In this post I'll share some Pedro Laurenz relics from the Tango Time Machine archives. They date from 30 December 1943, when the Laurenz orchestra's best, most popular, and most recorded singer, Alberto Podestá, was still with the band, and from April/May 1944, when Podestá was leaving the orchestra to rejoin Di Sarli's outfit. At that time, he was still singing a few gigs with Laurenz under the assumed name "Alberto Ravera," probably with the intention of helping his former boss to promote the last recording they made together, the aptly named "Muchachos... mi último tango."(Boys... My Last Tango)
(A big Tango Decoder thank-you to Michael Lavocah, who understood instantly that "Ravera" must be Podestá, and what his purpose was in singing under that name! It seems really obvious now, but when I asked Michael about it, I hadn't a clue.)
Relic #1, from December 30, 1943: We begin with a happy memory of Laurenz and Podestá during the period of their great collaboration: "Pedro Laurenz and his Grand Orchestra with the singer Alberto Podestá wish you Happy New Year and invite you to celebrate Carnaval dancing at the Club Atlético Lanus. Federico Fabrega will host." It was quite unusual for an orchestra singer to be featured so prominently in 1943, especially with a photo. The only other example I can think of is Raúl Berón when he debuted at the Palermo Palace with Demare.
Relic #2, 25 March 1944: This is the first appearance for both the pseudonymous "Alberto Ravera" and Laurenz's new singer, Carlos Bermudez. A very nervous Bermudez would record Llueve otra vez and Más solo que nunca the next day.
Relic #3, from 1 April 1944, announces "The return to the customary frequency* of the great maestro Pedro Laurenz with his two new stars, Albert Ravera and Carlos Bermudez." (Of course, "Ravera" wasn't new.)
"Hear it," the ad continues, "at 19:15, 19:45 y 21 hrs. in the debut of the tangos, "Más solo que nunca," "La Madrugada," "Muchachos... mi último tango," and the milonga "El criollito oriental." (N.B.: Sounds like fifteen-minute segments, three tangos and a milonga...)
* the customary frequency: Probably a reference to Radio Belgrano. Since the ad appeared in the El Mundo newspaper, which was owned by the same company as Radio El Mundo, the competing station was not named, whether by courtesy or custom.
Relic #4, from 2 April 1944 puts Laurenz with "Ravera" and Bermudez at a place many of us know first-hand, Villa Malcolm. The staff at VM have repeatedly assured me that all of the many, many acts that appeared there in the 40s played in that same front hall where we dance today--although I wonder if they didn't sometimes use the indoor basketball court that stands behind the present-day club, to the right of the courtyard. Perhaps one of our readers knows the answer?
Relic #5, from 8 April 1944, shows two adjacent ads from the El Mundo Dance Guide. The upper ad announces an appearance by Laurenz in Ramos Mejía, a small city just to the west of the Capital Federal. Singers: Bermudez and "Ravera." The show was scheduled to begin at 10 p.m. (Note the Odeon logo: It clearly dates the ad sometime between 15 April and 16 November, 1944.)
The lower ad touts the "Premiere in Buenos Aires," of Di Sarli with Podestá, the two reunited after a one-year hiatus. The show, at the Floresta Juniors football club at Laguna 730, right at the edge of the Chacarita Cemetery, was scheduled for 9:30. Podestá would have had to do some fancy footwork; the two clubs were about 13 kilometers apart. (Di Sarli recorded for Victor, hence no Odeon logo.)
And yes, the two ads, one featuring Podestá and the other "Ravera," really did appear just like that, above and below, even though they were placed by two competing publicity agencies, Falcón and Vicmar. There is no reason to think it was anything but an odd coincidence.
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