Biography

Afro-Cuban All Stars

The EGREM studio in Havana, March 1996: a septuagenarian pianist who no longer even owned an instrument, a bassist with legendary hands, and a dozen retired musicians take to the stage for a recording that will shake the world music scene. The man behind this improbable encounter, Juan de Marcos González — a hydraulic engineer who became the Quincy Jones of Cuba — had just realized his crazy dream: bringing together the old masters and the new generation in a single orchestra. As soon as the first chord was played, the destiny of all these artists shifted toward international glory.

In Brief


Project Name	Afro-Cuban All Stars
Founder / Leader	Juan de Marcos González (born Havana, 1954)
Origin	Cuba, Havana
Genre(s)	Cuban music: son montuno, bolero, mambo, danzón, timba
Signature Works	A Toda Cuba le Gusta, Distinto, Diferente
Awards	Grammy nomination 1998 (Best Tropical Latin Performance)

Key Dates

Year	Event
1954	Birth of Juan de Marcos González in Havana, son of a singer who played with Arsenio Rodríguez
1978	Co-founding of the group Sierra Maestra, dedicated to traditional Cuban son
1994	Recording of ¡Dundunbanza! for the label World Circuit and start of collaboration with Nick Gold
1996 (March)	Recording of A Toda Cuba le Gusta at the EGREM studios in Havana, with Rubén González and Orlando « Cachaíto » López
1997 (April)	Release of the first Afro-Cuban All Stars album, Grammy Awards nomination, and start of the European tour
1998	The documentary Buena Vista Social Club by Wim Wenders propels all these artists onto the world stage
1999	Release of Distinto, Diferente, second album with the addition of Omara Portuondo and Lina Borges
2021	Death of Juan de Marcos González (May 13); the orchestra continues under other leadership

From Sierra Maestra to International Glory

Juan de Marcos González grew up immersed in Cuban sounds: his father was a singer and had shared the stage with Arsenio Rodríguez. Fascinated by this music that the Cuban youth of the time neglected, he founded in 1978 the septeto Sierra Maestra. The group toured Europe and recorded fourteen albums on the island. In 1994, the London label World Circuit released ¡Dundunbanza! and Juan de Marcos began a collaboration with Nick Gold.

It was at this moment that the idea of an orchestra bringing together retired musicians from the habanera scene — Manuel « Puntillita » Licea, Pío Leyva, and Raúl Planas, all in their seventies — with young elite instrumentalists took root. « I wanted to mix generations, so that the experience of the elders and the energy of the youth would come together » (translated from English), he would explain. He chased down Rubén González, the legend of Cuban jazz without a piano at his disposal, and invited him to rehearse with Orlando « Cachaíto » López.

In 1996, Nick Gold invited guitarist Ry Cooder for an Afro-Cuban collaboration. Juan de Marcos assembled the lineup at the EGREM studios, but the Malian musicians could not obtain visas. The direction changed: the recording became A Toda Cuba le Gusta, followed by the Buena Vista Social Club sessions and Rubén González’s solo album. A Toda Cuba le Gusta was released in April 1997 and is often relegated to the shadow of its cousin. Yet, this big band of nearly sixty musicians blending bolero, mambo, danzón, and rumba demonstrates a youthful vitality.

The European tour that followed consecrated the Afro-Cuban All Stars on the stages of the Old Continent and at Carnegie Hall. The documentary by Wim Wenders (1998) propelled all these artists onto the world stage. The orchestra developed its own identity, refusing to limit itself to the sounds of the 1950s. From the end of the 1990s, the group integrated young voices like Pedro Calvo. Juan de Marcos created his label, DM Ahora, and continued the project: Step Forward (2005), Viva Mexico (2017) attest to creativity that is still very much alive. After the death of Juan de Marcos in May 2021, the orchestra continues, carrying this message — that roots are not a museum, but a nursery.

Major Works

Work	Year	Why It’s Essential
A Toda Cuba le Gusta	1997	First album, recorded at EGREM with nearly 60 musicians; Grammy nomination and showcase for reinvented traditional Cuban son
Distinto, Diferente	1999	Second album enriched with Omara Portuondo and Lina Borges; fusion between classic son and modern timba
Step Forward	2005	Produced on Juan de Marcos’s DM Ahora label, marks the will to move forward without retreating into nostalgia
Absolutely Live II	2017	Proof that the orchestra is still alive, documenting years of international tours

Legacy and Influence

The Afro-Cuban All Stars opened the door to generations of Cuban and Latin American musicians. Their model — mixing old and young, tradition and innovation — showed that Cuban music could evolve without renouncing its roots. Several members of the orchestra, including Ibrahim Ferrer, Rubén González, and Félix Baloy, led international solo careers. The group also contributed to rediscovering and relaunching voices like Caridad Hierrezuelo or Pedro Calvo. Even today, the orchestra serves as a showcase for Cuban music around the world.