Orlando "Cachaito" Lopez

Unlike many of his fellow members of the Buena Vista Social Club (a cadre of Cuban musicians immortalized in a popular 1998 Wim Wenders film), bassist Orlando “Cachaito” Lopez never stopped playing before his late-in-life revival. “It’s important to keep my fingers supple,” Lopez was caught saying in a 2001 interview, and his subtle, restrained, delicate style earned him a reputation as one of mambo circuit’s hidden greats. Also a member of the Afro-Cuban All Stars, Lopez didn’t release his first solo record until the age of 68; CACHAITO found the venerable bassist drawing on his Latin roots, but unafraid to explore new territory, as on the turntable-heavy “Cachaito in the Laboratory.” Lopez died in 2008 at age 75.
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