Lalia Madriguera
Brings us the story and music of her father
Enric Madriguera -- 1930's bandleader, violinist, composet
with co-host
Gary Stevens

with Katie Cosco (piano), Debbie Kennedy (bass), Nick Russo (guitar), G. Biagi (percussion) and special guest vocalist, Marcus Simeone

You not only have a wonderful time at our monthly meetings, you really learn a lot!  Until our March meeting, about all I knew about Madriguera is that he led a society Latin American band, and wrote "Adios" and other Latin classics.  Lalia Madriguera is doing a great job of letting us know "the rest of the story."  And in a very entertaining way.  The group of excellent musicians she brought with her helped her bring her father's story to life.  Lalia made it look so easy to sing these marvelous songs she grew up with, and Marcus Simeone did his usual outstanding job of capturing those tricky Latin nuances.

And speaking of outstanding jobs, Gary Stevens - as always - brought that glamorous period to life with his anecdotes.  There's nothing like listening to someone who was there to add authenticity to the afternoon:  it was a thrilling trip in time back to that era.

Program

          The Macheech

          This is My Thrill

          Guatemala

          On the Way to Venezuela

          Spanish Eyes

          Adios

Biographical Notes

Enric Madriguera was a child prodigy of the violin, and his sister Paquita was a child prodigy of the piano.  They came to New York in 1916 and lived with the Nin family.  When his sister and mother moved to Montevideo, Enric chose to stay in New York.  (His sister later married Andres Segovia)  He traveled to Havana on a concert tour with Pablo Casals.  He was a guest conductor of the Havana Symphony Orchestra and (as fate would have it) broke his little finger and during the time he was recuperating he fell in love with Cuban music.  Back in New York, he started recording this music.  By 1931 he was at the Waldorf Astoria, with a 17 piece orchestra.  He inaugurated the first broadcast on WNYC ratio.  His radio broadcasts on WCBS, NBS and WOR were heard nationwide for over 15 years.  His theme song, "Adios" was awarded "the most famous song" of that time.  He paved the way for such personalities as Cugat, Arnaz and the other wonderful Latin performers.