Javier Unsihuay

Born

1949-07-18

Died

2021-04-15

Birthplace

Huayucachi, Huancayo, Junín, Perú

Biography

**Javier Unsihuay Bello** (July 18, 1949 – April 15, 2021) was a Peruvian saxophonist, composer, and bandleader widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the traditional music of Peru's Mantaro Valley. Known as **"The King of the Saxophone"** ("El Rey del Saxo"), he played a pivotal role in preserving and popularizing the Wanka musical tradition through a career spanning more than six decades. Born in Huayucachi, in the Junín region of central Peru, Unsihuay developed an interest in music at an early age. He learned to play the saxophone at the age of twelve under the guidance of his uncle, musician Jacinto Unsihuay, and quickly established himself as a talented performer. In the late 1960s, he founded **Los Internacionales Ases de Huayucachi**, an orchestra that would become one of the most celebrated and enduring ensembles in Peruvian folk music. As its musical director and principal saxophonist, Unsihuay helped define the group's distinctive sound, blending traditional genres such as huayno, huaylarsh, muliza, and santiago with the characteristic style of the Mantaro Valley's brass and wind ensembles. Throughout his career, he composed more than 200 musical works and collaborated with many of Peru's leading folk artists. His contributions to Peruvian culture earned him numerous honors, including recognition as an Ambassador of Folklore by the Provincial Municipality of Huancayo in 2017. In 2022, a monument in his honor was unveiled at the Parque de la Identidad Wanka, commemorating his lasting impact on the country's musical heritage. Javier Unsihuay passed away on April 15, 2021, due to complications related to COVID-19. His death was widely mourned across Peru, and the Ministry of Culture paid tribute to him as one of the foremost ambassadors of Wanka music. Today, his legacy endures through the continued performances of Los Internacionales Ases de Huayucachi and the enduring popularity of his compositions, which remain central to the musical identity of Peru's central Andes.