Brito, Alfredo

Cuban Alfredo Brito, born Alfredo Valdez Brito Ibanez in Havana, was the eldest of three musical brothers, the other two being Carlos and Julio. He studied with Armando Romeu, proving to be talented on the clarinet, saxophone and flute. Around 1910, he founded his own jazz band, one of the first in Cuba; he composed, arranged music, played the flute and conducted the band. In 1927 he went to New York with Don Azpiazu’s orchestra, playing the saxophone; while there he arranged Moises Simon’s “El Mansiero” for RCA Victor, a release of a million copies. On his return to Cuba, he founded the Siboney orchestra and toured Spain, Portugal and France. He joined the American Paul Whiteman’s orchestra which he directed for a few months. In the 1930s, he created soundtracks for such films as “Yo Soy el Heroe” (1938), “Profugos” (1939), and “Tam-tam o el Origen de la Rumba (1940). Later he became musical director of the television channel, Canal 2.