Cuban jazz musician Israel Lopez has died at the age of 89. The bassist and composer, who left his native land in the early sixties, is credited with creating the mambo through improvisational work with his late brother, Orestes Lopez, during the 1930s.
Lopez, a classically trained musician who performed with Havana's symphony orchestra in his teens, explained to the San Francisco Chronicle in 2004: "My brother and I were trying to add something new to our music and came up with a section that we called danzon mambo. It made an impact and stirred up people. At that time our music needed that type of enrichment".
During his long and prolific career, he collaborated with many Latin music stars including Tito Puente, Tito Rodrigues and Gloria Estefan but fell from fame in the 1980s following his move to Miami. His career was revived in the 1990s, partly due to the fact that actor Andy Garcia made a documentary about him in 1993, and in subsequent years he released a number of successful albums. In 2003 he was given a star on Hollywood's Walk Of Fame and in 2004 garnered a Grammy for his album 'Agora Si'.
The aforementioned Andy Garcia said in a statement: "He is revered by all who have come in contact with him and his music. Maestro... you have been my teacher and you took me in like a son. I will continue to rejoice with your music and carry our traditions wherever I go, in your honour".