Celso Piña

Celso Piña Arvizu (April 6, 1953 – August 21, 2019) was a Mexican singer, composer and accordionist, mainly in the genre of cumbia, being one of the most important musicians in the style of "cumbia rebajada".

Piña was a pioneer in the mixture and fusion of tropical sounds, with many of his works having elements of cumbia, regional Mexicano, cumbia sonidera, ska, reggae, rap/hip-hop, R&B, etc. Piña is also known as El Rebelde del acordeón or the Cacique de la Campana.

Early life Celso Piña Arvizu was born on April 6, 1953, in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico to Tita Arvizu and Isaac Piña. He was the oldest of 9 siblings. The name of Celso was chosen by his grandfather.

Throughout his childhood and teenage years, he held different jobs like working in a tortilla bakery, painter, helper in mechanic shops, and carpet installer, among others. Meanwhile he listened to groups like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and musica norteña like that of Los Alegres de Terán and Antonio Tanguma.

Career

Early career Piña's first experience in the Monterey music scene began as a member of a group led by Ramón "El Gordo" Morales, Los Jarax. He was not satisfied by the tropical rhythms and ballads the group performed, where he played the maracas despite his wish to play the accordion.

Due to the popularity of the Colombian rhythms and cumbia rebajada in La Campana, Piña wished to play a different music genre. Through a friend from Colonia Independencia and the bailes de cintas, he was introduced to Colombian artists like Aníbal Velásquez Hurtado, Alfredo Gutiérrez y Los Corraleros de Majagual. In the '70s, he received his first accordion mended by his father, which allowed him to fully immerse himself in Colombian music. This musical interpretation did not garner a positive reception from the Monterey music scene, due to the popularity of other rhythms at the time such as tropical music and norteño. Celso y la Ronda Bogotá were determined to continue performing their musical style of cumbia to provide a local alternative to existing rhythms. The fame brought on by Piña y La Ronda led to the formation of other groups performing Colombian music, like La Tropa Colombiana, made up by former Ronda Bogotá members.

The result of this fusion was the recording of the album Barrio Bravo in 2001, an album produced by Toy Selectah, member of Control Machete, who was invited by the bassist of El Gran Silencio, Julian Villareal. The collaborations in this album would go on to radically embody Piña's musical fusion with reggae, electronic music, dubstep, and sonidero.

Writer and journalist Carlos Monsiváis wrote the prologue for Barrio Bravos album cover, referring to Piña as, "a social phenomenon as they rightfully say, and a musical phenomenon as it is rightfully heard ... Celso Piña is a conductor of tribes, if he lived in medieval times, he'd be known as the accordionist of Hamelin." Barrio Bravo opened the door to more collaborations between rock and tropical music groups of Mexico, and for Piña's consistent performances in musical festivals and rock concerts.

In 2002, Piña recorded Mundo Colombia, featuring collaborations with artists like Julieta Venegas, Flaco Jiménez, Alejandro Marcovich, Alejandro Rosso and once again with Blanquito Man y "El queso" Bronsman. It was produced by Julián Villarreal, Alfonso Herrera and Toy Selectah. Piña performed in Colombia for the first time in 2010, where he was greeted by his greatest influences, Aníbal Velázquez and Alfredo Gutiérrez.

Death and remembrance On August 21, 2019, Piña died from a heart attack in Monterrey, Mexico at the age of 66. He had felt unwell and checked in at the hospital San Vicente of his own accord and passed soon after.

A mass was held in his memory at the Basílica de Guadalupe of the Independencia neighborhood, where he was honored by hundreds of followers. After the service, his casket was driven around the neighborhood. A concert honoring his legacy was held in the Macroplaza de Monterrey on August 28, 2019, with performances from artists like El Gran Silencio, Inspector, Los Siriguayos, Kombolocos, and Los Kumbiamberos Rs, among others.

A series of murals with his image were created in the Independencia neighborhood. The Monterrey government has discussed naming a street in the city after Celso Piña.

Documentary The documentary Celso Piña: el rebelde del acordeón (2012) describes the rise of the sonidero groups and the widespread popularity of Colombian cumbia en La Indep, the Monterey neighborhood that Celso Piña was raised in and where he was the first to interpret the genre live in dances and family parties.

Discography

Albums Si mañana (1983) Ronda Bogota de Celso Piña (1984) Celso Piña Y Su Ronda Bogotá (1985) Traicionera falsedad (1986) Tú y las nubes (1989) Noche de estrellas (1991) Dile (1996) Una Aventura Más (1999) Barrio bravo (2001) Rebelde (2002) Mundo Colombia (2002) Pachanguero (2002) Una Visión (2003) El Canto de un Rebelde para un... (2004) Sin Fecha de Caducidad (2009) Zona Preferente: En vivo desde el Auditorio Nacional (2012)

Compilations Antologia de un Rebelde (2000) Mis Primeras Grabaciones... Mis Primeros Exitos (2001) Trayectoria (2002) Desde Colombia (2002) Super Seis (2003) México y su Música (2005) 20 Grandes Éxitos (2005) Línea de Oro (2006) 12 Grandes Éxitos Vol.1 (2007) 12 Grandes Éxitos Vol.2 (2007) Gran Baile Con (2008)

Source: AllMusic