Begin The Beguine

Xavier (Javier) Cugat and his Waldorf-Astoria Orchestra recorded one of the first versions of "Begin The Begine" (Cole Porter) in 1935, with vocalist Don Reid. The tune, written while on a Pacific cruise, was introduced along with Cole Porter's "Just One Of Those Things" in the musical "Jubilee" earlier that year.

Three years later Art Shaw (Arshawsky), his clarinet and fourteen piece orchestra would record what would become the classic version of "Begin The Beguine" as a B side to "Indian Love Call"! The single reached number three on Billboard. Originally a "beguine" was a Christian woman living without vows in a religious community. In the Caribbean a "beguine" was simply a white woman.