Pianist, composer and arranger.
Pedro Nolasco Jústiz Rodríguez, whose stage name was "Peruchín", was born on January 31, 1913 and died on December 24, 1977. when he was ten years old his family moved to the Antilla town, in the Cuban eastern region, together with his maternal grandfather, Evelio Rodríguez, who was conductor of the Municipal Band at the time.
In 1933, he joined the "Chepín Chovén" orchestra in Santiago de Cuba, with which he discovered the popular roots of music. He became known and traveled to the capital where different sounds converged. There he discovered jazz, a genre of absolute vastness and wild freedom.
He performed with a number of groups, namely, Casino de la Playa, the Swing Band, the Matamoros Ensemble and well-known orchestras like Mariano Mercerón´s orchestra, the Riverside orchestra and the Armando Romeo´s orchestra. He then became a vanguard pianist.
During the 1950s, Pedro Jústiz also joine
d the Banda Gigante led by Benny Moré and, to a great extent, the coherence of this band was attributed to his musical arrangements. Likewise, during that same decade he participated in the famous "jam sessions" performed by great musicians like Israel López "Cachao", Guillermo Barreto, Tata Guines and many others.
As composer, he was the author of the well-known song entitled "Mamey Colorao".
Pedro Jústiz is considered one of the glories of Cuban piano playing and he is remarkable for the dexterity achieved in the tumbaos and montunos.
Peruchín will be always remembered wearing his white hat with a black band, a large cigar in his right hand, his deep eyes and black skin; but, above all, he will be remembered as one of the most outstanding Cuban piano players, matchless for the dexterity he achieved in the tumbaos and montunos and his unrepeatable seal.
