- Billo Frómeta
Infobox Person
name= Billo Frómeta
caption=
dead=dead
birth_date= birth date|1915|11|15|mf=y
birth_place=Santo Domingo ,Dominican Republic
death_date= death date and age|1988|5|5|1915|11|15|mf=y
death_place=Caracas, Venezuela Billo Frómeta (b.
November 15 ,1915 inSanto Domingo ,Dominican Republic -Caracas May 5 ,1988 ) was aDominican Republic orchestra conductor, arranger and composer who lived and worked most of his life inVenezuela , where he is remembered.Early career
Luis María Frómeta was born in Pimentel, Provincia Duarte,Republica Dominicana, on
November 15 ,1915 ; he would move with his family toSan Francisco de Macorís some years later. The school he attended there had compulsory music lessons, so he learned much of his musical training there.In 1930, at the age of 15, he founded and was the resident conductor of the "Banda del Cuerpo de Bomberos de Ciudad Trujillo" (
Ciudad Trujillo 'sFire Brigade 's Band). He also founded the "Orquesta Sinfónica de Santo Domingo" during this time.In 1933, he moved back to Santo Domingo. During these years, he would meet and work with some of his closest friends and associates:
Freddy Coronado ,Ernesto Chapuseaux andSimó Damirón , whom he already knew from school . TheConjunto Tropical andthe Santo Domingo Jazz Band were formed then, as well.Frómeta then began studying Pre-Medicine in the "Universidad de Santo Domingo" and had to abandon all musical activity during this time. However, he eventually dropped out on his third year to dedicate himself fully to music.
Career in Venezuela
Frómeta and his orchestra arrived in Venezuela in December 1937 with his orchestra to play regularly in a dance club in a Caracas, the Roof Garden. The
Santo Domingo Jazz Band did well, but the club owners didn't think the name would stick- so they had Frómeta change it to something more marketeable. Frómeta went along, which got him barred from ever returning to his native Dominican Republic as Trujillo considered the change- "Billo's Caracas Boys "- an insult.Frómeta would continue to play in Venezuela until the fall of
Marcos Pérez Jiménez in 1958. Accused of being a supporter of the regime, he was barred by the "Asociación Musical de D.F y Estado Miranda" from ever playing in Venezuela again.Following this, he moved to
Cuba to play with a Cuban band there.In 1960, a special session of the
National Assembly was convened in Caracas. The purpose was to lift the ban passed on Billo in 1958, which was by then considered to have been unfair. That very same year, Frómeta returned to Venezuela.Last years
On
April 27 ,1988 , he suffered a stroke while rehearsing with theVenezuela Symphony Orchestra for a concert-tribute in his honour that would occur the very next day: just after he finished conducting the practice run for "Un Cubano en Caracas", he collapsed on the ground as the orchestra was applauding his performance. Frómeta died the following week onMay 5 ,1988 .See also
*
Venezuela
*Venezuelan music External links
* [http://www.orquestabillos.com/billo.php/ Billo Frómeta Biography]
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