music

diciembre 14, 2025

Homenaje al maestro Rafael Ithier: la música de su vida

Fidel Leottau presentía que aquel sería el último viaje de su amigo Rafael Ithier, de 99 años, director de El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, a Cartagena. La visita estaba agendada para el 31 de diciembre del 2025, en el Hotel Las Américas.

Homenaje al maestro Rafael Ithier: la música de su vida

TL;DR

  • Rafael Ithier, founder of El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, passed away at 99.
  • He had a lifelong passion for music, starting with guitar and later mastering the bass and piano.
  • Ithier was influenced by musicians like his uncle Santiago Ithier and Rafael Hernández.
  • He played with Rafael Cortijo's orchestra for seven years, helping to pioneer bomba and plena rhythms.
  • Ithier delegated leadership of El Gran Combo in 2010 after throat cancer surgery.
  • His birthdate was August 29, 1926, in Río Piedras, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
  • The article highlights his friendships with Fidel Leottau and Luis Fernando Martínez.
  • The Museo Internacional de la Salsa in New York will dedicate a specialized room to him and El Gran Combo.

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