Porfirio Mariol Sagarra

Porfirio Mariol Sagarra, known as "Fico", was born on April 2, 1943, in the Los Hoyos neighborhood of Santiago de Cuba. He started on piano as a child despite losing part of a finger in an accident, then moved to trumpet and trombone, largely teaching himself the trombone.

From 1960 he played with Los Taínos, a band that worked Santiago's cabarets and dances and toured Europe and the Americas in the 1970s. In 1983 he joined Orquesta Los Karachi, where he stayed for 32 years and became director; his trombone was part of the band's signature sound in the 1980s.

He spent about ten years performing in Mexico before returning to Santiago, where, after retiring, he kept playing son and traditional music with the group Los Jubilados. He also played with the Orquesta Típica Tradicional. His death in Santiago de Cuba was announced on November 1, 2026.