""I have to confess that I cried when I was sworn in as a soldier, because I did not want to be a soldier," he told the newspaper. "It was obligatory service. Every time I remember, I think about how wrong I was. I'm eternally grateful because I learned the discipline of the Army; I learned to be a man and to obey an order. That discipline is what I apply to my life, and what I base my life on.""
""Today we bid farewell to not only a great musician, but the architect of a sound that marked generations," reads a statement shared on the orchestra's social media accounts on Sunday. "A leader whose discipline, vision and love for salsa forged the history of El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico and of Latin music in the world.""
Rafael Ithier was born in San Juan in 1926 and began playing guitar at age ten. He left school at 14 to support his family while continuing to learn the Cuban tres, double bass and ultimately the piano, which became his signature instrument. Drafted into the U.S. Army in 1952, he credited military service with instilling discipline that guided his life and leadership. He joined The Borinqueneers Mambo Kings in New York, returned to Puerto Rico to play with Cortijo y Su Combo, and founded and directed El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, turning it into a premier salsa institution over six decades.
Read at www.npr.org
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