1. Marco Rizo Ayala was a Cuban-born pianist, composer, and arranger.
13 Facts About Marco Rizo
1. 2.
Marco Rizo mastered the 19th century works of composers Manuel Saumell and Ignacio Cervantes.
3.
Marco Rizo is best known for his role as pianist, arranger and orchestrator for the American television sitcom I Love Lucy which aired from 1951 to 1957.
4.
Marco Rizo was born in Santiago de Cuba, Oriente, Cuba.
5.
In 1932, Marco Rizo moved to Havana to attend the National Conservatory of Music, where he studied under the tutelage of Spanish composer Pedro San Juan.
6.
Marco Rizo remained there for six years, and in 1938 was named the official pianist of the Havana Philharmonic Orquestra, performing under the direction of Ernesto Lecuona.
7.
Marco Rizo was considered Cuba's most important concert pianist by the age of 16.
8.
Marco Rizo became interested in jazz through his work with his father's Marco Rizo-Ayala Jazz Band.
9.
Marco Rizo made several on-camera appearances on the show throughout its run on television.
10.
Marco Rizo composed motion picture music for Columbia, Paramount and MGM Studios.
11.
Marco Rizo continued his concert career in 1960, playing the music of Lecuona and other Cubans.
12.
In 1989, Marco Rizo won the Silver Medal of the French Academy of the Arts, Sciences and Letters.
13.
Marco Rizo died of a heart attack in 1998 at St Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center.