Ricardo "Papin" Abreu – RIP

When the legendary Chano Pozo was shakin’ up the bars in the Marianao area with his music and other drummers were lavishing fame to Los Pocitos neighbourhood, regarding it as the cradle of of the top drummers, the Abreu brothers were emerging to the scene in that section of Havana. They learned playing on little tin cans, later on little candle boxes, large wooden cod boxes and tablespoons and then finally on tumbas, tumbadoras, tres golpes, quintos and claves.
The youthful brothers Ricardo, Luis, Alfredo and Jesús began their careers accompanying orchestras, working in cabarets, and conducting fellow percussionists in shows in nightclubs such as Tropicana and the Parisien.

In the 1950’s, Ricardo formed his own group: “Papin y sus Rumberos”, with two of his brothers and in 1962 created the vocal and percussion quartet "Los Papines" playing rumba as their fundamental musical expression (Guanguanco, Columbia, Yambú, Jiribilla). They also included in their repertoire other rhythms such as the Conga, the Son and the captivating Bolero. Los Papines are officially considered to be national cultural heritage of Cuba.
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