Socarras was born in
Manzanillo, Cuba, in 1908, and started learning the
flute in 1915 with his mother, Dolores Estacio, and later joined the provincial music conservatory at
Santiago de Cuba. He completed his studies at the Timothy Music Conservatory in New York, gaining the equivalent title to a doctorate in music. In the middle 1920s he moved to Havana to join the theatre orchestra of
Arquimedes Pous, where his sister Estrella was playing the violin. He also played in one or two
Early Cuban jazz bands, before moving to the United States in 1927. In the US, he recorded with
Clarence Williams in 1927 with his first flute solo taking place on "Shooting the Pistol" on the Paramount label that year, making Socarras the earliest known jazz flute soloist (earlier even than
Wayman Carver). He played with
The Blackbirds revue between 1928 and 1933, and plays on
Lizzie Miles's 1928 recording "You're Such a Cruel Papa to Me". In 1933, he played with
Benny Carter, then led the all-female Cuban band
Anacaona on a tour of Europe in 1934. In 1935, he played with
Sam Wooding and led his own bands from 1935 into the 1940s; his sidemen included
Edgar Sampson and
Mongo Santamaría, and
Cab Calloway as a singer. Socarras also played with
Erskine Hawkins in 1937. He made one recording session in 1935, with four numbers. He also recorded for RCA Victor in 1947 and SMC Pro-Arte c. 1950. He recorded again in 1955, cutting Afro Cuban versions of four
Duke Ellington compositions. In 1956, Socarras recorded two LPs for Decca. In 1959, he appeared on the exotic
Tambo! LP by
Tito Puente for RCA Victor. In the 1950s, Socarras took part in
Rod Serling's
The Twilight Zone on TV, and offered concerts of cult music at the
Carnegie Hall in New York. In the 1960s, he dedicated himself to teaching, but also made some recordings. In 1983, he was filmed by
Gustavo Paredes playing the flute in a television documentary
Música. Socarras died aged 78 in
New York City on 26 August 1987. ==References==