HMR Project: History of Music & Modern Recording

Xavier Cugat

Birth of Swing Jazz: Xavier Cugat

Xavier Cugat

Born on 1 January 1900 in Girona, Spain, the heydays of violinist, Xavier Cugat, would be in the forties. Beyond the tango and rumba, Cugat's repertoire included mambo, the cha-cha-cha, the twist and music especially for the conga. He was relocated from Spain to Cuba by his family at age five. Trained in classical violin, Cugat was twelve when he began playing with the Orchestra of the Teatro Nacional in Havana. In 1915 he immigrated to New York with his family, where he performed recitals with the enormously popular opera singer, Enrico Caruso, with whom he toured both the States and Europe.

The 'New York Times' has Cugat on a radio broadcast with WDY in New Jersey from the Victor Talking Machine Company in Camden as early as 1917 [see also Abjorensen]. IMDb has him in the uncredited role of a violinist in the 1921 film directed by Rex Ingram, 'The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse'. The excerpt below is from the 1993 restored version with sound by Kevin Brownlow and David Gill with music composed and conducted by Carl Davis.

Tango scene from the 1921 silent film 'The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse'

Restored version of 1993 w music by Carl Davis

Cugat performs violin in film but not audio

Dancing: Rudolph Valentino w Beatrice Dominguez

He had performed twice at Carnegie Hall in NYC before there joining the dance orchestra of pianist, Vincent Lopez, at the Casa Lopez in 1924/25. Both Tom Lord's discography and Brian Rust's 'The American Dance Band Discography 1917-1942' have Cugat recording with Lopez for Okeh from 13 February 1925 to March of 1926, for other labels like Brunswick and Perfect to as late as 2 May 1930. Cugat is on the roster for thirty-two sessions with Lopez during those five years, all in NYC.

'Always' Waltz Cugat at violin w Vincent Lopez & His Casa Lopez Orchestra

Recorded 13 Feb 1926 in NYC Okeh 40567 Charts: #1 May 1926

Composition: Irving Berlin First recorded by Irving Kaufman 30 Jan 1926

'Rhythm of the Day' Fox trot Cugat at violin w Vincent Lopez & His Casa Lopez Orchestra

Recorded c 15 March 1926 in NYC Okeh 40586

Trumpet: Bob Effros / Mike Mosiello Trombone: Charlie Butterfield

Clarinet: Larry Abbott / Billy Hamilton Tenor sax: Billy Hamilton

Alto sax: George Napoleon / Larry Abbott / Billy Hamilton

Piano: Vincent Lopez or Joe Gold Banjo / guitar: Frank Reino

String bass: Joe Tarto Drums: Willie Kessler

Composition: Donald Lindley / Owen Murphy

One source has Cugat leaving the East Coast for Los Angeles a year after having joined Lopez' band, where he formed his Gigolos in 1928, a tango band which played intermissions at the Cocoanut Grove between performances by Bing Crosby and the Gus Arnheim Orchestra. Cugat's Gigolos were also featured in the May 1928 release of the short film by Vitaphone, 'A Spanish Ensemble' (reel 2299). Cugat and his orchestra performed with Armida in the 1929 film, 'Mexicana'.

IMDb finds Cugat's first (uncredited) soundtrack titles in 1930 for the film, 'In Gay Madrid', those being 'Santiago' and 'Dark Night'. Cugat also performed on KFWB Radio and drew cartoons for the 'Los Angeles Times' while in California.

In 1931 Cugat returned to NYC with his Gigolos where they found a spot at the new Waldorf Astoria Hotel. It was Cugat's trademark to conduct while holding a Chihuahua underarm. He is found on transcription discs from radio broadcasts for Western Electric in 1932. Among his own early record releases were 'Silencio', 'Ombo - My Shawl', 'Gypsy Air Tango' and 'Rancho Grande' in 1933 for Victor. 'Caminito' below is Cugat's first recording of his first session as a leader documented at DAHR [refs below].

