Alberto Socarrás
Alberto Socarrás Estacio, (Manzanillo, 19 September 1908 – New York City, 26 August 1987), was a Cuban-American flautist who played both Cuban music and jazz. Socarras started learning the flute in 1915 with his mother, Dolores Estacio, and later joined the provincial music conservatory at Santiago de Cuba. He completed his studies at the Timothy Music Conservatory in New York, gaining the equivalent title to a doctorate in music. In the middle 1920s he moved to Havana to join the theatre orchestra of Arquimedes Pous, where his sister Estrella was playing the violin. He also played in one or two early Cuban jazz bands (Early Cuban jazz) before moving to the United States in 1927. In the US he recorded with Clarence Williams in 1927 with his first flute solo taking place on "Shooting the Pistol" on the Paramount label that year, making him the earliest known jazz flute soloist (earlier even than Wayman Carver). He played with The Blackbirds revue between 1928 and 1933, and plays on Lizzie Miles's 1928 recording "You're Such a Cruel Papa to Me". In 1933 he played with Benny Carter, then led the all-female Cuban band Anacaona on a tour of Europe in 1934. In 1935 he played with Sam Wooding and led his own bands from 1935 into the 1940s; his sidemen included Edgar Sampson and Mongo Santamaría, and Cab Calloway as a singer. He also played with Erskine Hawkins in 1937. He made one recording session in 1935, with four numbers. He also recorded for RCA Victor in 1947 and SMC Pro-Arte c. 1950. He recorded again in 1955, cutting Afro Cuban versions of four Duke Ellington compositions. In 1956, he recorded two LPs for Decca. In 1959, he appeared on the exotic "Tambo!" LP by Tito Puente for RCA Victor. In the 1950s he took part in Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone on TV, and offered concerts of cult music at the Carnegie Hall in New York. In the 60s he dedicated himself to teaching, but also made some recordings. In 1983 he was filmed by Gustavo Paredes playing the flute in a TV documentary Música. |
Birth and Death Data: Born September 19, 1908 (Manzanillo), Died August 26, 1987 (New York City)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1928 - 1957
Roles Represented in DAHR: flute, leader, composer, saxophone, director, alto saxophone, performer, clarinet, arranger, lyricist
Notes: Full name is Alberto Socarrás Estacio.
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 1-25 of 62 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Victor | BS-77459 | 10-in. | 8/14/1933 | Consuelo | Alberto Socarrás y Consuelo | Jazz/dance band | director, composer, instrumentalist, saxophone | |
Victor | BS-77460 | 10-in. | 8/14/1933 | La conga | Alberto Socarrás y Consuelo | Jazz/dance band | director, composer, instrumentalist, saxophone | |
Victor | BS-77461 | 10-in. | 8/14/1933 | 398 | Alberto Socarrás y Consuelo | Jazz/dance band | director, composer, instrumentalist, saxophone | |
Victor | BS-77462 | 10-in. | 8/14/1933 | Reparte las propinas | Alberto Socarrás y Consuelo | Jazz/dance band | director, instrumentalist, saxophone | |
Victor | BS-77691 | 10-in. | 9/20/1933 | Consuelo | Orquesta Alberto Socarrás | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, flute, director, composer, saxophone | |
Victor | BS-77692 | 10-in. | 9/20/1933 | La conga | Orquesta Alberto Socarrás | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, flute, director, composer, saxophone | |
Victor | BS-77693 | 10-in. | 9/20/1933 | 398 | Orquesta Alberto Socarrás | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, flute, saxophone, director, composer | |
Victor | BS-77694 | 10-in. | 9/20/1933 | Reparte de propinas | Orquesta Alberto Socarrás | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, flute, director, saxophone | |
Victor | BS-77699 | 10-in. | 9/21/1933 | Despierto holgazán | Alberto Socarrás | Clarinet solo, with instrumental trio | composer, instrumentalist, clarinet | |
Victor | BS-77981 | 10-in. | 9/21/1933 | Goyo | Orquesta Alberto Socarrás | Instrumental quartet | composer, instrumentalist, clarinet | |
Victor | BS-77982 | 10-in. | 9/21/1933 | Yoyo | Orquesta Alberto Socarrás | Instrumental quartet | instrumentalist, clarinet, composer | |
Victor | BS-83594 | 10-in. | 7/30/1934 | Flauta y saxofón | Trío Matamoros | Instrumental ensemble, with male vocal duet | composer, lyricist | |
Victor | D7XB-1783 | 10-in. | 10/22/1947 | Yo e'tá cansá | Alberto Socarrás, su Flauta Mágica y su Orquesta | Flute solo, with jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, flute, leader, composer | |
Victor | D7XB-1784 | 10-in. | 10/22/1947 | Pi-pi-ta-na | Alberto Socarrás, su Flauta Mágica y su Orquesta | Flute solo, with jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, flute, leader | |
Victor | D7XB-1785 | 10-in. | 10/22/1947 | Empieza el beguine | Alberto Socarrás, su Flauta Mágica y su Orquesta | Flute solo, with jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, flute, leader | |
Victor | D7XB-1786 | 10-in. | 10/22/1947 | Tu felicidad | Alberto Socarrás, su Flauta Mágica y su Orquesta | Flute solo, with jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, flute, leader | |
Victor | D7FB-2202 | 10-in. | 11/19/1947 | Murmullo | Alberto Socarras, his Magic Flute and his Orchestra | Flute solo, with jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, flute, leader | |
Victor | D7FB-2203 | 10-in. | 11/19/1947 | Harlem rumba | Alberto Socarras, his Magic Flute and his Orchestra | Flute solo, with jazz/dance band | leader, instrumentalist, flute, composer | |
Victor | D7FB-2204 | 10-in. | 11/19/1947 | Rumbita | Alberto Socarras, his Magic Flute and his Orchestra | Flute solo, with jazz/dance band | composer, instrumentalist, flute, leader | |
Victor | D7FB-2205 | 10-in. | 11/19/1947 | Maria Elena | Alberto Socarrás ; Alberto Socarrás | Flute solo, with jazz/dance band | leader, instrumentalist, flute | |
Victor | D9FB-0092 | 10-in. | 1/12/1949 | Si perdi tu amor | Orquesta Alberto Socarrás ; Eladio Peguero | Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | leader, instrumentalist, flute, saxophone | |
Victor | D9FB-0093 | 10-in. | 1/12/1949 | Dulce reina | Orquesta Alberto Socarrás ; Eladio Peguero | Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | leader, instrumentalist, flute, saxophone | |
Victor | D9FB-0094 | 10-in. | 1/12/1949 | Sin nombre | Orquesta Alberto Socarrás ; Eladio Peguero | Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | leader, instrumentalist, flute, saxophone, composer | |
Victor | D9FB-0095 | 10-in. | 1/12/1949 | Porque | Orquesta Alberto Socarrás ; Eladio Peguero | Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | leader, instrumentalist, flute, saxophone | |
Columbia | W146430 | 10-in. | 6/12/1928 | You're such a cruel papa to me | Lizzie Miles | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with instrumental trio | instrumentalist, flute, alto saxophone |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Socarrás, Alberto," accessed November 5, 2024, https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/110509.
Socarrás, Alberto. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 5, 2024, from https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/110509.
"Socarrás, Alberto." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 5 November 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Socarrás, Alberto - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no97037607
Wikidata: Alberto Socarras - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q2514098
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/43903782
MusicBrainz: Alberto Socarras - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/64b8fc84-102e-4c8e-a8ef-ac35a9fec502
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