MIAMI, United States. – The renowned Cuban musician Enrique Bonne Castillo, 2016 National Music Prize winner and creator of the pilón rhythm, died this Tuesday in his hometown Santiago de Cubaat 98 years old. The news was confirmed by the first secretary of the Communist Party in the province, Beatriz Johnson Urrutia, who pointed out: “He leaves an invaluable legacy of Cubanness in local and national culture.”
Bonne, one of the most emblematic figures of popular music on the Island, stood out for collaborating with the Orquesta Aragón, Los Van Van and Pacho Alonso, among others. Precisely together with Pacho Alonso he popularized the well-known pilón rhythm.
His grandson, also the artist Camilo Bonne Jiménez, confirmed the death through Facebook and he dedicated a farewell message to him: “Rest in peace, grandfather. I will always remember you as someone very very funny. That whenever he spoke to me he did it from the most sincere love (…). Thank you for leaving us a great rhythm and being able to shout without shame ‘Compay, how delicious this is’. Thank you for so much music!”
For its part, the Aragón Orchestra regretted the departure of the composer on their social networks and expressed: “Today he leaves us a piece of our musical history.”
The musician was born on June 15, 1926 in San Luis, Santiago de Cuba, into a family marked by artistic talent. His mother, Engracia Castillo Griñán, was a graduate of the Orbón Conservatory and his father worked in the sugar sector. In 1961 he formed his group Los Tambores de Enrique Bonne, which is still in force and with which he made presentations inside and outside Cuba, according to local television reports.
The significance of his work was recognized in 2016, when he received the National Music Award. His compositions cover nearly 200 pieces that include danzones, boleros, guarachas, sones, congas, cha-cha-chá, merengues and montunos.
