Klarinet Archive - Posting 000169.txt from 2007/12
From: "Daniel Leeson" <dnleeson@-----.net>
Subj: RE: [kl] Tarogato
Date: Tue, 25 Dec 2007 13:14:33 -0500
I remember Xavier Cugat well. His younger wife before Charro was Abby Lane,
a resident of Paterson, NJ, which is where I lived, and I knew her as a
lovely, friendly, and decent human being with an enormous bust. She was very
self-conscious about it, too. But when she finally realized that it made her
natural prettiness an even more important commodity, she stood sideways
proudly and her career took off like a shot. Her singing was average and she
spoke no Spanish, which made her a hindrence to the Cugat mariachi
orchestra. But she became very successful. After she and Cugat separated,
he then married Charro, the kootshy kootsky girl still seen on TV nowadays.
And yes, Xavier always carried a chihuahua, though he would occasionally
hand it to Abby and later to Charro.
Ah memories of youth.
DNL
-----Original Message-----
From: Kevin Fay [mailto:kevin.fay.home@-----.net]
Sent: Tuesday, December 25, 2007 9:59 AM
To: klarinet@-----.org
Subject: RE: [kl] Tarogato
Dan Leeson posted re Dante Profumo:
<His playing was not great, but he owned one of everything.>
Kurt Heisig replied:
<<<During the 30's he had played with the Chicago Symphony and Xavier
Cugat. . . . I forget which of the low woodwinds--a sub-contra bass
clarinet?--Dante told me about, but whenever they needed one for the movies
or tv in LA, he was the only one that had one, so he ALWAYS was the player,
and he told me for that horn he had to own that VW bus, and would carry it
to LA in that bus.>>>
CSO and Xavier Cugat? That's a combo indeed. (Wasn't XC the guy who
conducted with a Chihuahua, and later married Charo, 40+ years his junior?)
My good friend Warren says that "you can't own too many horns!" If they get
you gigs, perhaps this is true. Me - I've bought and sold a ton. I've
never regretted a purchase, and have regretted every sale.
kjf
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