Latin American big bands of 40s-50s-60s

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

I’ve recently become very interested in these bands. It seems to me that this period (as for R&B, gospel, bebop) is the classic period for these great orchestras, who are rather out of favour, only of interest to the middle of the road fans.

So far, I’ve got several albums each of:
Xavier Cugat
Perez Prado (my favourite and the funkiest beyond doubt)
Machito
Tito Puente
Edmundo Ros (rather polite, but fun)

I’ve tried finding others through AMG but that’s really unhelpful nowadays. So I’m sure one or two people here can point out a few other bandleaders of this ilk.

Recommendations please. (And if you know of a good discographical site for these or other bands, please don't hesitate to provide a link.)

MG

[jeffcrom]

I've got an aircheck (I mean the actual acetate disc from 1948) of Noro Morales that I like, although I haven't explored his work beyond that 12 minutes of music.

[BillF]

Recommended

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

I've got an aircheck (I mean the actual acetate disc from 1948) of Noro Morales that I like, although I haven't explored his work beyond that 12 minutes of music.

Looks interesting, though there's not a lot available. I'll try a DL of an album of his late 40s-1951 material next month. Thanks Jeff.

MG

Recommended

I have the Pablo and like it. I don't know the Verve - I guess it isn't in the Proper box I have.

MG

[BillF]

I've got an aircheck (I mean the actual acetate disc from 1948) of Noro Morales that I like, although I haven't explored his work beyond that 12 minutes of music.

Looks interesting, though there's not a lot available. I'll try a DL of an album of his late 40s-1951 material next month. Thanks Jeff.

MG

Recommended

I have the Pablo and like it. I don't know the Verve - I guess it isn't in the Proper box I have.

MG

And there are , of course, the big band tracks with Machito on this one:

[duaneiac]

Don't forget Desi Arnaz. This is a decent compilation from RCA of his 1940's band recordings , including perhaps his two biggest hits, the title song and "Cuban Pete".

(There is a special "guest vocalist" on one track -- guess who.)

Edited July 23, 2014 by duaneiac

[JSngry]

Two words, dude - Tito Rodriguez.

That is one bad motherfucker right there.

[uli]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FC3nqkzvNk

[JSngry]

Carlos Barberia. I only have the one Panart record, but the other stuff on You Tube like this is dandy too.

I have never seen that record. But I do have this one, and if you see it, carpe disco.

[Big Beat Steve]

Don't forget Desi Arnaz. This is a decent compilation from RCA of his 1940's band recordings , including perhaps his two biggest hits, the title song and "Cuban Pete".

Agreed about Desi Arnaz. From what I've heard his recordings may be a bit "hollywoodized" but they are nice starters into Latin big bands from that era.

MG, you might want to read up on this subject matter in THIS book:

http://www.chroniclebooks.com/titles/latin-jazz.html

This should give you an expert overview of whom to search out.

And then there are the reissues from the HARLEQUIN label (part of the Krazy Kat/Interstate labels straight from the UK):

http://www.interstate-music.co.uk/harlequin/harlequinindex.htm

No idea how well distributed they (still) are at this time as the label(s) seem to have slowed down their reissuing activities a lot in recent years so some may be OOP for good.

[mikeweil]

Get some Pupi Campo - that's the band Tito Puente directed until its leader fell victim to heart attack. Great fiery arrangements of standards as well as Latin vocal numers, but no cheesy vocals.

A recommendable reissue series of this type of music is the Tumbao label of the Fresh Sound group - forget a discography, in most casses you're lucky when you can approximate the year of recording and possible personnel. The leaders and singers were named, that was it.

That Harlequin series is indeed good.

[paul secor]

Don't forget Desi Arnaz. This is a decent compilation from RCA of his 1940's band recordings , including perhaps his two biggest hits, the title song and "Cuban Pete".

Agreed about Desi Arnaz. From what I've heard his recordings may be a bit "hollywoodized" but they are nice starters into Latin big bands from that era.

MG, you might want to read up on this subject matter in THIS book:

http://www.chroniclebooks.com/titles/latin-jazz.html

This should give you an expert overview of whom to search out.

And then there are the reissues from the HARLEQUIN label (part of the Krazy Kat/Interstate labels straight from the UK):

http://www.interstate-music.co.uk/harlequin/harlequinindex.htm

No idea how well distributed they (still) are at this time as the label(s) seem to have slowed down their reissuing activities a lot in recent years so some may be OOP for good.

A good number of Harlequin Latin recordings seem to be available on U.S. Amazon.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Oh wow! LOTS of stuff to pursue. I knew I was only scratching the surface.

Thank you all!

MG

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Don't forget Desi Arnaz. This is a decent compilation from RCA of his 1940's band recordings , including perhaps his two biggest hits, the title song and "Cuban Pete".

Agreed about Desi Arnaz. From what I've heard his recordings may be a bit "hollywoodized" but they are nice starters into Latin big bands from that era.

MG, you might want to read up on this subject matter in THIS book:

http://www.chroniclebooks.com/titles/latin-jazz.html

This should give you an expert overview of whom to search out.

And then there are the reissues from the HARLEQUIN label (part of the Krazy Kat/Interstate labels straight from the UK):

http://www.interstate-music.co.uk/harlequin/harlequinindex.htm

No idea how well distributed they (still) are at this time as the label(s) seem to have slowed down their reissuing activities a lot in recent years so some may be OOP for good.

Got a copy of that book just now from Amazon UK. Not terribly expensive.

MG

[JSngry]

MG, you might have some fun hanging out and browsing this site: http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db

Prices aren't always the "best", but selection and general annotation is pretty much unbeatable (at least in my experience).

[mikeweil]

As I mentioned above, Tito Puente carried on with most of the members from Pupi Campo's band - his first recordings for RCA Victor and Tico were made with that band. The Ticos are available on four double CDs, including one CD worth of vibes features that were quite an influence on Cal Tjader. Sound is below standard, they were copied from vintage shellac from a private collection as Tico did not have copies in their vaults!

But the music is great - everything from ballads to fiery instrumentals.

BTW - Tito is pictured with a set of Leedy timbales - the best ever made, chrome plated brass shells. The Gon Bops timbales I have were modelled after them. Great paila sound. Everybody played Leedy before the salsa era started with LP instruments.

The heads are calfskin.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

MG, you might have some fun hanging out and browsing this site: http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db

Prices aren't always the "best", but selection and general annotation is pretty much unbeatable (at least in my experience).

Looks VERY interesting - but a pity so many notes are in Spanish.

Thanks Jim.

MG

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

As I mentioned above, Tito Puente carried on with most of the members from Pupi Campo's band - his first recordings for RCA Victor and Tico were made with that band. The Ticos are available on four double CDs, including one CD worth of vibes features that were quite an influence on Cal Tjader. Sound is below standard, they were copied from vintage shellac from a private collection as Tico did not have copies in their vaults!

But the music is great - everything from ballads to fiery instrumentals.

BTW - Tito is pictured with a set of Leedy timbales - the best ever made, chrome plated brass shells. The Gon Bops timbales I have were modelled after them. Great paila sound. Everybody played Leedy before the salsa era started with LP instruments.

The heads are calfskin.

They look very interesting. I guess the Descarga site is in the USA, so heavy postage rates. On Amazon UK, the downloads are generally more expensive than the CDs!

Will look into these. Thanks.

MG

[JSngry]

Outside your time frame just a little, but there's two early 70s Eddie Palmieri albums that frequently are "big band" through the use of overdubbing of horn parts - The Sun Of Latin Music & Unfinished Masterpiece. IMO, these are "essentials" for anybody interested in "Latin Music" over any stripe, but especially a more arrangement-focused approach to the horns

A the opening cuts from each from each:

Anotehr thing for consideration - when it comes to Latin big bands of the American-based type, if you see the name Rene Hernandez in the credits as arranger, proceed without hesitation.

[ArtSalt]

The Machito stuff with Flip Phillips is good too - a lot of it difficult to source on CD, unlike the tracks with Parker on.

[Bluesnik]

MG, you might want to read up on this subject matter in THIS book:

http://www.chroniclebooks.com/titles/latin-jazz.html

This should give you an expert overview of whom to search out.

Yes, I have this though I still haven't read it. It's probably OOP, since it was on a kind of blowout sale I bought it at the beginning of the 2000s.

I was really surprised hearing here about it, because I thought "that's familiar to me".

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

MG, you might want to read up on this subject matter in THIS book:

http://www.chroniclebooks.com/titles/latin-jazz.html

This should give you an expert overview of whom to search out.

Yes, I have this though I still haven't read it. It's probably OOP, since it was on a kind of blowout sale I bought it at the beginning of the 2000s.

I was really surprised hearing here about it, because I thought "that's familiar to me".

Yes, I snagged a not too expensive copy from Amazon UK and it's on its way to me.

MG

[Big Beat Steve]

Must have been on a blowout sale for a long, long time, that book. I got my copy from a friend in 2005 who had bought it dirt cheap from a "remainders' stock" bookstore over here and kindly got me another copy after I saw the book at his home.

[JSngry]

up

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Oh, I see I started this thread!

Well, I've got a bit more since then - a few very nice Noro Morales, some more Puente and Rodriguez (Tito R used to be with Xavier Cugat) and, nicest of all, some Abelardo Barrosso and Arsenio Rodriguez.

MG