Rafael Ithier

Rafael Ithier Nadal[1][note 1] (born August 29, 1926) is a Puerto Rican salsa musician and the founder of the highly successful orchestra El Gran Combo.[2] Ithier was born in Río Piedras, now a part of the municipality of San Juan.[3] In 2016, Ithier celebrated his 90th birthday and was interviewed by a news outlet in Puerto Rico about his contributions to Puerto Rican music.[4]

Early years

Raised in Río Piedras, Puerto Rico, he showed a passion for music at a very young age. His father, Nicolas Ithier, played music together with Rafael Hernández, another of Puerto Rico's music legends. He served in the U.S. military.[4]

Musical career

Ithier Nadal became an expert guitarist in the bolero genre, and he was a member of the Tito Henriquez group, Taone. His sister Esperanza later inspired him to learn how to play the piano.

Ithier Nadal and his namesake, Rafael Cortijo, knew each other and formed a friendship at an early age; rumors of animosity would later surface but they both denied it, saying they considered themselves to be "like brothers." Ithier Nadal joined Cortijo's orchestra, "Cortijo y su Combo", during the 1950s. Before that, he was in a New York group named the "Borinqueneers Mambo Boys."

In 1977 Ithier Nadal worked as a music arranger on the debut album for the Puerto Rican ensemble band "Puerto Rico All Stars".

El Gran Combo

In 1962, Ithier Nadal formed "El Gran Combo", becoming the orchestra's leader. As of 2012, he was still the orchestra leader and continued to tour with the group.[5] On his 90th birthday he was interviewed and stated that El Gran Combo was successful because of their great discipline.[4]

References
  1. About us. Archived August 23, 2012, at the Wayback Machine El Gran Combo. San Juan, Puerto Rico. Retrieved September 3, 2012.
  2. Harris, Craig. "Biography: Rafael Ithier". Allmusic. Retrieved May 5, 2010.
  3. "Rafael Ithier – Fundación Nacional para la Cultura Popular; San Juan, Puerto Rico" (in Spanish).
  4. "Rafael Ithier celebra sus 90 años". Primera Hora. August 29, 2016.
  5. "13 Pop, Rock and Jazz Concerts to Check Out in N.Y.C. This Weekend". February 14, 2019 – via NYTimes.com.

Notes
  1. This article uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Ithier and the second or maternal family name is Nadal.

See also
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