José Luis Cortés, El Tosco, director of NG la Banda, passes away

Havana, April 18 (RHC)-- Popular musician José Luis Cortés, El Tosco, flutist, arranger, composer, music producer and director of the NG la Banda orchestra since its founding in 1988, died Monday in Havana at the age of 70.

According to information from the Cuban Institute of Music, Cortes died as a result of an encephalic vascular accident.

The beloved and charismatic artist, precursor of timba and author of great musical hits, National Music Award in 2017, is considered master and creator of the "new school" of singers and flutists of Cuban popular music.

Born in the neighborhood of El Condado, Santa Clara, in October 1951, José Luis Cortés is one of the leading figures of popular music on the island, considered the architect of timba, and, together with his orchestra, NG La Banda, one of the most visible faces of the so-called salsa boom during the 1990s.

A graduate of the Escuela Nacional de Arte with a specialty in flute, he was a successful composer, arranger and producer who, before creating his own group, played with Los Van Van, under the direction of Juan Formell, and with the all-star Irakere, founded and directed by maestro Chucho Valdés.