René Touzet
Although not as well-known to music audiences as Xavier Cugat or Pérez Prado, pianist and composer René Touzet was easily as influential in popularizing Latin rhythms in the U.S. In fact, his best-known cha cha, "El Loco," provided the inspiration for "Louie Louie," one of rock's most notorious songs. "Let Me Love You Tonight," the torch song made famous by Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Tommy Dorsey, and many others, was also a Touzet composition originally recorded as "No Te Importa Sabre." Even without these subtle crossover hits, Touzet ranks as a top Latin composer of boleros and cha chas, with over 500 songs to his name.
Born in Havana, Cuba, Touzet was a precocious musical talent who graduated from music school at age 14 and was leading his own band a few years later. An accomplished bandleader and composer by his twenties, Touzet came to the U.S. in 1946, where he worked with bandleaders Enric Madriguera, Desi Arnaz, Xavier Cugat, and Stan Kenton before settling in Hollywood and beginning a longstanding relationship with producer Gene Norman and his GNP Crecendo label. The partnership of Norman and Touzet would lead to over two dozen albums and a regular gig for the piano player at Norman's club. Touzet's band, alternately billed as the René Touzet Orchestra or the Cha Cha Rhythm Boys, was host to many of the West Coast's finest Latin music talents. On any given night, visitors to Norman's Crecendo club could hear Touzet with percussionists Willie Bobo, Jack Costanzo, or Mongo Santamaria, to name but a few of the all-stars to work in his band.
Touzet remained a popular bandleader through the '60s, incorporating pachangas and other new rhythms into his compositions without ever losing touch with the boleros and cha chas that brought him his first fame. Eventually, Touzet settled close to his Cuban roots in West Miami, FL, where he lived until his death in June of 2003 at the age of 86. He continued to perform until his passing and his music was regularly celebrated in festivals and galas by the Cuban-American community.
© Wade Kergan /TiVo
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Discografía
19 álbum(es) • Ordenado por Mejores ventas
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The Best Of Rene Touzet (His Piano and Orchestra)
América latina - Editado por GNP Crescendo el 25 jun. 1998
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Perlas Cubanas: Cha Cha Cha, Mambo y Merengue
Jazz - Editado por iLatina Music el 13 nov. 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Too Much!
Jazz - Editado por GNP Crescendo Records el 1 sept. 1956
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Julie Is Her Name
World music - Editado por GNP Crescendo Records el 1 feb. 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Pachanga Diferente
World music - Editado por Alegria Music Latino el 22 may. 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Vintage Cuba No. 133 - EP: Piano Bar, Cole Porter
América latina - Editado por Vintage Music el 20 mar. 1959
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
René Touzet
América latina - Editado por Vintage 2016 el 25 abr. 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
I Love Latin
World music - Editado por Music Manager el 2 sept. 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rene Touzet & His Latin Hits
World music - Editado por Music Manager el 22 may. 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Goes to the Movies
Jazz - Editado por GNP Crescendo Records el 1 sept. 1962
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mucho, Mucho Mas
World music - Editado por Music Manager el 25 mar. 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Dancing in Havana
América latina - Editado por MCM el 14 feb. 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Vintage Cuba No. 142 - EP: Cha-Cha Y Mambo
América latina - Editado por Vintage Music el 21 ene. 1957
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
René Touzet & The Cha Cha Rhythm Boys
América latina - Editado por Vintage 2015 el 21 jun. 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Dinner in Havana
World music - Editado por Eben Entertainment el 18 mar. 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mr. Cha Cha Medley: Tea For Two / Mi Amor Se Fue / Andalucia / Stormy Weather Que Emocion / La Criticona / Mulata / Red Dress / Perfidia / Julie Is Her Name / Mi Guajira
Pop - Editado por JB Production el 24 sept. 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Mr. Cha Cha Medley: Tea For Two / Mi Amor Se Fue / Andalucia / Stormy Weather Que Emocion / La Criticona / Mulata / Red Dress / Perfidia / Julie Is Her Name / Mi Guajira
Pop - Editado por JB Production el 24 sept. 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo