Xavier Cugat
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Girona, Spain (January 1, 1900 – October 27, 1990)
Xavier Cugat (January 1, 1900 - October 27, 1990) was a Spanish-Cuban bandleader whom many consider to have had more to do with the infusion of Latin music into United States popular music than any other musician. Perez Prado followed in Cugat’s footsteps.
Cugat was born Francisco de Asis Javier Cugat Mingall de Bru y Deulofeo in Girona, Spain. His family immigrated to Cuba when he was five. He trained as a classical violinist and played with the Orchestra of the Teatro Nacional in Havana.
Sometime between 1915 and 1918, Cugat moved to New York, where he played with a band called “The Gigolos” during the tango craze. Later, he went to work for the Los Angeles Times as a cartoonist (Cugat’s caricatures were later nationally syndicated).
In the late 1920s, when sound began to be used in films, Cugat put together a tango band that had some success in early short musical films. By the early 1930s, he began appearing with his group in feature films. Cugat took his band to New York to open the new Waldorf Astoria Hotel and it became the hotel’s resident group.
He shuttled between New York and Los Angeles for most of the next thirty years, alternating hotel and radio dates with movie appearances.
In 1940, he recorded the song Perfidia with singer Miguelito Valdés which became a big hit. Cugat followed trends closely, making records for the conga, the mambo, the cha-cha-cha, and the twist when each were in fashion.
Cugat was born Francisco de Asis Javier Cugat Mingall de Bru y Deulofeo in Girona, Spain. His family immigrated to Cuba when he was five. He trained as a classical violinist and played with the Orchestra of the Teatro Nacional in Havana.
Sometime between 1915 and 1918, Cugat moved to New York, where he played with a band called “The Gigolos” during the tango craze. Later, he went to work for the Los Angeles Times as a cartoonist (Cugat’s caricatures were later nationally syndicated).
In the late 1920s, when sound began to be used in films, Cugat put together a tango band that had some success in early short musical films. By the early 1930s, he began appearing with his group in feature films. Cugat took his band to New York to open the new Waldorf Astoria Hotel and it became the hotel’s resident group.
He shuttled between New York and Los Angeles for most of the next thirty years, alternating hotel and radio dates with movie appearances.
In 1940, he recorded the song Perfidia with singer Miguelito Valdés which became a big hit. Cugat followed trends closely, making records for the conga, the mambo, the cha-cha-cha, and the twist when each were in fashion.
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Viva Cugat!
Xavier Cugat
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Say "Si Si"
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The Original Latin Dance King
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Shoutbox
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herbeard wrote:
El Paul Whiteman de la música latinoamericana!
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markusromano wrote:
incredible. love this stuff
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andrea605 wrote:
Been listening to Xavier since a child - phenomenal!
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zeromero wrote:
Amazing
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nathanaelkan wrote:
Rumba Rumbero, i wonder what would it be if he collaborate with Yma Sumac. *_*
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Jimcorp wrote:
fucking awesome
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albert0balsalm wrote:
<3
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Kisoku7 wrote:
Siboney instrumental.........A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!!! *___* woah i'm in the Olimpo of listeners!!!!YAY!!!!sommo giubilo!!!^___^
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mistercreative wrote:
oh yessss
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Mokami wrote:
always
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Bulgey10 wrote:
Look at him!
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TripleSol wrote:
gotta love that chihuahua
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Charade wrote:
one cool guy
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xam123 wrote:
xavier is king
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Augusto_Palma wrote:
No, he did not wrote Perfidia, the song is originally a mexican bolero composed and written by Alberto Dominguez Borras that has been played/sung by people as diverse as Artie Shaw, Placido Domingo and others, it's also often versioned in jazz and pop.
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Ramez05 wrote:
so did he write peridia originally, cuz i see alot of other bands play that song.
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avphibes wrote:
Ay Carumba! Mambo, baby!
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Queen_of_Moss wrote:
Definitely Perfidia!
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XTA45 wrote:
Xavier Cugat rullllaaaiizzzz !
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SonOfTheWookie wrote:
Perfidia is...!!
Videos
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Play
CUGAT EL CUMBANCHERO
1 shout
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Play
Night Must Fall
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Play
"Jalousie" (1935) Tango -…
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Play
& his Hotel Waldorf-Astoria…
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Recent Activity
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natschos connected Xavier Cugat to the group Cuba. Monday evening
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ricardorika, esapimienta, janhelps and 17 other people added Xavier Cugat to their libraries. October 2011
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ricardorika tagged Xavier Cugat with ‘mambo’. October 2011
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IanAR connected Xavier Cugat to the group Dagmar Krause. September 2011
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aixinl added Xavier Cugat to aixinl’s library. September 2011
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klimaz updated the wiki page for Xavier Cugat. (diff) September 2011
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klimaz tagged Xavier Cugat with ‘cuban’. September 2011
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