Carlos Emilio Morales

Who is Carlos Emilio Morales?

Carlos Emilio Morales is a Cuban jazz guitarist.

Morales perfected the application of classical guitar techniques to a jazz witting and helped introduce global audiences to Cuban jazz sounds in the early 1970s, particularly for his contribution with the group Irakere. His technique reflects his study of the work of Andrés Segovia, while his playing style has influenced not only Cuban guitarists but also many other instrumentalists. Nicknamed El Gordo, Morales is regarded as the first to suggest to Cuban bassists that they could apply guitar techniques to the bass guitar, instead of trying to play their instrument like a contrabass.

A native of Marianao, Cuba, Morales was the son of a dentist. He attended medical school at the Universidad de La Habana and worked as a travelling salesman of medical products.

Morales learned to play guitar at the age of 12, based mostly by the sound of the Mexican guitar trio Los Panchos, being already acquainted with Trío Matamoros' style, something that he heard daily at home. He received formal training in the 1950s with professors Clara Nicola, García Gattel, Jesús Ortega and Federico Smith.