Xavier Cugat & His Orchestra - Cugat Plays The Continental Hits

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 29:07
Size: 66.7 MB
Styles: Easy Listening, Latin jazz
Year: 1962/2012
Art: Front

[2:14] 1. Mack The Knife
[2:32] 2. Petite Fleur
[3:00] 3. Apache
[2:08] 4. Volare
[2:15] 5. Never On A Sunday
[2:26] 6. Calcutta
[2:21] 7. Sucu Sucu
[2:30] 8. The Third Man Theme
[2:44] 9. Wonderland By Night
[2:18] 10. The Poor People Of Paris
[2:33] 11. Come Prima
[2:01] 12. Guaglione

Born in Spain, Xavier Cugat's family moved to Havana, Cuba, when he was three. Always musically inclined, he packed up and moved to Los Angeles, where he worked as a cartoonist for the Los Angeles Times newspaper during the day and labored to put together a band at night. After a few years of playing smaller clubs in the L.A. area, Cugat finally got his break when he and his band secured a job at the prestigious Coconut Grove nightclub in 1928. His style of music caught on, and Cugat was instrumental in bringing Latin music to the attention of the US public. In the '30s and '40s he was nicknamed "The Rumba King" because of his popularization of that Latin dance. In Cugat's film appearances he usually played himself, even if the character had a name other than Xavier Cugat, and he and his band appeared in several memorable MGM musicals in the '40s. After suffering a stroke in 1971, Xavier Cugat retired.

Cugat Plays The Continental Hits 

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Xavier Cugat - The Best Collection

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:33
Size: 104.3 MB
Styles: Latin rhythms
Year: 2014
Art: Front

[3:06] 1. Yours (Quiereme Mucho)
[3:16] 2. Jalousie (Jealousy)
[3:09] 3. Begin The Beguine
[3:22] 4. Calientito
[2:42] 5. La Comparsa (Carnival Procession)
[2:59] 6. Isle Of Capri
[3:14] 7. I Want My Mama
[2:53] 8. Adios Muchachos
[2:26] 9. La Negra Leonor
[2:53] 10. Babalu
[3:09] 11. Siboney
[3:05] 12. Bim Bam Bum
[3:17] 13. Habanera
[3:08] 14. Green Eyes
[2:47] 15. Cachita

Remembered for his highly commercial approach to pop music, Xavier Cugat (born Francisco de Asis Javier Cugat Mingall de Cru y Deulofeo) made an even greater mark as one of the pioneers of Latin American dance music. During his eight-decade-long career, Cugat helped to popularize the tango, the cha-cha, the mambo, and the rhumba. His hits included "El Manicero" in the 1930s, "Perfidia" in 1940, and the original recording of "Babalu" in 1944. Members of Cugat's band included Desi Arnaz, Miguelito Valdés, Tito Rodriguez, Luis del Campo, Yma Sumac, and his third wife (of four), Abbe Lane. Cugat used the success of his musical career as a springboard for a movie career that included appearances in such films as Gay Madrid (1930), You Were Never Lovelier (1942), Bathing Beauty (1945), Weekend at the Waldorf (1945), Holiday in Mexico (1946), On an Island With You (1948), A Date With Judy (1948), Chicago Syndicate (1955), and Desire Diabolique (1959).

A native of Girona, Spain, Cugat emigrated with his family to Cuba in 1905. Trained as a classical violinist, he played with the Orchestra of the Teatro Nacional in Havana at the age of 12. Emigrating to the United States, sometime between 1915 and 1918, he quickly found work accompanying an opera singer. At the height of the tango craze, in 1918, Cugat joined a popular dance band, the Gigolos. His involvement with the group, however, was brief. As the popularity of the tango faded, he took a job as a cartoonist for The Los Angeles Times. Cugat returned to music in 1920, forming his own group, the Latin American Band. Although they played regularly at the Coconut Grove in Los Angeles and supplied the soundtracks for several musical shorts, the group had its greatest success after moving to New York and became the house band for the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Despite being criticized for their middle-of-the-road approach, Cugat remained committed to his commercial-minded sound. He later explained, "I would rather play 'Chiquita Banana' and have my swimming pool than play Bach and starve." Cugat and his orchestra remained at the hotel for 16 years. Beautiful women were consistently featured in Cugat's band. After helping Rita Hayworth launch her career, he appeared in her film You Were Never Lovelier. Cugat's recordings of the 1950s featured the singing of his third wife, Abbe Lane. In the mid-'60s, he featured his fourth wife, Charo, who he billed as a "folksinger." Upon his retirement in 1970, Cugat returned to Spain. He died in Barcelona on October 27, 1990. His band, which was led by Tito Puente following his retirement, continued to perform under the direction of dancer, musician, and vocalist Ada Cavallo. ~bio by Craig Harris

The Best Collection

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Xavier Cugat & His Orchestra - The Original Latin Dance King

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 73:14
Size: 170.5 MB
Styles: Latin rhythms
Year: 2002
Art: Front

[2:47] 1. Babalú
[2:39] 2. Jamay
[2:47] 3. Anana Boroco Tinde
[2:42] 4. The Brand New Cha Cha
[3:10] 5. Cuca
[2:59] 6. Bim Bam Bum
[3:01] 7. A Bailar Merengue
[2:23] 8. Coco Seco
[3:17] 9. Suavecito
[3:19] 10. Miami Beach Rhumba
[2:42] 11. Yo Quiero Un Mambo
[2:32] 12. Son Los Dandis
[3:16] 13. Mambo Jambo
[2:46] 14. Ritmo Tropical
[2:53] 15. (The Chi Chi) Cha Cha Cha
[2:52] 16. Yo Ta Namora
[2:19] 17. The Anything Can Happen Mambo
[3:15] 18. Mambo Gordo
[3:22] 19. Bésame Mucho
[3:07] 20. Tumbao
[2:13] 21. Bread, Love, And Cha Cha Cha
[2:28] 22. La Mucura
[2:51] 23. Cuban Mambo
[2:42] 24. Mondoguero
[2:27] 25. Mondongo
[2:11] 26. Who Me?

Recorded between 1941 & 1955. Includes liner notes by Joe Conzo. Xavier Cugat had a recording career that stretched over many more years than are covered on this collection. But this single-disc, 26-song anthology of sides from the 1940s and 1950s has to be considered the best collection of his work. This was Cugat's prime, and the tracks boast better fidelity than those he made prior to 1940, if one considers his prime to have started earlier. Hearing these lively and exceptionally well-performed, pioneering blends of Latin, jazz, and pop music, one is surprised that Cugat has not gotten more serious critical respect along the lines of Machito and Tito Puente. The 1940-1957 span ensures a good deal of variety in the orchestral players and the numerous featured vocalists, with Miguelito Valdés handling those more often than anyone on various early-'40s songs, but several others (including one female singer, Abbe Lane) taking turns as well. "Babalu," presented here in a 1941 recording with Valdés on lead vocals, might be the most famous tune, but in truth this is virtually nonstop energy and fun mambo, cha cha, rumbo, and such, played with consummate timing and humor. This only occasional crosses over into novelty territory, with highlights including "Yo Ta Namoa," where Valdés unleashes some amazing stuttering phrasing; the cover of Pérez Prado's "Mambo Jambo"; and a gorgeous, cinematic version of "Besame Mucho." ~ Richie Unterberger

Recording information: 11/26/1940-03/27/1957. All tracks have been digitally remastered.

Xavier Cugat (leader); Migueleito Valdes, Abbe Lane, Tito Rodiguez, Vitin Aviles, Pepito Arvelo, Juan Manuel (vocals).

The Original Latin Dance King

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