He couldn’t read music, but Beny Moré became the voice of Cuban popular music, marrying, in his fabulously dynamic and versatile pipes, Cuba’s divergent European and African traditions. His commanding, percussive vocals create an oasis of serenity in even the most frenetic mambo, yet he could turn on a sixpence and deliver an unparalleled bolero, rife with subtle shades of longing and uncertainty. This vocal dexterity won him fame in Mexico and adulation in Cuba. He returned to Cuba in the ‘50s and stayed through the revolution, helming a muscular big band that thrilled the country and cemented his enduring legacy.