TANGO GREATS

CARLOS GARDEL

There has always been controversy as to where Carlos Gardel was actually born, whether it was in Toulouse, France or Tacuarembo, Uruguay, he grew up in Argentina and became an Argentine citizen in 1923. He died in an air crash in Medellin, Colombia. Carlos Gardel grew up in the Abasto neighbourhood where the fruit and vegetable market functioned. The Art Deco building is today a popular shopping mall. He was soon recognized as a great singer and people called him El Morocho del Abasto; Poet Jose Betinotti soon gave him a new nickname : El Zorzal Criollo ( literally ?creole shrush? ) and asked him to sing at political meetings. He was also known as ?the Dumb? (?El Mudo?) which was very fine humor and was a way of referring to his exceptional voice. He attended the Salesiano School in Buenos Aires and was a school mate of Ceferino Namuncura a future Argentine saint.

In 1902 whilst being a stage hand at the La Victoria theatre he had the chance to hear Italian baritone Titta Ruffo and the Spanish Zarzuela singer Sagi Barba.

In 1911 a musical duel was organized between Carlos Gardel and the Uruguayan Jose Razzano on Guardia Vieja Street in the Abasto , Neither was declared the winner but, instead they started singing together and this partnership would last for the next fifteen years. Soon afterwards, Carlos Gardel made his first records for Columbia Record ( Casa Taggini ). He was shot during a fight whilst exiting the Palais de Glace tango hall in the Recoleta neighbourhood in 1915. He would sing the rest of his life with a bullet in his left lung. Two years later he stars in the silent film Flor de Durazno.

In 1923 having already become a tango star, he goes on tour with Razzano and the artistic Company Rivera- De Rosas singing in Uruguay, Brazil and Spain, making his debut at the Apolo Theatre in Madrid. In the mid 1920?s Razzano takes on a managerial post and Gardel goes on tour again to Spain in 1925 and France in 1928 and stars in films for Paramount. He also makes his debut at the Florida Cabaret in Paris with great success and makes several records. In 1929 he visits Italy briefly and February 5 he performs at the Paris Opera to standing ovations. On his return to Buenos Aires, he makes his debut at the Empire Theatre and then returns to Spain performing at the Principal Palace in Barcelona and Teatro Avenida in Madrid and, also starts filming the short musical flicks which would make him so famous.


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