Iconic Carlos Gardel

Last Friday, 24th June, marked the 76th anniversary of the plane crash in Medellín, Colombia that ended Carlos Gardel’s life, but certainly not his legacy. The crash happened at the height of the tango legend’s career.

Gardel’s story comes replete with all the makings of a folk hero: immigrant origins, a middle class upbringing, musical genius, and a tragic death. As is typical of an artist as high profile as Gardel, controversy lingers surrounding the location of his birth: though his lawyer recently presented an original birth certificate of Charles Romuald Gardés, born in Toulouse, France, any Uruguayan will remind you that Gardel often affirmed that he was born in Tacuarembó, Uruguay: “My heart is Argentine, but my soul is Uruguayan, because that is where I was born,” he once declared.

Gardel grew up in the Abasto neighborhood of Buenos Aires, where he attained the affectionate nickname ‘Carlitos’ and learned to sing operas and Argentine folk music while working as a professional applauder in opera houses. He recorded his first tango, ‘Mi Noche Triste’ (My Sad Night) in 1917. Until then, tango had been an almost entirely instrumental form of music. Gardel’s music revolutionised the genre by bringing tango from underground dance salons to upper class and international popularity. His name continues to serve as a synonym for tango, and his songs live on as classics of the modern era.

Perhaps his most famous tango is ‘Por una Cabeza’ (By a Head), which tells the story of a horse-track gambler who is addicted to excitement and romance.

Carlos Gardel:

Genre: Tango

Dates active: 1917–1935

In his own words: My language, ladies and gentlemen, is Spanish. No, actually- it’s porteño.

Most famous song: Por Una Cabeza

Best lyric: From ‘Volver’

First love makes one always come back again.
The quiet [age-old] street where once the echo told me:
Her life is yours, her love is yours to earn,
Under the stars that mockingly look on me,
And now in their indifference see me return.

Famous for: Bringing Tango from underground salons to international prominence.

Best to listen to: When feeling romantic; nostalgic; melodramatic

Fito Páez in concert from 2010 (Photo: Sebastian Castro)

Born into the swinging sixties of Rosario, and growing into international stardom, Rodolfito, better known as Fito Páez, has had quite the trajectory. From the tender age of 13, Páez has been playing in a medley of bands, and after many a false start, founded Staff in 1980.

His skill on the guitar and electric piano bought him favour in the rock and folklore scene of late-eighties Rosario, and he even picked up a gong for the best progressive music band. Baglietti, member of Acalanto so happened to be on the panel, and pinched him for himself- together they recorded ‘Tiempos Dificiles’, an album whose poignant ballads hark back to the pain the country endured after the Falklands war of 1982.

Going it alone in 1984, a tour in the southern cone was cut short by the tragic news of his aunt and grandmothers’ deaths; Walter Di Giusti, a jealous former schoolfriend and musician, with a history of mental illness, broke into the family home and murdered both in a frenzied attack.

Heading back to his hometown, Páez poured his grief into the album ‘Ciudad de Pobres Corazones’, which, unlike previous attempts, did not reach critical acclaim. He said of it himself, “the disk is rubbish, but if I hadn’t made it, I would have gone mad.”

After six years of performing throughout South America, a mysterious record producer contracted him for ‘Tercer Mundo’, an album whose lyrics provided a biting reflection on Argentine poverty. Mere weeks into the project, said producer disappeared off the face of the earth, leaving Páez in the lurch, and short of pocket. He fled to Europe, where it would be cheaper to produce, with his tail between his legs. A phone call a few weeks later would change everything however. It appeared that the sorry album had sold over 30,000 copies in just 20 days, and proved to be a storming success.

Twenty one albums to his name, and with a 2007 Latin Grammy Award to boot, Páez has carved an important role for himself in the history of Argentine music. He has dabbled too in cinema, most notably script-writing and directing ‘Vidas Privadas’, a controversial film touching on incest, with the dirty war as a backdrop, in 2001.

