I continue to be fascinated by the seminal tango artist Juan Carlos Cobián. Here's a short chapter on Cobián from Antonio Pau's book Música y poesía del tango (Editorial Trotta, Madrid, 2001). Translation mine. The ad (right) is from late 1943, when the pianist returned to his homeland from New York for the final time. Advertising art by Publicidad Santa Cruz.
In the first decade of the (20th) century, attempts to give greater musical dignity to tango led to the creation of the orquesta típica. But in those early approximations, there was a lot of confusion. Sometimes unsuitable instruments were added--the flute, the clarinet, even the lyre. Other times the number of instruments was noisily multiplied--six or seven bandoneones or two pianos together in the same orchestra.
The one who came up with the golden mean was Juan Carlos Cobián. Cobián was a person almost Herculean--a boxing enthusiast, a pianist with incredible fingering--he used to span two octaves in a delicately arpeggiated chord--who combined energy and sensibility in an uncommon amalgam.
His life was governed by contradictions: night ruled over day, bohemianism ruled over order, failure ruled over success, and there would come a time in which other music ruled over tango. After some years of nomadism among the orchestras of Buenos Aires, Juan Carlos Cobián came up with the formula of the sextet. Without great difficulty he managed to assemble the best six musicians of the moment. [With Pedro Maffia and Luis Petrucelli (bandoneones), Julio De Caro and Agesilao Ferrazzano (violins), Humberto Constanzo (double bass) and, of course, he himself on piano.--TD] A little later he escaped to New York, and after begging for work for several years, he dedicated himself to jazz.
And in his later years, he returned to start anew. He organized a second orchestra, again with the best musicians. And after a short time, when it had achieved success, he returned to New York. But he wouldn’t get a third chance. Sickness and suffering finished him.
Juan Carlos Cobián composed some of the best known tangos, including Los mareados, Nostalgias, Nieblas de Riachuelo, Salomé, Muñeca Cruel [and A pan y agua, "On Bread and Water," apparently a reference to the composer's military service, much of it spent under arrest.--TD]. But his importance in the history of tango goes beyond having written some inspired compositions. Cobián ended the phase of instrumental primitivism and opened the phase of classicism. Juan Carlos Cobián is the first classicist. It’s true that he merely initiated the second phase. The one who advances it, who propels and directs it, is Julio De Caro.
Until Cobián, the orquestas típicas were rhythm-centered, and Cobián was centered in harmony. In Cobián's hands, the old and new melodies acquired a flexible, robust structure full of nuances. it is something unknown until then. It marks a new direction in the evolution of instrumental tango.
In one of his most representative recordings, Cobián directs his orchestra in the performance of the tango Shusheta. Shusheta is a Lunfardo word that means a preppy, what was before called a pollo pera (“rich kid”) and before the before, a petimetre (“dandy”) or a pisaverde (“toff”)....
[End of chapter]
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