Fever for a mambo, hungary for ?

July 7, 2011 9:26 PM

I'm looking for the name of the hot, sweet, mambo version of Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 that I heard while buying lunch today.

I'm basically positive it is not "I'm hungary for a mambo" because that's way too cheesy and synthy. It was more of a late 50's/early 60's big band Xavier Cugat-ish recording...kinda like a "Ebony Rhapsody" mambo tribute. Or perhaps it's not mambo, but merengue? I don't know, but I would like to track down a recording so as to have it for my own. It should be freakin' obvious, as it was playing in a cafe, but I can't find it. Help?

posted by Cold Lurkey to Media & Arts (6 answers total)

Oh oooo oooo ooo ... Esquivel!
posted by Rube R. Nekker at 11:26 PM on July 7, 2011

Response by poster: No, it's not Esquivel, alas. The thing was all band, no/little piano. I did however, only hear the friska.
posted by Cold Lurkey at 8:46 AM on July 8, 2011

This is something I've never heard (and I'm at work now, so I can't go digging on the Web for it) but it might be "Second Hungarian Mambo" by Freddy Martin and his Orchestra (RCA Victor, 1955).
posted by in278s at 9:47 AM on July 8, 2011

Response by poster: That seems promising, in278s, and there's one recording of it re-issued in 2000, but damned if i can find a mp3 (in my cursory searching). Any better leads?
posted by Cold Lurkey at 6:36 PM on July 8, 2011

No luck finding this song on the web, I'm afraid. The CD is probably something different, as V-Discs were not produced after 1949. Maybe you could ask the folks at the cafe?
posted by in278s at 8:13 AM on July 11, 2011

Response by poster: Alright, I will. I thought about asking at the time, but I was so overconfident that I could find it on my own...sigh.
I will report back with results on Thursday.
posted by Cold Lurkey at 8:48 AM on July 12, 2011