto Lecuona
Rita Montaner
María Teresa Vera

Works

[List of compositions by genre follows in original format]