Anselmo Sacasas

Anselmo Sacasas (23 November 1912 – 22 January 1998) was a Cuban jazz pianist, bandleader, composer, and arranger. As a pianist he took inspiration from Cuban tres players like Arsenio Rodríguez, adapting their techniques to his own style as a soloist in orchestras playing Cuban music.

He began to learn piano at the age of 6 from a female cousin, and 10 years later graduated from the music conservatory in Manzanillo. He later moved to Havana, where he composed piano pieces for silent films and developed an interest in the danzón style. In the early 1930s he was a member of Tata Pereira's orchestra.

In 1936 he met the singer Miguelito Valdés, with whom he would work in the Orquesta de los Hermanos Castro. Shortly after he would found the Orquesta Casino de la Playa. This band, with its jazz arrangements, would prove to be a complete revolution in the Cuban music scene, touring Central and South America and appearing on film in both Cuba and the United States.

In 1940, Sacasas left for New York, where after some difficulty he was able to found his own orchestra in 1941. They played in the Colony Club in Chicago and the cabarets La Conga Club and Havana Madrid in Manhattan.

In 1959 he became the musical director of the hotel Fountainbleu in Miami and Club Ronde. In 1963 he became the director of the cabaret Tropicoro for thirteen years, after which he retired to Miami, where he died in 1998.

Birth and Death Data: Born November 23, 1912, Died January 22, 1998

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1938 - 1949

Roles Represented in DAHR: piano, leader, composer, songwriter

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 26-42 of 42 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor D7XB-2553 10-in. 12/1/1947 Anuncios clasificados Rubén González ; Orquesta Anselmo Sacasas Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo instrumentalist, piano, leader  
Victor D7XB-2554 10-in. 12/1/1947 A-E-I-O-U Rubén González ; Orquesta Anselmo Sacasas Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo instrumentalist, piano, leader  
Victor D9FB-1605 10-in. 6/2/1949 Chupa, chupa Rubén González ; Orquesta Anselmo Sacasas Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo instrumentalist, piano, leader  
Victor D9FB-1606 10-in. 6/2/1949 Vamós, prietita Rubén González ; Orquesta Anselmo Sacasas Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo instrumentalist, piano, leader  
Victor D9FB-1607 10-in. 6/2/1949 New York rumba Rubén González ; Orquesta Anselmo Sacasas Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo leader, instrumentalist, piano, composer  
Victor D9FB-1608 10-in. 6/2/1949 Maíz Rubén González ; Orquesta Anselmo Sacasas Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo leader, songwriter, instrumentalist, piano  
Victor D9FB-2352 10-in. 10/5/1949 In the hall of the mambo king Orquesta Anselmo Sacasas Jazz/dance band instrumentalist, piano, leader, composer  
Victor D9FB-2353 10-in. 10/5/1949 Guararé Orquesta Anselmo Sacasas Jazz/dance band instrumentalist, piano, leader  
Victor D9FB-2354 10-in. 10/5/1949 Opus 13 Rubén González ; Orquesta Anselmo Sacasas Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo instrumentalist, piano, leader  
Victor D9FB-2355 10-in. 10/5/1949 B flat Mambo Orquesta Anselmo Sacasas Jazz/dance band instrumentalist, piano, leader  
Victor CU-242 10-in. before 3/25/1940 Tu jijo serán jabá Orquesta Casino de la Playa Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo songwriter  
Victor CU-381 10-in. before 5/1/1940 Quiero amar Orquesta Riverside ; Anselmo Sacasas ; Miguelito Valdés Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo and piano instrumentalist, piano  
Victor CU-400[a] 10-in. before 5/6/1940 Amanecer criollo Orquesta Riverside ; Anselmo Sacasas ; Miguelito Valdés Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo instrumentalist, piano  
Victor CU-400[b] 10-in. before 5/15/1940 Sombras de mi tierra Orquesta Riverside ; Anselmo Sacasas ; Miguelito Valdés Instrumental ensemble, with male vocal solo and piano solo instrumentalist, piano  
Victor CU-401 10-in. before 5/6/1940 Del codo al caño Orquesta Riverside ; Anselmo Sacasas ; Miguelito Valdés Instrumental ensemble, with male vocal solo and piano solo instrumentalist, piano  
Victor CU-402[a] 10-in. before 5/6/1940 Así viviré Orquesta Riverside ; Anselmo Sacasas ; Miguelito Valdés Instrumental ensemble, with male vocal solo and piano solo instrumentalist, piano  
Victor CU-408[a] 10-in. before 5/15/1940 En la frontera de México Orquesta Riverside ; Anselmo Sacasas ; Miguelito Valdés Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo instrumentalist, piano  
(Results 26-42 of 42 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Sacasas, Anselmo," accessed April 28, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/108359.

Sacasas, Anselmo. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 28, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/108359.

"Sacasas, Anselmo." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 28 April 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/108359

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