Xavier Cugat - Cugi's Cocktails (1963)

Time to invite some friends over for cocktails and put on your dancing shoes! I have yet to find an album by Xavier Cugat that I didn't like. And I just love this one! The songs all have cocktail names and I guess my favorite (tonight, anyway) is "Zombie" (because tonight is the season premiere of the zombie TV show, "The Walking Dead"). The album cover is cool, too - definitely worth framing! So, mix yourself a few cocktails and dance a little!

Track listing for Xavier Cugat - Cugi's Cocktails:

Side 1:
1. Cuba Libre (Guaracha)
2. One Mint Julep (Cha-Cha Twist)
3. Old-Fashioned (Beguine)
4. Daiquiri (Bossa Nova)
5. Cocktails for Two (Cha-Cha)
6. Rum and Coca-Cola (Mambo)

Side 2:
1. Cugi's Cocktail (Hully Gully Cha-Cha)
2. Grasshopper (Rhumba)
3. Blue Champagne (Bossa Nova)
4. Zombie (Bolero)
5. Manhattan (Cha-Cha)
6. Singapore Sling (Rhumba)

Xavier Cugat - Viva Cugat! (1961)

Here's one I've had for quite awhile, since the late 1980s when I was doing the ballroom dance thing. This is a really good record - has great songs that are very danceable. I like most anything by Xavier Cugat, and I even have an album that has four 78rpm records (can't remember off-hand what the name of the album is). If I ever finish unpacking (I moved in this house 2 years ago) and find my 78s, I'll record that one. Anyway, my favorites on this one are "Siboney" and "Isle of Capri". Enjoy this one!

Track listing for Xavier Cugat - Viva Cugat!:

Side 1:
1. Jungle Concerto
2. The Peanut Vendor
3. Isle of Capri
4. Tropical Merengue
5. Nightingale
6. Perfidia

Side 2:
1. Siboney
2. Jungle Drums
3. Anna
4. Maria Elena
5. Poinciana
6. Say Si Si

Xavier Cugat and His Orchestra - The King Plays Some Aces (1958)

This is one of the early additions to my record collection. Before 1987, the records I bought were the rock, soft rock, and pop that was popular at the time. Sure, I had grown up listening to my mom's big band and easy listening records, but I certainly didn't buy that kind of music. Until 1987, that is. In 1987, I accidentally discovered a local radio station that played "big bands and great singers". At first, I was angry that someone had messed with my radio at work, but as I heard the songs, I realized how cool it was. Then I entered a radio contest and won some free ballroom dance lessons. The world of music just opened up to me and I started working on my current record collection. (Needless to say, my mother was very happy that I now liked "real" music - like the kind she liked.) So, my early purchases were mostly big band or the kind of music that we danced to at the dance studio. The latin dances became my forte, so I started buying a lot of records of latin dance music. Of course, I had to buy some Xavier Cugat records! Again, before this the only thing I knew about Xavier Cugat was that Charo was married to him, because she would often comment about him, and that he was much older than she was. Oh, and something about him carrying around a little Chihuahua dog. When I finally bought one of his records (at HPB, of course!), it was this one, and I was hooked. I do love me some Cugat!

Track listing for Xavier Cugat - The King Plays Some Aces:

Side 1:
1. Oye Negra
2. Danse des Mirlitons
3. Carioca
4. Night Must Fall
5. Linda Mujer
6. Cuban Mambo

Side 2:
1. Green Eyes
2. Chiu Chiu
3. Danse Arabe
4. Baia
5. Mambo No. 5
6. Adios