Posts tagged Xavier Cugat
Soul Station Feature: Orquesta De Jose Curbelo
Soul Station Feature: Orquesta De Jose Curbelo

Llorá

Chano Pozo's Llora was initially recorded by the famous Orquesta Casino de la Playa, in 1946, with Cascarita singing and Perez Prado leading the band. Before the 1940s ended, and perhaps while Pozo was still alive (he died 12/03/48) it was recorded by Jose Curbelo in the US with Tito Rodriguez singing. Curbelo had come to the US in 1939 and he bounced around from the better paying, latin hotel bands (including Xavier Cugat's band) until he formed his own. Many future latin stars worked in his band, including Tito Puente and of course, the singer and band leader Tito Rodriguez!

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RadioDJ PiWholesomeRadioSoul Station Feature, Chano Pozo, Orquesta Casino de la Playa, Cascarita, Perez Prado, Orquesta De Jose Curbelo, Jose Curbelo, Tito Rodriguez, Xavier Cugat, Tito Puente
Soul Station Feature: Orquesta Havana Cosmopolitana
Soul Station Feature: Orquesta Havana Cosmopolitana

Bruca Manigua

Arsenio Rodriguez was one of the most important figures in the rise and development of Afro Cuban music for several decades beginning in the late 1930s. His contributions are immense. The Orquesta Casino de la Playa, with Miguelito Valdes on vocals, was one of the first bands to record a song by Rodriguez, even before he began making his own recordings. This song, Bruca Manigua, with lyrics in Bozal, has been recorded many times since, by Nilo Menendez, Xavier Cugat, Orquesta Afro-Cubana Batamu, and more recently Buena Vista Social Club. This version is by a group that is basically a mystery. It may, or may not, have been recorded in Cuba, though the Coast label was apparently based in the US. The band also had a 78 on the Mexican Peerless label. There is no vocal and the arrangement clearly has some jazz influence, in addition to the way it ends, with a repeating montuno part that almost gets at the mambo. It is, even without the lyrics, quite beautiful and powerful!

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RadioDJ PiWholesomeStudio-b3Soul Station Feature, Arsenio Rodriguez, Orquesta Casino de la Playa, Miguelito Valdes, Nilo Menedez, Xavier Cugat, Orquesta Afro-Cubana Batamu, Buena Vista Social Club, Perlees Records