Waldorf-Astoria Orchestra

Waldorf-Astoria Dance Orchestra in 1924. Will Rogers (standing right), Art Gillham, Wendell Hall, Carson Robison, the Eveready Quartet, Graham McNamee.
Waldorf-Astoria Orchestra album with a Cugat caricature
External audio
audio icon You may listen to Xavier Cugat conducting the Waldorf Astoria Orchestra performing Consuelo Velázquez's rhumba Bésame Mucho in 1945 here on archive.org

The Waldorf-Astoria Orchestra was an orchestra that played primarily at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, both the old and new locations. In addition to providing dinner music at the famous hotel, the orchestra made over 300 recordings[1] and many radio broadcasts. It was established in the 1890s, and was directed by Carlo Curti in early 1900s, Joseph Knecht at least from 1908 to 1925, later by Jack Denny and others, and then Xavier Cugat from approximately 1933 to 1949.

Denny and the Waldorf-Astoria Orchestra appeared in the movie Moonlight and Pretzels in 1933.[2][3][4] Both Denny and Cugat had their own orchestras when they began playing at the Waldorf-Astoria, so the term "Waldorf-Astoria orchestras" might be an appropriate description.

  1. ^ Rust, Brian, The American Dance Band Discography 1917–1942, Volume 1, Arlington House, New York, 1975, pp. 374–378, 399–402, and 974–981. ISBN 0870002481
  2. ^ "Xavier Cugat: The King of the Rhumba"
  3. ^ Dismuke: Jack Denny
  4. ^ IMDb: Moonlight and Pretzels