. Armenteros was born on 4 April 1928, in
Santa Clara,
Las Villas Province, Cuba. He first began playing in a band led by the sonero/
composer René Álvarez called
Conjunto Los Astros and soon after with
Arsenio Rodríguez. The nickname "Chocolate" was bestowed on him owing to a case of mistaken identity, when someone took him for
Kid Chocolate, the champion boxer. After the
Cuban Revolution, Armenteros moved to New York, where he lived until his death. Armenteros went on to play with
José Fajardo,
Beny Moré,
Tito Puente,
César Concepción,
Machito,
Wynton Marsalis,
Eddie Palmieri,
Marcelino Guerra,
Charlie Palmieri, John Santos,
Israel "Cachao" López,
Noro Morales,
Johnny Pacheco, and many others. He was a member of
La Sonora Matancera from 1977 to 1980. He died of prostate cancer on 6 January 2016, aged 87. Following his death, the corner of Third Avenue and East 122nd Street in
East Harlem was co-named Alfredo "Chocolate" Armenteros Way. The location was selected because Armenteros was a resident of the Taino Towers apartments for 30 years until his death. ==Discography==