Julio Brito

Julio Brito (Julio Valdés-Brito Ibáñez) was born in Havana (Cuba) on January 21, 1908. From his earliest childhood he showed great aptitude for music. He studied music with Pedro Sanjuán (1887-1976), a famous Spanish musician and teacher, who gave him an excellent musical education. In 1924, at the age of 16, he joined Don Azpiazu's orchestra as a saxophonist, a very successful orchestra on the island of Cuba. In addition to the saxophone, he learned to play the guitar, drums, vibraphone, piano and studied conducting, an art in which he remained for most of his musical life. Julio also learned to sing professionally, which allowed him to perform his compositions himself. He recorded his songs for different record labels, among others RCA Victor. Some recordings for RCA were made on the CMQ channel in Havana, in the program "Buenas noches, mi amor", where he performed. Maestro Brito was one of the first conductors of Cuban radio, (founded by the Telephone Company of Cuba) and conducting for RHC-Cadena Azul, specifically for CMBF Radio Universal, which was located at 159 Prado Street in Havana. He also conducted his orchestra at nightclubs in Havana, such as the "Cabaret Parisien" of the Hotel Nacional, the Casino Nacional, the Casino de La Playa, the Casablanca and the Encanto Theater. In the United States, he performed in Hollywood for Max Factor. The Siboney Orchestra made the first broadcast of popular dance music from radio station CMC (formerly PWX), broadcast by the BBC chain of stations in London and by WEAF in New York City on November 14, 1931. In 1932 the Siboney Orchestra toured Europe, performing in Spain, France and Portugal in the company of the Trio Matamoros, the Spanish dancer "Granito de Sal" and the rumbera Yolanda González. On August 8, 1932 they embarked for Spain aboard the steamship "Reina del Pacífico". The news of the Diario de la Marina highlighted on the eve of their departure that "...they will disembark in Santander and tour the main cities of that Republic". In Spain the debut took place at the Salón Victoria, in Santander, on Sunday, August 21, 1932. The newspaper El Cantábrico, narrates the impact of the so-called Orquesta Típica Siboney, the Trío Matamoros and the dancers, Yolanda González and the Spanish "Granito de Sal". They also performed at the Teatro Iris, in Ávila, where the press described the Siboney and the Trío Matamoros as "among the best in their genre". In Oviedo, they perform at the Teatro Novedades. In September 1932 they performed at the Circo Price, in Madrid. During this tour Julio joined the SGAE and recorded some songs with his voice, together with the Siboney Orchestra, for the Spanish label Regal. In November 1932, the Madrid newspaper La Libertad announces two records by Alfredo Brito and the Siboney Orchestra with the Regal label: DK8.714 "En el silencio de la noche" (author: Abelardo Barroso) and "La dichosa suegra" (by Julio Brito) and DK 8.715 "Adiós chamaquita" (Julio Brito) and "El panquelero" (Abelardo Barroso). In France they performed at the Montmartre, the Ambassador and the Empire. They perform with Maurice Chevalier. The Siboney Orchestra was an immediate success. It was one of the first Cuban orchestras to triumph in the Old Continent. Julio Brito "The melodic painter of Cuba" During the decades from 1920 to 1940, Julio developed an intense activity as a composer, creating songs that would become very popular all over the world. His first known songs were "Tus lágrimas" and "Florecita". In 1931, his song "Ilusión china" made him very popular. Somewhat later, in the 1930s, he composed "Mira que eres linda", a classic bolero recorded by great interpreters, even today. Some performers who have recorded versions of this bolero by Julio Brito: Pedro Vargas, Antonio Machín, Raphael, Alfredo Sadel, Virginia Maestro, Carlos Sadness, Najwa Nimri, etc. (see Discography) From this period are also his creations: “Acurrurrucadita”, “Trigueñita”, “Flor de ausencia” (great success in the voice of Panchito Riset), "Si yo pudiera hablarte" or "Cuando te acuerdes de mí", song that Tito Gómez interpreted at the age of 17 (1937), in his radio debut in "La Corte Suprema del Arte", Cuban radio contest destined to the discovery of new talents of which he would turn out to be winner. Julio Brito is known as “The melodic painter of Cuba”, for having been one of the musical authors who most beautifully described the Cuban countryside in his songs. He was the creator of the "guajira de salón", providing peasant music with magnificent orchestrations. Among the many compositions he dedicated to the Cuban countryside are “Rinconcito criollo”, “Serenata guajira”, “Allá en mi finquita”, “Oye mi guitarra”, “Amor Siboney”, and what would become one of his most famous creations: “El amor de mi bohío", which Julio premiered in 1937 at the Eden Concert cabaret in Havana. The great success achieved by this guajira by Julio Brito is reflected in the words of René Cabel, in an interview conducted by Don Galaor for Bohemia magazine, on June 9, 1940 (page 54) Question: Answer: Some performers who have recorded versions of "El amor de mi bohío": Pedro Vargas, Guillermo Portabales, Juan Legido, Trío Matamoros, Tito Gómez with the Orquesta Riverside, Los Panchos, Xiomara Alfaro, Omara Portuondo, Tito Puente, Olga Guillot, Oscar Chávez, Barbarito Diez with the Antonio María Romeu's Orchestra, Jonah Jones. (see Discography) Music for movies Julio Brito composed music for several films. Among them it is worth mentioning: • "Tam, Tam o El origen de la Rumba" (1938), in which he can be seen as a singer of the Siboney Orchestra, around minute 00:03:57 of the film. Note: After a private screening at the Fausto theater, Germinal Barral wrote in Bohemia: “Tam, Tam is in cinematography what the poem is in literature”. • "It's a Date" (1938). Song “It happened in Kaloha". Lyrics in Spanish by Julio Brito. • "Balalaika" (1939). Song "At the Balalaika". Lyrics in Spanish by Julio Brito. • "Irene" (1940). Song "Alice blue gown". Lyrics in Spanish by Julio Brito. • "Embrujo antillano" (1946), where Blanquita Amaro y María Antonieta Pons performed his song "¡Ay, cómo no!" as a duet, which can be heard at around minute 01:32:00 of footage. • "El amor de mi bohío" (1947), film written and directed by Juan Orol, inspired by the popular love ballad created by Julio Brito. The song plays as the opening theme of the film, while the credits roll. • "Una mujer de Oriente" (1950). In this film, among other compositions by Julio Brito, you can hear his song "Evocación al mar", performed by Rosa Carmina. • "El campeón ciclista" (1956). This Mexican film, uses "El amor de mi bohío" as part of the soundtrack. At approximately minute 00:57:29 a fragment of the song can be heard. It is relevant to note that the scriptwriter uses "El amor de mi bohío" to identify the Cuban cycling team, which illustrates to what extent Julio Brito's creation is associated worldwide with the image of his native island. Radio and television scripts Julio Brito also wrote scripts for television and radio. == Discography ==