Cachao Press Kit PDF
Cachao Press Kit PDF
Cachao Press Kit PDF
SYNOPSIS
A glimpse into the maestro’s life and music, “CACHAO: Uno Mas” pays tribute to one of the
greatest Afro-Cuban musicians of all time, Israel López ‘Cachao’. This 68-minute
documentary, produced by the DOC Film Institute at San Francisco State, features a live
concert in San Francisco and interviews with musical collaborators Andy Garcia, John Santos,
Ray Santos and Orestes Vilató who help trace Cachao's musical journey from his early days in
Cuba to worldwide fame and recognition.
In early March, 2005, Israel López ‘Cachao’ visited San Francisco as a participant and honoree
at a two-day celebration of Afro-Cuban culture entitled "To Cuba With Love." The event
included an exhibit of Cuban prints in the University's art gallery and the inauguration of the
International Center for the Arts, a program which began with a generous gift from SF State
alumni George and Judy Marcus, who wished to expand the University's profile in the arts in
the Bay Area.
“CACHAO: Uno Mas” is a tribute to this legendary musician who will turn 90 this spring.
—Stephen Ujlaki
Director, DOC Film Institute
In the formidable legacy of Cuban music, no one is more important than quintessential
bassist, Israel ‘Cachao’ López. Born in 1918 into a family of highly respected, classically
trained musicians and maestros, he became their most celebrated progeny. Raised in Havana
in the same house where legendary patriot, poet and revolutionary Jose Martí was born,
Cachao would revolutionize the heart of Cuban music. Few, if any, 20th century musicians or
composers have had the impact in their respective fields as Cachao. He is widely known as a
pioneer in the concept of the exciting descarga Cubana (Cuban jam session) that brought a
high level of spontaneous improvisation into a 150-year-old tradition of Cuban dance music,
and directed much attention to the rhythm section of bass, tumbadoras (conga drums),
timbales, bongos, and guiro (gourd scraper). But his innovations in the Cuban dance music
known as danzón, particularly within the charanga format (strings, flute, acoustic piano,
contrabass, and percussion) are what he considers most important and where his largest
contributions can be felt. By the later half of the 1930s before his 20th birthday, he and his
older brother Orestes were playing and composing for La Orquesta Maravilla de Fernando
Collazo, one of the most popular and professional charanga orchestras in Havana. Upon
Collazo's unexpected death in 1939, the orchestra continued under the directorship of flautist,
Antonio Arcaño, becoming one of the most influential charangas of all time. While playing
bass in this orchestra (and simultaneously holding down the principal bass chair in the
Havana Symphony), Cachao and Orestes developed the danzón de nuevo ritmo that was the
precursor of the world-renowned mambo, that was to become an international phenomenon
almost a decade later. Today those innovations are as relevant as ever, providing much of the
basis for contemporary Latin Jazz and Salsa.
This film is a glimpse into maestro Cachao's music, world and legacy, revealing the warmth,
humor and humility that have been his trademark for nine decades. He owned the 20th
century and amazingly, he hit the 21st running, releasing several CDs and touring in Europe,
South America, and the US since the turn of this century. He will undoubtedly go down in
history as one of the greatest artists of all time.
Andy Garcia has been honored for his work not only as an actor, but
also as a producer, director and composer/musician.
In 2006, he made his feature film directorial debut with “The Lost
City,” a project he had been developing for 17 years. It was
produced in association with Garcia’s production company, CineSon
Productions. Garcia composed the original score for the film and
also produced the soundtrack, which features several legends from
the Cuban music world.
“The Lost City” earned Garcia Best Director and Best Film Awards at
the 2006 Imagen Awards. He also just received a Best Director
Award nomination at the 2007 Alma Awards.
Garcia earlier garnered Academy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations for Best
Supporting Actor for his performance in Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Godfather: Part III” in
1990. He later received an Emmy Award nomination and his second Golden Globe Award
nomination for his portrayal of legendary Cuban trumpeter Arturo Sandoval in HBO’s 2000
biopic “For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story.” As the executive producer of the
telefilm, Garcia also earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Made for Television Movie.
The film was Golden Globe-nominated for Best Miniseries or Made for Television Movie. In
addition, Garcia produced the movie’s soundtrack and the Emmy-winning score, featuring the
music of Arturo Sandoval. The film won two ALMA Awards as Best Made For TV Movie or
Miniseries and as Outstanding Latin Cast in a Made for TV Movie or Miniseries.