'Caminito' ('Path') Tango Xavier Cugat & His Waldorf-Astoria Orchestra

Recorded 15 Aug 1933 in NYC Vinyl LP: 'Tangos' RCA Victor LPT-11 / 1951

78 rpm shellac: Victor 24387 / 27603 / 27604 / P 83

45 rpm vinyl: RCA Victor 27-0080 / 947-0014

Composition: Carmen Lombardo / Charles O'Flynn / Ernesto Lecuona

Not few of Cugat's issues performed quite well on Billboard charts. 'The Lady In Red' was his initial Top Ten at #3 in 1935. 'Para Vigo me voy' ('I'm going to Vigo') went down on 13 December 1935 toward Victor 25237 which landed on Billboard at #19. This is the original of the more famous 'Say Si Si' with lyrics by Francia Luban and Al Stillman first recorded by Marion Hutton with Glenn Miller and His Orchestra on 26 January 1940, followed the same year by the Andrew Sisters.

'Para Vigo me voy' Conga rhythm Xavier Cugat & His Waldorf-Astoria Orchestra

Recorded 13 Dec 1935 in NYC Victor 25237 Gramophono AE.4609 Charts: #19 1936

Vocal: Pedro Benios Composition: Ernesto Lecuona

'Night Must Fall' reached #9 in 1939. Cugat hired Dinah Shore in 1939, whence she made her debut recordings. The instrumental, 'Perfidia', climbed to #3 in February of 1941.

'Perfidia' Rumba: Bolero Xavier Cugat & His Waldorf-Astoria Orchestra

Recorded 12 June 1939 in NYC Dubbed to reduce volume on 19 Dec 1940

Both issued as Victor 26334 Charts: #3 Feb 1941

Composition: Alberto Domínguez

'Brazil' rose to #2 on Billboard in January of 1943. 'Brazil' would be the overall best-selling issue of Cugat's career. 'Amor' found #10 in July of 1944, 'Good, Good, Good' #6 in June of 1945 the same month as 'You Belong to My Heart' with Bing Crosby at #3 and 'Baia' with Crosby at #6. Cugat and His Waldorf-Astoria Orchestra saw their last Top Ten title, 'South America, Take It Away!' reach #6 in August of 1946.

'Brazil' Samba Xavier Cugat & His Waldorf-Astoria Orchestra

Recorded 30 Dec 1941 in NYC Columbia 36651 Charts: #1 Jan 1943

Composition: Bob Russell / Ary Barroso

'Amor' Rumba: Bolero Xavier Cugat & His Waldorf-Astoria Orchestra

Recorded 4 Feb 1942 in NYC Columbia 36718 Charts: #10 July 1944

Vocal: Carmen Castillo Composition: Ricardo López Méndez / Gabriel Ruiz

'She's a Bombshell from Brooklyn' Xavier Cugat & His Waldorf-Astoria Orchestra Film

'She's a Bombshell from Brooklyn (And Not From Brazil)' Rumba

From the film 'Stage Door Canteen' released 24 June 1943

Vocal: Cheryl Walker Composition: Al Dubin / Jack Mason / James Monaco

'Miami Beach Rhumba' Rumba Xavier Cugat & His Waldorf-Astoria Orchestra

Recorded June 1947 Columbia 37556

Vocal: Aladdin and The Boyd Triplets Composition: Irving Fields / Albert Gamse

'Eso es el amor' ('This Is Love') Cha-cha Xavier Cugat & His Waldorf-Astoria Orchestra

'Serata di Gala' on RAI Television 1959 Vocal: Abbe Lane

Music: Ricardo Lopez Mendez / Gabriel Ruiz Galindo Lyrics: Sunny Skylar

Cugat's fifth and last wife was actress, singer and Spanish guitarist, Charo, from 1966 to 1978. 'La Cucaracha' below is an anonymous Mexican folk song about a cockroach with an uneven gate due to a missing leg, or that is one of numerous versions of the song estimated to have been written during the Mexican Revolution commencing about 20 November 1910. One version of 'La Cucaracha' was popular among the revolutionaries of Pancho Villa, referring to Victoriano Huerta, president of Mexico from 19 February 1913 to 15 July 1914, as a cockroach who can't move because he has no marijuana which Huerta was known to use. 'La Cucaracha' first saw print by Antonio Vanegas Arroyo on lithograph in 1915.

'La Bamba' below is an anonymous slave song of Veracruz, Mexico. Made famous in 1958 by Ritchie Valens, Larry Lehmer [refs below] traces 'La Bamba' to as early as the Bambarria slave uprising of 1683. Such slaves were of the Bamba tribe imported to Mexico by Spaniards from Angola and Congo. It was first recorded in Mexico by Alvaro Hernández Ortiz in 1938 toward issue on Victor 76102. Folk songs of the Veracruz region on the Gulf Coast are known as son jarocho.