Though shy of controversy he is not. Just this July, after governor Mauricio Macri’s success in the city government elections, Páez got himself in a bit of a pickle by way of an article in the daily Página 12. Attempting to criticise what he believes to be a disinterested, wealth-orientated majority that elected Señor Macri, he stated, perhaps rather undiplomatically: Half of Buenos Aires disgusts me.” Unfortunately this is turn disgusted a few people too, and the anti-discrimination watchdog Inadi gave him a slap on the wrist.

Genre: Folklore and Rock

Dates Active: 1980 and still going

In his own words: (About the album ‘Tercer Mundo’) “The disk reflects everything I saw throughout my trips in Latin America: pagan festivals, priests tied up with terrorists, prostitutes trying to grab money off north-Americans”.

Most famous song: ‘El Amor Después el Amor’

Best lyric: I think I’ve seen the sun come out, I think I saw you dancing to the Beatles, in some old house somewhere.

Most Famous For: his turbulent marriage with actress Cecilia Roth

Kevin Johansen (Photo: Beatrice Murch)

Kevin Johansen was born in 1964 in Alaska to an Argentine mother and a North American father, raised until the age of 12 in San Francisco, and trained in music in Buenos Aires and Montevideo - where he lived until the 90s.

He passed quickly through the rock nacional phenomenon in Argentina in the 80s, releasing two albums with a band called Instrucción Cívica. When he was 26, he decided to move back to the United States to rediscover the land of his youth, where he spent about a decade playing in a house band and recording an album with the band The Nada, which he founded in New York.

It wasn’t until 2002 that Johansen made the permanent move to Buenos Aires, and became a national music sensation. His first album since this move, Sur o no Sur, was sold throughout the Spanish speaking world. Johansen described his music on that album as a mix of Cumbias,flamencas, celtic sambarera, and hip pop. Whatever it is, it was working for him: the album was nominated for three Latin Grammys.

He’s spent the last decade touring the world, performing at the MTV music awards, and recording more eclectic and instantly popular songs. In April 2007, he released the fourth studio album with Kevin Johansen + The Nada, ‘Logo’, an ironic twist to the ‘No Logo’ by Naomi Klein. The album was named by Los Angeles Times as one of the five best albums of the year and Johansen and his ‘Logo’ are again nominated for the Latin Grammys. Currently, Johansen is touring the Americas, still hugely popular nearly 30 years after his first appearance on an album.

Genre: Pop-Rock

Dates active: 1985-present

In his own words: I’m a degenerate.

Most famous song: ‘Anoche soñé contigo’

Best lyric: I think our hips touched each other, Before our eyes actually met, All I know is that now I have no regrets

Famous for: Eclectic body of music, and resemblance to Argentine football player Piojo López (he is nicknamed Piojo Johansen)

Best to listen to: Sunny mornings, or live in concert- he’s known to put on an excellent show.

The latest in our new music series, courtesy of FM La Tribu: The inverted serenade.

Each week a young, independent musician sings from the balcony of the radio station to the street below. This serenade took place on 25th July 2011, and features Shaman.

To catch this week’s serenade, head along to Lambaré 873 on Thursday at 4pm and enjoy a free gig. This week xxx, will take to the balcony, courtesy of FM La Tribu.

The latest in our new music series, courtesy of FM La Tribu: The inverted serenade.

Each week a young, independent musician sings from the balcony of the radio station to the street below. This serenade took place on 14th July 2011, and features singer songwriter Marcelo Ezquiaga.

To catch this week’s serenade, head along to Lambaré 873 on Thursday at 4pm and enjoy a free gig. This week Jef Marawi, will take to the balcony, courtesy of FM La Tribu.

The first in our new music series, courtesy of FM La Tribu: The inverted serenade.

Each week a young, independent musician sings from the balcony of the radio station to the street below. This serenade took place on 18th May 2011, and features Chinoy, a singer-songwriter from San Antonio, Chile.

To catch this week’s serenade, head along to Lambaré 873 on Thursday at 4pm and enjoy a free gig. This week Julio Crivelli, lead singer of Bicicletas, will take to the balcony, courtesy of FM La Tribu.