[Dixielandjazz] A 1939 Latin treat; some questions

[Charles Suhor]

Bill and All— 

Thanks, Bill for the results of your search. It appears, though, that Tito Rodriguez isn’t a strong candidate for the fine bongo player in the movie clip.  Gonzales would have been 15 or 16 years old when the movie was made in 1939, and I couldn’t find any connection of him with Lecuona or Orifiche. He seems to be well ahead of the curve, at least in my limited range of listening, in his bongo performance. I’d love to hear about others who played as freely in the same time period.

Your link from the movie, repeated below, is much clearer than mine, visually and sonically. Nice explanatory text, too—highly recommended for musicians and dance enthusiasts.

Charlie

   http://dansetrack.com/rene-estela-a-look-back-at-rumba-royalty/ <http://dansetrack.com/rene-estela-a-look-back-at-rumba-royalty/>


> On Dec 25, 2016, at 7:40 PM, Bill Haesler <bhaesler at bigpond.net.au <mailto:bhaesler at bigpond.net.au>> wrote:
> 
>> <domitype at gmail.com <mailto:domitype at gmail.com>> wrote [in part]:
>> While looking for something completely different, I found this interesting list of Cuban dance bands from the late 1800s to early 1900s - since there was a constant flow of tourists and musicians after the Spanish American War of 1889, I certainly think there would have been a lot of "cultural exchange" between Cuba and American musicians.    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Early_Cuban_bands <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Early_Cuban_bands>
> 
> and
> 
>> Charles Suhor <csuhor at zebra.net <mailto:csuhor at zebra.net>> wrote [in part]:
>> 
>> To get to my current question, last night I saw a 1939 movie in TCM, "Another Thin Man.” A scene at a Cuban night club in New York showed dancers and a Latin combo playing Lecuona’s “Siboney.” A little digging suggested that the band might have been Lecuona’s Cuban Boys or a spinoff group led by Armando Orifiche.  Just Google   Another Thin Man Cuban Club   and click on the clip that shows up. What knocked me out was the fine, free improvisation of the bongo player. Listen very closely to his rhythms among the din. I could find no comparable rhythmic performance predating the Latin/modern jazz synthesis of a decade later. 
> 
> Dear Dave and Charlie (and interested Listmates if the attachments get through),
> I also found this.
>    http://dansetrack.com/rene-estela-a-look-back-at-rumba-royalty/ <http://dansetrack.com/rene-estela-a-look-back-at-rumba-royalty/>
> 
>> improvisation of the bongo player. Listen very closely to his rhythms among the din. I could find no comparable rhythmic performance predating the Latin/modern jazz synthesis of a decade later. Can anybody direct me to other early stunning Latin percussion playing? And does anyone know who the bongo player in the movie was?
> 
> How about this circumstantial evidence?
> <Rodriguez.jpg>
> 
> And from The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Friday, December 1, 1939 Page: Page 12
> 
> <Havana-Madrid Dec 1939.jpg>
> 
> Kind regards,
> Bill. 
> 
> 

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