René Touzet

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

René Touzet (born September 8, 1916 in Havana , † June 15, 2003 in Miami ) was a Cuban pianist, composer and band leader.

Touzet began piano training in 1925 with José Echaniz , the father of the concert pianist Pepe Echániz , who however died a few months later. Then Conchita Pereira , a student of Echániz ', took over his lessons. From 1930 he also attended the Falcón Conservatory. During this time he wrote his first composition, Un Valse para mi Maestra .

After Pereira's death in 1933, Luís Armando Rivera took him into his band. In 1933 he composed his first song Tu besar for a friend . He then founded his own sixteen-piece orchestra with which he played American big band music at the Grand Casino Nacional in Havana. At the same time he continued to compose songs. Their most famous, No Te Importe Saber ( Let Me Love You Tonight ) was sung by numerous Cuban singers and recorded by Miguelito Valdéz at RCA . Jorge Negrete sang it at the National Theater in Havana, whereupon a talent scout brought him to the USA, where he was later recorded by Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra .

After a hurricane destroyed the Grand Casino Nacional in 1944, he went to New York in 1945 and became a member of Enrique Madriguera's band . With this he was involved in several recordings and films in Hollywood. In 1947 he was a member of Desi Arnaz's orchestra for six months . He later founded his own orchestra, with which he recorded thirteen LPs between 1959 and 1972. In 1972 he withdrew from the concert business and settled in Miami. There he published numerous piano compositions, including Cuarenta Danzas , Cuatro Capricios , Ginasteriana , Fantasía Española , Cinco Danzas Exóticas , Vals Arabesco , Tres Miniaturas and the Sonata Romántica .

swell

personal data
SURNAME Touzet, René
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Cuban pianist, composer and band leader
DATE OF BIRTH September 8, 1916
PLACE OF BIRTH Havana
DATE OF DEATH June 15, 2003
Place of death Miami