well, where during the
late 1940s and early 1950s he consistently ranked number four on the list of
all-time favourite bands.
As he was growing-up in Mexico, he had two passions;
music and bull fighting. It was said that he was a fine amateur bull-fighter. Both
parents had a musical background. His father, a musician recognized his son's
talent and encouraged him. His mother wanted him to have a more stable career
so he attended school in Spain, studying Engineering and Music. He eventually
gave up the engineering to concentrate on music full-time.
Returning to Mexico, his first job was with a radio
station XEW in Mexico City where he was paid the equivalent of 36 cents an hour
to sing and play the piano. But the exposure nevertheless made Arcaráz a
household name, and when his first big band debuted at Tampico's Teatro Palma
in 1928, ticket sales were overwhelming.
His talent and reputation for arranging and composing
grew quickly and soon he was writing musical scores for motion pictures. In
1951, he was awarded Mexico's Gold Record Award (the U.S. equivalent to a
Grammy) for his musical composition, "Quinto Patio". in 1952, his
band received a similar award as "Best Orchestra of the Year". By
1963, he had already composed music for 24 films. He also penned some 200 songs
during his career, including his theme, "Sombra Verde.”
Throughout the fifties, concurrently with composing, he
toured the Mexico with a dance orchestra. His personnel were considered to be
the finest musicians in Mexico. His great, long-time trumpet player, Conrad
Gozzo was often compared to "a young Harry James." RCA Victor signed
the Arcaraz Orchestra to a recording
contract for their special Latin-American label, but because of his popularity they soon shifted him to their standard label.. By 1949 he had, what was considered to be by critiques, as the best big band in Mexico and consistently finished fourth in polls of the all-time best dance bands ever, behind only Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey and Duke Ellington.
contract for their special Latin-American label, but because of his popularity they soon shifted him to their standard label.. By 1949 he had, what was considered to be by critiques, as the best big band in Mexico and consistently finished fourth in polls of the all-time best dance bands ever, behind only Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey and Duke Ellington.
In the 1960s, he
moved to Monterrey where he commuted between there and Mexico City. It was
during one of the commutes that he lost his life in a tragic automobile
accident near San Luis Potos, on December 5th, 1963. (info mainly The Big Band Database)
1 comment:
For “Luis Arcaraz - 40 Temas Originales” go here:
https://www56.zippyshare.com/v/y95Or444/file.html
CD 1
01. Viajera
02. Prisionero del mar
03. Muñequita de Squire
04. Homenaje a Glenn Miller
05. Historia de un amor
06. Caravana
07. Canción de septiembre (September song)
08. Que vuelva a mi
09. Celos (Jelaousy)
10. Laura
11. Quinto patio
12. Que pronto pasó
13. Tabú
14. El tercer hombre
15. Lluvias de abril
16. El que pierde una mujer
17. Candilejas
18. Confesión
19. Continental
20. Gota por gota
CD 2
01. Bonita
02. Son dos amantes
03. Di que no
04. Tiempo tempestuoso (Stormy weather)
05. As de corazones
06. Buena y mala
07. Todo lo que tú eres (All the things you are)
08. Alma de mi alma
09. Dulce
10. Sombra verde
11. Sax cantabile
12. El muñeco de cuerda
13. Johnson Rag
14. Un extraño en el paraíso
15. El dinero no es la vida
16. Por ti
17. Superstición
18. Murmurando ( Whispering)
19. Cartas de amor en la arena
20. Un beso para construir un sueño
A big thank you to David Rodriguez's blog for active mp3s.
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