DECCA - SKL 4029

EDMUNDO ROS AND HIS ORCHESTRA - HI FI-ESTA

Side 1: The nearness of you - La vie en rose - The rose in her hair - Orchids in the moonlight - Dolores - April in Portugal

Side 2: National emblem - Under the bridges of Paris - Ramona - Jealousy - La rosita - Estrellita

DECCA - SKL 4045

EDMUNDO ROS AND HIS ORCHESTRA - HOLLYWOOD CHA CHA CHA

Side 1: The moulin rouge theme - It's magic - Tammy - Theme from "picnic" intro: Moonglow - The Harry Lime theme - Around the world

Side 2: Love is a many splendored thing - As time goes by - High noon - Fascination - Three coins in the fountain - True love

EDMUNDO ROS UND SEIN SÜDAMERIKANISCHES SPITZENORCHESTER - MELODIE D'AMOUR

Seite 1: Cachita - April in Portugal - Hernando's hideaway - Fascination - Edelweiss - Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps - Perfidia

Seite 2: Desafinado - Ramona - I love Paris - The moulin rouge theme - Tico tico - Melodie d'amour - Siboney

DECCA - SLK 16904-P

MIT EDMUNDO ROS DURCH SÛDAMERIKA

Side 1: La bamba - Love the neighbour - Oye negra - Corovado - Heading south - Mexicali Rose

Side 2: Brazil - Flting down to Rio - Cavaquinho - La cumparsita - Manhã de carnaval - Managua Nicaragua

DECCA - PFS 4092

EDMUNDO ROS AND HIS ORCHESTRA - ARRIBA !

Side 1: In a little Spanish town - Siboney - The laughing samba - Get me to the church on time - Hello, Dolly - Oye negra

Side 2: Holiday for strings - Corcovado - Heartaches - From Russia with love - Al di la - If you love me

Edmundo William Ros OBE (born December 7, 1910) is a musician, vocalist and band leader. Some call him the "King of Latin American Music". Ros is known worldwide for his unique blend of modern and traditional Latin American music.

Born in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, Ros' mother was an African-Venezuelan; his father was Scottish. Ros' parents separated not long after he was born, and he was enrolled into a military school, where he became interested in music and learned to play the euphonium or bombardin. From 1927 to 1937 his family lived in Caracas, Venezuela. He played in a military band for four years. Later, he received a music scholarship from the government. In June 1937, he moved to London, England to study classical music at the Royal Academy of Music. He soon returned to playing popular music and also recorded several sides as a sideman to Fats Waller who was visiting London in 1938.

In 1939, he formed his own rumba band, "Rumba With Ros". In 1941, he gained recognition with the track "Los Hijos de Buda" and was playing regularly at the elegant Coconut Grove club on Regent Street, which attracted members of high society.

In 1946, he owned a club, a dance school, a record company and an artist's agency. His band grew to 16 musicians. His album The Wedding Samba sold three million copies in 1949.

In 1951, he bought the Coconut Grove and renamed it Edmundo Ros' Dinner and Supper Club. The club became popular for its atmosphere and music; it closed in 1965. From 1964 to 1968 he was the owner of

the internationally known and very exclusive Edmundo Ros Club on Regent Street.

His album Rhythms of The South (1957) was one of the first high-quality LP stereo records. He was with Decca records from 1944 to 1974. Most of his recordings are standard Latin dance tunes, but he was more willing to experiment than most society band leaders. His 1949 recording of "Wedding Samba," a Latin-ized version of the Yiddish song, "Der Nayer Sher" sold over 3 million copies and reached #16 on the U.S. charts. Several of his gatefold albums for London Records, the US version of the UK Decca, are prized among his fans. Rhythms of the South and, to a lesser extent, Arriba! are excellent examples of Latinized exotica full of a grab-bag of percussion and brash stereo dynamics. For Now Sound fans, Hair Goes Latin is a must have. And for the truly shameless fans, there are always the occasional Ros vocal numbers, which feature his

stunning three-note range: an acquired taste for some, a guaranteed house cleaner for others.

In 1975 (at the age of 65) he retired and moved to Jávea, Alicante (Spain) with his wife Susan. In 1994 Edmundo conducted and sang with the BBC Big Band with Strings at The Queen Elizabeth Hall in London. The other conductor was Stanley Black. The concert was broadcast over BBC Radio 2 and it was such a success that a Japanese recording company invited them into a recording studio in London to make yet another Edmundo Ros CD.

At the age of 98, Edmundo Ros is still going strong and was awarded the Order of the British Empire by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, in the 2000 New Year's Honours List!  His legacy is introducing traditional Latin American music, countless Broadway and popular melodies, adapted to the Latin genre, to the world, which now spans more than 60 years. Doubtless an achievement that will never be equalled.

(edited from numerous sources)