by Tony Wilds
RCA did not get Xavier Cugat's best work. The King Plays Some Aces offers little in the way of new material, instead concentrating on updating some standards for stereo. &Cuban Mambo,& a fantastic number on Columbia, here gets a more exotic treatment. There are some lovely tunes, such as &Adios& and &Baia& (both arranged by Sid Ramin), but the album is lackluster. The jacket art, a self-caricature by Cugat, and Cugat's own liner notes are interesting -- at least until Cugat takes credit for giving starts to Desi Arnaz, Miguelito Valdez, and Yma Sumac.