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Cuban

Recorded in Havana and New York, 1900s–1940s

Cuban recorded music of this era spans son, danzón, punto and related song forms, as well as theatre and salon pieces. Percussion-driven ensembles and lyrical vocal duos are among the most distinctive sounds on disc.

48 restored recordings 1915–1946 date range
The tradition

About this hearth

Havana was an early and prolific recording centre; Cuban musicians also cut extensively in New York for both island and export markets. Core line-ups include tres, guitar, bass, bongó, maracas and trumpet for son groups, with charanga flute-and-violin textures for danzón. Rural punto and guajiro song sit beside refined bolero and theatrical numbers. By the 1930s and 1940s these records had already become international reference points for Latin popular music while still documenting local dance and poetic traditions.

Recorded in: Havana, New York

Listen

Restored Recordings

Every track below is a remaster. Press play on the full sequence, or pick a single recording.

▶ Play all 48 restored recordings Continuous playlist — plays straight through

ACOMODANDO

SONORA MATANCERA, A. Rodriguez, F. Cardenas · 1945

Alegres Aviadoras

Orquesta Herrera, Fernando Anckermann · 1917

Amapola

Lecuona Cuban Boys · 1935

Ay! Mamá Inés

Lecuona Cuban Boys - Agustin Braguera - (Eliseo Grenet) · 1946

BAILA LA CONGA

LECUONA CUBAN BOYS, Manyo Lopez, Ernesto Vazquez · 1946

BAILA LA CONGA

LECUONA CUBAN BOYS, Manyo Lopez, Boys, Ernesto Vazquez · 1946

Baila La Conga (Guaracha)

Lecuona Cuban Boys, Manyo Lopez and Boys, Ernesto Vazquez · 1946

BONGO

LECUONA CUBAN BOYS, Manyo Lopez, Boys, Ernesto Vazquez · 1946

Bongo (Afro-Cuban)

Lecuona Cuban Boys, Manyo Lopez and Boys, Ernesto Vazquez · 1946

CACHUM-BAMBE

LECUONA CUBAN BOYS, Manyo Lopez, Boys, Manuel Lopez · 1946

CAMINA JUAN PESCAO

SONORA MATANCERA, O. Lopéz · 1945

Carlo....ta

Orquesta Lecuona Cuban Boys, Armando Orefiche, E. Vazquez, Dolores y A. Bruguera · 1940

Coubanakan

Lecuona Cuban Boys · 1936

ECHA PA'ALLA, CHICO

CONJUNTO SONORA MATANCERA, C. Leicea · 1945

El Telefono A Larga Distancia

Max Dolin - Orquesta (Aniceto Diaz) · 1921

FACUNDO

Lecuona Cuban Boys, Manyo Lopez, Gernet, Radillo · 1946

FACUNDO

Lecuona Cuban Boys, Manyo Lopez, Grenet, Radillo · 1946

Horchata

Orquesta de Absalon Perez, Abelando Valdes · 1946

Invocando A Changó

Lecuona Cuban Boys - Chiquito Orefiche (Ernesto Vazquez) · 1946

LA CHANCLETA

LECUONA CUBAN BOYS, Manyo Lopez, Lopez, Arroyo · 1946

LA CHANCLETA

LECUONA CUBAN BOYS, Manyo Lopez, Boys, Lopez, Arroyo · 1946

La Chancleta (Son-Montuno)

Lecuona Cuban Boys, Manyo Lopez and Boys, Lopez, Arroyo · 1946

LA OLA MARINA

CONJUNTO SONORA MATANCERA, V. González · 1945

Lecuona Cuban Boys - Invocando A Changó

Lecuona Cuban Boys · 1945

Lecuona Cuban Boys Band

Lecuona Cuban Boys, Manyo Lopez and Boys, Manuel Lopez, Ernesto Vazquez, Lopez, Arroyo · 1946

Maracas

Lecuona Cuban Boys, Ernesto Ojea, Lecuona, Ruby · 1946

Maracas

Lecuona Cuban Boys, Ernesto Ojea, Lecuona, Ruby · 1946

Maria la o

Lecuona Cuban Boys & Elyane Celis · 1936

Mayari

Josephine Baker & Lecuona Cuban Boys · 1939

NO ME VA YAS A ENGANAR

Lecuona Cuban Boys, Ernesto Ojea, Oswaldo Farres · 1946

NO ME VA YAS A ENGANAR

Lecuona Cuban Boys, Ernesto Ojea, Oswaldo Farres · 1946

Orquesta de Antonio Romeu - Percheros y Colgadores

Orquesta de Antonio Romeu · 1915

Orquesta Romeu - Huyendale a un raton

Orquesta Romeu · 1923

Pablo O'Farrill - La Virgen De Regla

Pablo O'Farrill · 1923

Rumba tambah

Lecuona Cuban Boys · 1935

Rumba-Bomba

Lecuona Cuban Boys, Manyo Lopez, Lecuona, Ruby · 1946

Rumba-Bomba

Lecuona Cuban Boys, Manyo Lopez, Lecuona, Ruby · 1946

Rumbas Cubanas

Lecuona Cuban Boys · 1935

Siboney

Lecuona Cuban Boys · 1937

Tabou

Lecuona Cuban Boys · 1935

About the restoration

Every recording here is a historical track sourced from a public archive and remastered through a purpose-built chain — the same fixed chain for every file, no machine-learning enhancement. The aim is simple: sound better, and meet YouTube's audio standards. Rights status differs per recording and sources are credited where known; anything still in copyright is published with attribution and removed on request. The surface noise of the original transfer is still audible, because removing it completely would mean removing the recording too. How the restoration works →