Manual Galban of Cuba's Los Zafiros Dies at 80

Manual Galban just died, at the age of 80. He was lead guitarist of the Cuban doo-wop group Los Zafiros (“The Sapphires”). The group rose to prominence in the 1960s,…

By Tom Schnabel • Jul 10, 2011 • 1 min read

Galban was brought back to life by inclusion in the Buena Vista Social Club in the mid 1990’s, and later by his album with Ry Cooder with the made-up name Mambo Sinuendo.

Los Zafiros were a unique band and their sound is cool and captivating. And very much unlike other Cuban music, now or then. I participated in a film documentary on the group:

http://www.amazon.com/Los-Zafiros-Music-Edge-Time/dp/B000A2WEQQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1310181426&sr=1-1

And please: check out this fantastic period video. It is utterly charming and captivating:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFCG2TIEAjY

Tom Schnabel
host of KCRW’s Rhythm Planet

Manual Galban of Cuba's Los Zafiros Dies at 80

Manual Galban just died, at the age of 80. He was lead guitarist of the Cuban doo-wop group Los Zafiros (“The Sapphires”). The group rose to prominence in the 1960s,…

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Manual Galban of Cuba's Los Zafiros Dies at 80

Manual Galban just died, at the age of 80. He was lead guitarist of the Cuban doo-wop group Los Zafiros (“The Sapphires”). The group rose to prominence in the 1960s,…

Share