Latin Beat Magazine: Casino de la Playa: the best of the best

The unanimous orchestral choice of most of the music critics of the 1930s and '40s as the best Latin band was Cuba's Casino de la Playa. The quality of its instrumentalists, modernistic arrangements, talented vocalists and well-polished stage presentations left it without a peer among all popular music groups. For nearly five decades, this orchestra set the standard for all jazz-type bands in Latin America. Some music historians have said that Orquesta Casino de la Playa was 25 years ahead of its time.

The orchestra's influence extended well beyond Cuba. For example, one of the band's biggest fans in New York City was none other than Tito Puente. In a 1948 conversation with this writer, Tito spoke about how much he had learned listening to the band's arrangements written by Anselmo Sacassas. He also showed me a large collection of Casino de la Playa's 78 RPM records that he kept at his home.

Much like a thoroughbred racehorse, Casino de la Playa had strong bloodlines. At least seven of its original members came from Orquesta Hermanos Castro, one of Cuba's most popular bands of that era, catering mostly to a high-society clientele. In 1937, Miguelito Valdés and a group that included, among others, pianist Anselmo Sacassas, trumpeter Walfredo de los Reyes II, violinist Guillermo Portela and saxophonist Liduvino Pereira, decided to organize an orchestral co-operative. That is to say, a musical group organized as a corporation. They were granted their charter on September 11, 1937. The members selected Guillermo Portela as the leader and Miguelito Valdés as the administrator. Miguelito handled all of the band's business affairs, including the selection of its name. He tells the story of how he went to see Pepe Vázquez (owner of the Summer Casino in Marianao, Cuba) seeking employment for the orchestra. The impresario suggested they name the band "Orquesta Casino de la Playa" and after signing a five year contract with the club, the group adopted that name.

The founding members of Casino de la Playa were: Guillermo Portela (leader and violinist), Anselmo Sacassas (pianist and arranger), Miguelito Valdés (drummer and vocalist), Walfredo de los Reyes II (first trumpet and vocalist), Luis Rubio (second trumpet), G. Gutiérrez, A. Rodríguez, Liduvino Pereira and Alfredo Sáenz (saxophones), José M. Peña (trombone), Onésimo González (bass) and Ernesto de la Vega (vocals). Bongó player Ramoncito Castro was only used for recordings. He was black and at that time, the places where Casino de la Playa played did not allow black musicians to perform.

Valdés was also instrumental in negotiating a broadcasting contract for the band with radio station CMQ. Through his efforts, the band was hired to play during a daily comedy hour sponsored by the Candado Soap Company. The broadcasts on station CMQ and its performances at the Casino de la Playa (and later at the Casino Nacional) helped the orchestra become the public's favorite. At the end of 1937 came a recording contract with RCA Victor. The terms provided for a $20 payment per musician per session. No provisions for payment of royalties were made. Their first recordings included Babalú, Bruca Maniguá, Dolor Cobarde, Cuando Vuelvas a Quererme, Fufuñando, Yo Te Saludo, Taboga and Muy Junto al Corazón. Through its recordings, the band's reputation spread throughout Latin America. As a result, the orchestra toured Puerto Rico, Santo Domingo, Colombia, Venezuela, Aruba, Curaçao and Central America. Eventually, the discographic production of the Casino de la Playa Orchestra would total some 200 recordings. Among the innovations introduced by Casino de la Playa were the solos conducted by their piano-playing arranger Anselmo Sacassas, who explains that he didn't originate said Cuban piano solo interventions. He claims that the Cuban piano solo emerged in the charanga orchestras. While playing with the charangas, Sacassas developed the style of adding piano flourishes to the tunes. When he began playing with Casino de la Playa, he continued to fill every gap with short flourishes. According to Miguelito Valdés, prior to Sacassas, the tres guitar players soloed in the conjuntos. The first time that a tresero soloed with a jazz-type band in Cuba was when Arsenio Rodríguez recorded Se Va el Caramelero with Casino de la Playa. Anselmo Sacassas paid close attention to Arsenio's playing and copied it for what became the modern Cuban piano solo.

