HUFFINGTON
01.12.14
Exit
MUSIC
XAVIER CUGAT
LEAD BELLY
MAX ROACH
Rumba giant Xavier Cugat was born
in Spain on New Year’s Day at the
turn of the 20th century. As a young
lad, Xavier relocated with his family
to Cuba, where he studied classical
violin. During the tango craze of the
Roaring ’20s, Cugat took on New York
and then L.A. as a member of The
Gigolos. He moved on to film appearances, radio, and then back to New
York as an installation at the WaldorfAstoria in the pre- and post-WWII
eras. The maestro, who married five
times, was a catalyst for the explosion
of Latin-American music in the States
over several decades. Credits include
two-dozen-plus film appearances
and soundtracks, as well as scores
of releases. Collaborations include
Miguelito Valdés, Vincent Lopez, Phil
Harris, Don Reid, Del Campo, Dinah
Shore, Desi Arnaz and Rita Hayworth.
The icon passed away at the age of
90. Remember him with the 1949
title “Thanks for the Dream (Mi Sueño
Azul),” from Xavier Cugat: 16 Most
Requested Songs.
Huddie William Ledbetter, a.k.a. Lead
Belly, “the King of the Twelve-String,”
was born an only child in 1889 on a
Louisiana plantation. His love affair with
music began at an early age, and he
quickly picked up guitar, mandolin, accordion and piano. Nearing the age of 14,
he quit school and started performing in
juke joints, where he became a popular
attraction. His hard life, working the rails
and picking cotton, heavily influenced
his music — he landed in jail, escaped,
lived under an alias for two years, then
returned to prison in 1918, convicted of
murder (he earned a pardon in 1925 by
writing a song for the governor). In 1930,
he was arrested again and sentenced to
hard time in Louisiana’s infamous Angola Farm prison. During the Depression,
music historians John and Alan Lomax,
who were curating prison songs for the
Library of Congress, discovered the
bluesman and immortalized him on wax.
These recordings gave him the chance to
petition for another pardon. His freedom
was granted in 1934, and he became the
toast of the New York nightclub scene.
Lead Belly’s catalogue includes nearly
500 songs, and he was inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988. The
virtuoso suffered from ALS and died in
1949. Rediscover the classic recording
“Where Did You Sleep Last Night?,” from
The Best of Leadbelly.
Bebop Goliath composer/drummer
Max Roach was born in 1925 in North
Carolina and raised in Depressionera Brooklyn. At 10, Max discovered
the drums, and just six years later, he
found himself at the sticks with The
Duke Ellington Orchestra. In 1952,
Roach co-founded Debut Records
with Charles Mingus. Two years later,
he and trumpeter Clifford Brown
launched their classic bebop quintette with Harold Land, Richie Powell
and George Morrow (Sonny Rollins
would later replace Land). Collaborations include Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie
Parker, Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk,
Coleman Hawkins, Oscar Brown Jr.,
Fab Five Freddy and Sam Shepard.
Accolades include a MacArthur Foundation “genius” grant, a Commander
of the Order of Arts and Letters in
France, and recognition as a Harvard
Jazz Master. The genius’ elegant
trove comprises a universe of classics.
Revisit “What’s New? (With Strings),”
from Clifford Brown and Max Roach’s
1954 album Alone Together: The Best
of the Mercury Years.
BUY: iTunes.com
GENRE: World
ARTIST: Xavier Cugat
SONG: Thanks for the Dream
(Mi Sueño Azul)
ALBUM: Xavier Cugat:
16 Most Requested Songs
BUY: iTunes.com
GENRE: Blues
ARTIST: Lead Belly
SONG: Where Did You
Sleep Last Night?
ALBUM: The Best of Leadbelly
BUY: iTunes.com
GENRE: Jazz
ARTIST: Max Roach
SONG: What’s New (With Strings)
ALBUM: Alone Together:
The Best of the Mercury Years