A pillar of Cuban music since 1939, this two time Grammy nominated ensemble and premier Charanga make a most-anticipated return to North America in the 2010-11 season. Orquesta Aragon is to Cuban music what The Count Basie and Duke Ellington Orchestra’s are to American Jazz. They continue to find success revisiting classic repertoire while constantly updating their music to pay tribute to rock, rap and African music.

Orquesta Aragón, was formed by Orestes Aragón Cantero in Cienfuegos, Cuba. They were arguably the best Charanga band that played the best Cha Cha Cha in Cuba during the mid to late 1950s. One of the first bands whose main feature was not the singer but an instrumentalist; they could perform a wide variety of styles from the Cha Cha Cha to the Danzon and everything else in between.  With violins, piano, flute, percussion, and vocal, the basic sound that has served the band ever since was already in place.

Following the musical explosions that went on in Cuba during the 1990s, the band, under the leadership of Rafeal Lay Junior, created rich new albums: Quien Sabe Sabe in 1997, La Charanga Eterna in 1999, and En Route in 2001. En Route received a Grammy nomination in the Tropical Music department, marking a new high water mark in a band history that just won't quit. Capable of appealing to a good three generations of Cuban music fans, Orquesta Aragon is now an institution which tours worldwide. They are still based in Havana, Cuba.