On the music side, Garcia produced and performed on Volumes I and II of “Cachao–Master
Sessions” (Crescent Moon/Sony), the first a 1994 Grammy Award winner, and the latter a
1995 Grammy Award nominee. The CD “Cachao–Cuba Linda” (EMI Latin), produced by
Garcia’s CineSon record label, was nominated for a 2001 Grammy and a 2000 Latin Grammy
Award. Garcia won both Grammy and Latin Grammy awards for his latest collaboration with
Israel López “Cachao,” “¡Ahora Sí!” (Univision), their fourth record on the CineSon label,
released in 2004. Additionally, Garcia composed four songs for the soundtrack of the film
“Steal Big, Steal Little,” in which he also starred. He produced and performed several songs
for the soundtrack of “Just The Ticket,” a film he starred in and produced.
Born in Havana, Garcia was only 5 when his family fled to Florida after Fidel Castro’s takeover
of Cuba. He began acting in regional theatre before moving to Los Angeles to pursue a film
career. He first gained attention in Hal Ashby’s “8 Million Ways to Die” and later appeared in
such films as Brian De Palma’s “The Untouchables,” Ridley Scott’s “Black Rain,” Mike Figgis’
“Internal Affairs,” Kenneth Branagh’s “Dead Again,” Stephen Frears’ “Hero,” Luis Mandoki’s
“When A Man Loves A Woman,” Gary Fleder’s “Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead,”
Sidney Lumet’s “Night Falls on Manhattan” and Barbet Schroeder’s “Desperate Measures.”
Garcia has been honored with a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, a Star of the Year
Award from the National Association of Theater Owners, a PRISM Award, a Harvard University
Foundation Award and Hispanic Heritage Award for the Arts. He is also the recipient of an
Oscar de la Hoya Foundation Champion Award, Father’s Day Council Father of the Year Award
and an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts Degree from St. John’s University.
In 2005, the UCLA Johnson Cancer Center Foundation honored Garcia with the Gil Nickel
Humanitarian Award. Garcia also received the Indie Producer’s highest honor for “Outstanding
Contribution to Film,” and the ALMA Awards honored him with the “Anthony Quinn Award for
Excellence in Motion Pictures.”
In June 2006, the Karlovy Vary Film Festival honored Garcia with the Crystal Globe award for
artistic contribution. Garcia received the Moet-Hennessey Privilege Award at the Imagen
Awards in Beverly Hills. The Covenant House honored him with the prestigious Dove Award
which recognizes role models who have found the time to give back to their communities and
to at-risk youth. In June 2007, Garcia was honored as “Entertainer of the Year” at the Vision
Awards, and served as an honorary co-chair and host opening night at the Los Angeles Film
Festival.
Into the 90s, Luddy remained involved with quality films. Agnieszka Holland's "The Secret
Garden" (1993) was a remake of the 1949 Margaret O'Brien vehicle which was more faithful
to the original novel and handsomely filmed. Luddy also produced the modestly-budgeted "My
Family/Mi Familia" (1995), one of the first English-language films to delve into the multi-
generational Sturm und Drang lives of Latinos in Los Angeles.
Luddy is one of the founders of the prestigious Telluride Film Festival and serves as its
co-director, as well as West Coast programming consultant for the New York Film Festival.
Ujlaki fell in love with European films while at Harvard and pursued
his studies at the Institut des hautes études cinématographiques in
Paris. While living in Europe he started to make documentaries and
had the good fortune to observe Godard and Bergman on the set
during internships in France and Sweden. Back in the U.S. in the
early seventies after six years abroad he made twelve
documentaries, mostly concerned with social and political issues.
These include “Patriotism Inc.,” an anti-Vietnam War film, as well as
“With Intent to Harm” and “Three Thousand Years and Life,” which were among the first films
He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from San Francisco State
University in 1965; he was honored as Alumnus of the Millennium in 1999. Mr. Marcus is also
a graduate of the Harvard Business School of Owners/Presidents Management Program and
the Georgetown University Leadership Program. In the fall of 2004 George and Judy Marcus
established the International Center for the Arts with a generous gift to San Francisco
State University.
In San Francisco, Dr. Corrigan recently completed two terms as chair of the Board of Directors of
the Chamber of Commerce and serves on the Mayor's Biotechnology Advisory Council and the
Mayor's Children, Youth, and Families Policy Council.
His awards include the Distinguished Community Service Award from the Anti-Defamation
League, “in recognition of outstanding commitment to diversity, fairness, and social justice,”
selection by the John Templeton Foundation as one of 50 Outstanding Leaders of American
Colleges and selection as a Distinguished Urban Fellow by the Association of Urban Universities.
