Porfirio "Fico" Mariol, the trombone behind Los Karachi's sound, dies in Santiago de Cuba

Foto: Photo: EcuRed

November 2, 2026

Santiago de Cuba musician Porfirio Mariol Sagarra, known to everyone as "Fico", has died in his home city. His death was announced on Sunday, November 1, by the Miguel Matamoros music and entertainment agency, which sent its condolences to his family and the arts community. He was 83, based on the birth date listed by EcuRed.

A trombonist, arranger and composer, Mariol joined Orquesta Los Karachi in 1983, one of the most popular dance bands in eastern Cuba. He stayed for 32 years and eventually became its director. In the 1980s his trombone was a core part of the brass sound that defined the band.

Before that, he had played from 1960 with Los Taínos, the Santiago cabaret orchestra he toured several countries with in the 1970s, and he later spent about ten years performing in Mexico. He was also a member of the Orquesta Típica Tradicional.

Retirement did not put the horn away. With the group Los Jubilados, "Fico" kept playing son and traditional music in some of Santiago's best-known public spaces, including Enramadas street, Garzón avenue and Plaza de Marte.

Fuente: Empresa Comercializadora de la Música y los Espectáculos Miguel Matamoros; CubitaNOW; La Antena; EcuRed

Porfirio Mariol Sagarra

Musician, Composer, Arranger, Music

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.