Augusto Coén & His Golden Casino Orchestra

Afro-Puerto Rican musicians such as Augusto Coen found their careers limited by the racism of the North American entertainment industry circa 1930. Like many black Puerto Ricans, this Ponce-born trumpeter was barred from work with the lighter-skinned Latino "relief" bands, groups that played between white American orchestras at elegant midtown clubs and hotels. Unlike their lighter-skinned compatriots, Afro-Puerto Rican musicians could not play with the popular white swing bands of the era. On the other hand, such constraints funnelled Coen and his colleagues into new creative channels and musical combinations. As reading musicians who were well trained in Puerto Rico's municipal bands, these Afro-Puerto Ricans were eagerly grabbed for black shows on Broadway and by some of the finest African-American ensembles of the day. Coen himself had opportunities to play with Duke Ellington, Noble Sissle, and Fletcher Henderson. After spending a few years inthe band of Afro-Cuban flutist Alberto Socarras, Coen formed his own group, Augusto Coen y Sus Boricuas. The bands of Socarras an Coen drew upon their members' appreticeships with African-American ensembles, becoming possibly the first groups in New York to combine jazz and Latin music. Known Band Members: Singer Davilita (Pedro Ortiz Davila), Augusto Coen Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.