Luis Abreu Hernández

Cuban percussionist and singer. Founder of Los Papines, a legendary group in Cuban popular culture.

He began his artistic career as a substitute percussionist for various groups with which he participated in activities at various nightclubs in the capital. He subsequently joined the Conjunto Los Papines, with which he has remained to the present day.

He became involved in Artistic Education as a professor at the ENA. For more than four decades, he has been a fervent promoter throughout the world of the best values of our culture. He holds, among others, the distinctions Raúl Gómez García and Por la Cultura Nacional.

Los Papines are an emblem throughout the entire world. That group had to be respected in the world of rumba and dance. Their performances became indispensable in almost all shows of authentic Cuban music both in Cuba and outside of it. Television called on them time and again, and in other shows they were always called because it was known that saying Papines meant saying seriousness, discipline, and dedication to work, whatever it may be. They are, since their creation, one of the most well-known rumbera groups in Cuba and abroad for the quality and originality of their musical interpretations, in which they demonstrate themselves to be true masters of Cuban percussion.

These ambassadors of Cuban music have made many people dance with Cuban percussion in various countries, including France, Japan, Russia, Canada, Germany, Mexico, the United States... And they have recorded numerous albums, in addition to their countless performances on radio and TV. After almost 50 years of artistic career, they continue to be a reference in the field of Afro-Cuban and Afro-Caribbean percussion. With just five musicians they command the stage and create a unique spectacle, delighting the audience, combining the most genuine manifestations of rumba, whether in theater or cabaret.

Following the death of Ricardo Abreu, the group has been renewed with the incorporation of two brand new figures, belonging to the youngest generation of family musicians. This has given a more modern turn to their performances, reaching magistral interpretations of a jazzy nature.

He held, among others, the distinctions Raúl Gómez García and Por la Cultura Nacional. He was awarded the Alejo Carpentier Medal in 2002, which is awarded to Cuban and foreign citizens in recognition of relevant merits achieved and the work they carry out in the enrichment of national culture.

Luís Abreu died at the age of 73, on Tuesday, April 17, 2012 in Havana following a surgical intervention to which he was subjected, which was not tolerated by his heart.