Tito Rodriguez Wins At Life!

[JSngry]

[Joe G]

I like it.

[Chuck Nessa]

What's the name of that tune?

[JSngry]

Sorta like Pancho Hagood w/Monk...

(woefully incomplete)

[JSngry]

What's the name of that tune?

"Que Sera". Defnitely not the Doris Day song, one less "Sera".

[JSngry]

I like it.

Dude, Tito Rodriguez was a BAD MOTHERLCKUFER! Most folks know him for his boleros (not for nothing was he called "the Latin Sinatra"), but he was a total musician, and a total entertainer.

There's a cut of his from the '50s(?) called "Bilongo" that will rock damn near anybody's world. Trust me.

Edited August 13, 2008 by JSngry

[7/4]

For promotional use only? Kinda obvious, I thought....

move 'dem feet!

.

[JSngry]

There's a cut of his from the '50s(?) called "Bilongo" that will rock damn near anybody's world. Trust me.

Ok, I don't know well enough to say one way or the another, but I don't think that it's actually TR's song, he just recorded it (and damn well).

But found on YouTube, here's a totally beautiful video of the song performed by Compay Segundo, lifted from Cuban television. You gotta sit through some introductory B.S. but then...hey.

[seeline]

Tito Rodriguez was incredibly accomplished, a real all-'round musician - and by far my favorite from the era of Latin big bands in NYC. A lot of his music is available on emusic.com, too - really beautiful charts, playing, the works.

Dare I say it? OK, I will - much better than Tito Puente. (IMO.)

[Hot Ptah]

Tito Rodriguez was incredibly accomplished, a real all-'round musician - and by far my favorite from the era of Latin big bands in NYC. A lot of his music is available on emusic.com, too - really beautiful charts, playing, the works.

Dare I say it? OK, I will - much better than Tito Puente. (IMO.)

You have me curious! Do you have any recommendations for Tito Rodriguez recordings?

[rpklich]

I was just listening to a Roberto Roena Y Su Apollo Sound Cd (the one with the great timbalero, Endel Dueno on the cover) when I stumbled on this posting. They covered a TR tune, "El Que Se Fue".

You're right about TR being mostly known as a ballad singer. His reliance on boleros probably will keep him a from being as revered in non-Latino circles as much as Machito or his archrival, Tito Puente. I like Beny More alot, but he's almost forgotten (Spanish Harlem Orch. did do a nice cover of "Mama Guela" a couple of years back.)

Thanks for bringing Tito Rodriguez name up.

[seeline]

Tito Rodriguez was incredibly accomplished, a real all-'round musician - and by far my favorite from the era of Latin big bands in NYC. A lot of his music is available on emusic.com, too - really beautiful charts, playing, the works.

Dare I say it? OK, I will - much better than Tito Puente. (IMO.)

You have me curious! Do you have any recommendations for Tito Rodriguez recordings?

Probably the best place to look for recs. is www.descarga.com

I downloaded a very nice comp from Emusic, titled Mambo Madness, that I'm planning on buying on disc (whenever I have $ for CDs again - might be a while!)

I may be in the minority on T. Rod vs. Tito Puente, too... but I'm sticking to my thoughts on this. (My tastes are just that! )

ptah, you might also want to do a search on the AAJ board, as LuckeyRaffy1925 (former member) has a lot of knowledge on T. Rod. and others. it's a shame that his posts are basically buried in the archives.

Edited August 14, 2008 by seeline

[JSngry]

Tito Rodriguez was incredibly accomplished, a real all-'round musician - and by far my favorite from the era of Latin big bands in NYC. A lot of his music is available on emusic.com, too - really beautiful charts, playing, the works.

many/most of the vintage charts were by Rene Hernandez, right?

When you talk about great arrangers, there's a name that should be mentioned, but never is.

[JSngry]

Do you have any recommendations for Tito Rodriguez recordings?

I recommend that everybody postpone that nex glass of water for a few minutes and spend the whopping sum of 89 cents to download "Bilongo" from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Bilongo/dp/B000W2NZ9Y

Great chart, great band, great singing, great....just great, period.

Kikiribu mandinga y'all!

[seeline]

Tito Rodriguez was incredibly accomplished, a real all-'round musician - and by far my favorite from the era of Latin big bands in NYC. A lot of his music is available on emusic.com, too - really beautiful charts, playing, the works.

many/most of the vintage charts were by Rene Hernandez, right?

When you talk about great arrangers, there's a name that should be mentioned, but never is.

Sounds right, but I'd need to doublecheck. My brain is bit like Teflon these days.

[JSngry]

Lousy video, great, great band: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xopH892bzsw

[Teasing the Korean]

I've never heard anything by Tito R as "bad" as Tito P at his most ordinary, but I've also never heard anything by Tito R as great as Tito P at his best. That's my experience, at least. They both recorded a zillion albums.

[seeline]

I think you've managed to miss the top-drawer T. Rod. sides - as you say, he recorded so much that it's easy to do.

[Teasing the Korean]

I think you've managed to miss the top-drawer T. Rod. sides - as you say, he recorded so much that it's easy to do.

I have lots of stuff by both of them. Which do you consider their best stuff? I'm sure I'm missing key albums.

EDIT: Did TR ever do anything as great as TP's Tambo on RCA, circa 1960? That album is AMAZING!!!

Edited August 15, 2008 by Teasing the Korean

[JSngry]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MMfKfJzfNA

I wonder if this was from American TV?

[Larry Kart]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MMfKfJzfNA

I wonder if this was from American TV?

Not with that dancer, not in a million years. Havana, maybe? Or Puerto Rico?

BTW, I remember watching Cuban league baseball games broadcast from Havana and picked by a local Chicago station in the year Castro took over. The atmosphere in the stands was something else.

[seeline]

I think you've managed to miss the top-drawer T. Rod. sides - as you say, he recorded so much that it's easy to do.

I have lots of stuff by both of them. Which do you consider their best stuff? I'm sure I'm missing key albums.

EDIT: Did TR ever do anything as great as TP's Tambo on RCA, circa 1960? That album is AMAZING!!!

You're asking the wrong person - check the recs on www.descarga.com

And I might as well admit it; I don't care much for a lot of TP's earlier albums - even Dance Mania left me cold when I 1st heard it. (at the time, i wondered if there was something wrong with me!)

Mambo Madness, which I mentioned in an earlier post here, is very nice. you can listen to a couple of cuts here.

[seeline]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MMfKfJzfNA

I wonder if this was from American TV?

Not with that dancer, not in a million years. Havana, maybe? Or Puerto Rico?

He did have at least one regular TV gig in PR, so...

OTOH - here's the caption from that vid's YouTube page (bolding mine):

Tito Rodriguez toca timbales con su orquesta acompañando a la sensual Gilda Miros quien fuera personaje de la radio y TV en NY

And just for the record, Tito R. was Puerto Rican (as was TP).

Edited August 15, 2008 by seeline

[JSngry]

The Puerto Rican TV gig was late 50s/very early 70s, and is, I presume, the source for the two color clips I've posted/ Rodriguez looks younger in the B&W clip, I think.

I'm thinking maybe local NY TV or something? The staging is more elaborate than the TR PR shows.

[Teasing the Korean]

And I might as well admit it; I don't care much for a lot of TP's earlier albums - even Dance Mania left me cold when I 1st heard it. (at the time, i wondered if there was something wrong with me!)

Mambo Madness, which I mentioned in an earlier post here, is very nice. you can listen to a couple of cuts here.

You HAVE TO HEAR Tambo! It's KILLER!