Personnel:
Xavier Cugat (vln & cond), Abbe Lane, Juan Manuel (vcl)
Reference: BMCD 2058
Bar code: 8427328020589
Xavier Cugat succeeded where most other Latin American bands had previously failed: he succeeded in appealing to both the latin and non-latin audience. Over an extraordinarily long and distinguished carreer, "Cugie"'s bands were always made up by outstanding musicians, and he surrounded himself with the cream of key latin side-men and singers. His bands were big too, often with 20 or so musicians, playing arrangements that were sometimes quite intricate, and that utilized unusual instruments, such as French horns.
He was also well-known for the beautiful ladies with whom he kept company, five of whom became wives. Possibly the best known of them all is featured as vocalist on three numbers in these two CDs, the tall leggy Abbe Lane.