Miguelito Valdés insisted on having the support of a formal coro singing next to him at the microphone. As a result, for the first time, a jazz-type band featured a formal coro. Casino de la Playa Orchestra was also a stage show. Several musicians doubled in instruments, and at certain times they would feature a string section. In addition to the formal dinner jackets, the orchestra also dressed in colorful costumes. At a special time, during its performance, the orchestra would form a conga line and play and dance among the audience, imitating the carnival's comparsas. Miguelito Valdés was always the star of the show. His handsome, smiling figure frequently stood in front of the band playing a conga slung over his shoulder and singing afrosones and boleros that drove the audience wild.

The band's repertoire was carefully put together by pianist and arranger Anselmo Sacassas. He selected tunes written by writers such as Ignacio Piñeiro, Arsenio Rodríguez, Rafael Hernández, Chano Pozo and Miguelito Valdés. The latter wrote such tunes as Dolor Cobarde, Letargo, Rumba Rumbero, Mi Comparsa and Los Componedores. Sacassas' arrangements provided ample space for the band's talented musicians to display their abilities. He was able to make the band sound typically Afro-Cuban when playing an afro-son, while rollicking as a street comparsa when playing a conga and being as mellow as a philharmonic orchestra when playing a bolero.

Bruca Maniguá was one of the biggest hits recorded by Casino de la Playa. It was an afro-son written by Arsenio Rodríguez in which he bemoans the plight of the enslaved black man in Cuba. The lyrics express the lament of a "negro de nación" (a black man born in Africa). The slave complains about bis lack of freedom and the mistreatment he receives from his white master. Miguelito Valdés gave a heart-felt interpretation of the tune that showed his allegiance to the struggle to improve the situation of blacks in Cuba. Valdés tried, as hard as he could, to get black musicians such as Chano Pozo, Arsenio Rodríguez and Ramoncito Castro to play with Casino de la Playa.

The orchestra also recorded an afro-son written by Margarita Lecuona entitled Babalú. It became Miguelito Valdés' signature song. In the United States, it gained him the title of "Mr. Babalú." The words of this song describe in detail a ceremony honoring Babalú Ayé, an African deity whose Catholic equivalent is Saint Lazarus. Miguelito confided to me that he revered Saint Lazarus (a.k.a. Babalú Ayé).

Another big bit for Casino de la Playa was the bolero Ojos Malvados, written by Cristina Saladrigas, a high society young lady and aspiring songwriter who was determined to get Cuba's most famous orchestra to record one of her songs. She was able to persuade the orchestra's pianist and arranger, Anselmo Sacassas, to write an arrangement for said tune. The next problem was to get Miguelito Valdés, the band's star vocalist, to sing it. Cristina gave the music score to Valdés and after he looked it over, he refused to sing it. He never revealed to anyone why he didn't like the song. Walfredo de los Reyes II, the band's second vocalist, recorded the song and it became one of the orchestras' major hits.

Casino de la Playa reached the peak of its popularity by 1939. Meantime, Miguelito Valdés and Anselmo Sacassas, who were the heart and soul of the orchestra, had become dissatisfied with the situation in the band. In his article about Anselmo Sacassas (published in Latin Beat Magazine), Max Salazar quotes Sacassas as saying: "My three years with Casino de la Playa was the most miserable time of my life." He added later, "While other musicians slept, I was writing new arrangements. I was paid $1 per arrangement and I had to supply the paper, which cost me 25 cents." Salazar quotes Miguelito Valdés as saying that Guillermo Portela, the head of the corporation and leader of the band, split thousands of dollars with RCA Victor flora the orchestra's record sales. At the same time, band members were receiving pay equivalent to $10 a week and nothing from record royalties.

Finally, in April 1940, Miguelito Valdés and Anselmo Sacassas quit the orchestra and left for New York City. Both achieved great success in the United States throughout the test of their careers. However, Casino de la Playa was not ready to die yet. Under the leadership of saxophonist Liduvino Pereira, it continued to operate and achieved some success. Miguelito Valdés was eventually replaced by a young guarachero named Orlando Guerra (Cascarita) and the talented Dámaso Pérez Prado occupied Anselmo Sacassas' piano stool. The band continued to record for RCA Victor and produced a long list of hits, including El Caballo y la Montura, Un Meneíto Na' Ma', Estoy Acabando and Esto Es lo Ultimo. Cascarita's vocals were backed by Pérez Prado's mambo-style arrangements that were the early manifestations of said genre. The orchestra remained active until 1960, and recently, many of its records have been reissued in compact disc format.

That is the story of a Cuban band that in its first three years of existence set a standard of performance and achievement that still stands today. Casino de la Playa Orchestra shall always be among "the best of the best."