Graciela

Lore & Background

Graciela was born in Havana, Cuba and raised in the Afro-Cuban Jesús María neighborhood. She was the lead vocalist over a period of 10 years in the 1930s and '40s with Orquesta Anacaona, an all-female ensemble, before leaving Cuba for the United States. She performed around the world, recording and sharing the stage with her adoptive older brother, Frank Grillo (known as Machito), who encouraged her to sing. They played alongside Mario Bauzá (originator of the genre of Afro-Cuban Jazz) in the orchestra Machito and the Afro-Cubans.

Graciela moved to New York City in 1940 and later joined Machito and the Afro-Cubans as lead vocalist, eventually sharing the stage with her adoptive brother and Mario Bauzá for decades. For over thirty years, they traveled the United States and the rest of the world and performed at the Palladium Ballroom from 1946 until its closing in 1966. Besides the Palladium, they would perform at the Royal Roost, Birdland, the Park Palace, the Corso and the Apollo Theater on a yearly week-long gig — and many other clubs and theaters in New York. Graciela and the orchestra also performed on a yearly basis in Hollywood — specifically at the Crescendo nightclub. Graciela and the band were also a favorite of the disc jockey Symphony Sid Torin who had them on his weekly program several times a year. They were also the summer headliners in the Concord Resort Hotel, in the Catskills Mountains, for more than twenty years. Graciela remained with the orchestra for most of that period, and Machito and the Afro-Cubans continued performing together until Machito's death in 1984.

Reader's Guide

Graciela's significance lies in her role as a lead vocalist in the development of Afro-Cuban jazz, performing for decades with Machito and Mario Bauzá. Her career spanned from the 1930s with the all-female Orquesta Anacaona in Cuba to international stages, including the Palladium Ballroom and Hollywood's Crescendo nightclub. Her recordings, such as 'Esta es Graciela', 'Íntimo y Sentimental', and 'Esa Soy Yo, Yo Soy Así', remain notable. In 2006, she received the Latin Jazz USA Chico O'Farrill Lifetime Achievement Award. At her death in 2010, she was considered 'The First Lady of Latin Jazz,' reflecting her enduring impact on the genre.

Did You Know?

• Graciela was the lead vocalist for the all-female Orquesta Anacaona for 10 years in the 1930s and '40s.
• She moved to New York City in 1940 and later joined Machito and the Afro-Cubans as lead vocalist.
• She performed at the Palladium Ballroom from 1946 until its closing in 1966.
• She was honored with the Latin Jazz USA Chico O'Farrill Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006.