He received his A.B. from Brown University and both his master's and doctoral degrees in
American Civilization from the University of Pennsylvania.
Eric Frith edited The Heart of the Game which premiered at the
Toronto International Film Festival, was distributed by Mirimax and
heralded by critics, "An Oscar level piece of work." -Richard Roeper,
Ebert and Roeper. Narrated by Chris "Ludacris" Bridges. Other recent
work includes: March Point, which has been selected to air on the
emmy award-winning series Independent Lens. March Point follows
three Swinomish teens coming of age on their reservation, their
investigation into the impact of oil refineries on their community, and
how the process of filmmaking changed their lives. Rudy Maxa's
World, a new Hi Definition travel series to be distributed by American
Public Television. Hidden World's: Underground Rome, a
documentary with distribution in over 20 countries. U.S. premiere at
the Archaeology Channel International Film and Video Festival. Eric provided additional
editing on Take, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and stars Minnie Driver and
Jeremy Renner. www.byrdproductions.com.
This experience has provided a solid foundation for Mr. Santos’ current ground-breaking work
in bringing together styles, rhythms, concepts and artists from different generations.
Born in San Francisco, California, November 1, 1955, he was raised in the Puerto Rican and
Cape Verdean traditions of his family, surrounded by music. The fertile musical environment
of the San Francisco Bay Area shaped his career in a unique way. His studies of Afro-Latin
music have included several trips to New York, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Brazil and Colombia. Mr.
Santos is widely respected as one of the top writers, teachers and historians in the field and is
currently a member of the Latin Jazz Advisory Committee of the Smithsonian Institution. He
has conducted lectures, workshops and clinics in the Americas and Europe since 1972. He has
contributed to the international magazines Percussive Notes, Modern Drummer, Modern
Percussionist, and Latin Percussionist. The San Francisco Bay Area community in which he still
lives and works has presented him with numerous awards and honors for artistic excellence
and social dedication.
Mr. Santos is also a distinguished and creative multi-percussionist and recording artist. His
diverse credits (in addition to those listed above) include: Bobby Hutcherson, Grupo Mezcla
(Havana, Cuba), Lalo Schifrin, Irakere West, Santana, Yma Sumac, Linda Tillery, Cal Tjader,
Danilo Perez, Ignacio Berroa, Omar Sosa, Jon Jang and Charlie Hunter. He was the director of
the Orquesta Tipica Cienfuegos (l976-1980) and the Orquesta Batachanga (1981-1985). Mr.
Santos founded and directed the GRAMMY-nominated Machete Ensemble from 1985 to 2006, a
world-class Latin Jazz band of international renown. They recorded and released nine CDs
during that time, mostly on Mr. Santos’ Machete Records label. He is currently performing and
recording extensively with an exciting Latin Jazz Quintet under his own name.
The Institute’s goal, carried out through festivals and other related documentary film
programs and initiatives, is to encourage greater recognition for this vibrant, richly diverse
and powerful genre of artistic expression. “CACHAO: Uno Mas” is the first production of the
DOC Film Institute.
In September 2007, the DOC Film Institute presented Ken Burns’ seven-part epic
documentary, THE WAR, at the Letterman Digital Arts Center in the Presidio. Ken Burns
presented the films and answered audience questions.
In 2005, the Institute sponsored the week-long GREEN SCREEN UNITED NATIONS
WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY FILM FESTIVAL at the Castro Theatre in conjunction with
San Francisco’s celebration of World Environment Day. Green Screen featured films by
such internationally renowned filmmakers as Werner Herzog, Adam Curtis, Hubert Sauper,
Stefan Jarl and Les Blank, including the West Coast premieres of Sauper’s “Darwin’s
Nightmare” and Herzog’s “Grizzly Man,” two of the most acclaimed documentaries of
that year.
Established with a generous gift from SFSU alumni George and Judy Marcus, the ICA
produces innovative programs in the visual, media and performing arts. This fall, the ICA is
inaugurating a series of Fellowship Residencies in
jazz and string quartet for gifted post-graduate
artists. Periodically the ICA presents Marcus
Lifetime Achievement Awards to distinguished
artists who have made important contributions to
their fields. Past recipients include legendary
Afro-Cuban jazz artist Israel ‘Cachao’ López,
master filmmakers Richard Leacock and D.A.
Pennebaker, and dancer/choreographer/artistic
luminary Mikhail Baryshnikov.