This ad appeared in the "El Mundo" morning newspaper in the latter half of 1945. It describes a "Grand Tribute of Sympathy" in honor of Maestro Aníbal Troilo and his orchestra with his singers A. Marino and F. Ruiz. Troilo and his boys were slated to perform at the event, which was hosted by his friend, violinist and bandleader Alfredo Gobbi. Gobbi had launched his own orquesta típica a year earlier.
Guest performers included El Cuarteto de Antaño (unknown to me); the highly-regarded tango/canyengue couple Los Mendez; Volonte Jazz (unknown); Lucio Lanzoni and his típica (unknown to me); the Dakota Jazz Sextet (unknown); poet and lyricist Celedonio Flores (Corrientes y Esmeralda, Mano a mano, El bulín de la calle Ayacucho, and many more); jazz Los Dados Rojos ("The Red Dice," a frequent accompanying act to the típicas this period); and the popular singer Roberto Carlés and his guitarists.
Attending guests included Alfredo De Angelis, Carlos Dante, Julio Martel, Argentino Galván, Héctor Vargas; poet, playwright, lyricist, activist, and puppeteer Enrique S. Discépolo; songstress Tania; lyricist José María Contursi (author of Troilo's hits Esta tarde gris and Gricel, among others), popular poet Héctor "El Triste" Gagliardi, and comedic film actor Fidel Pintos.
Homenajes ("tributes") like this were a regular feature of the Buenos Aires tango scene during the Golden Decade (1940-50), and Aníbal Troilo was one of the most frequent recipients. It doesn't mention it in this ad, but an homenaje often included the awarding of a pergamino ("parchment" or "proclamation"), often signed by the attendees, and sometimes a gold medal, too. Lots of pomp, lots of circumstance. That's how they like it in BsAs.
The site of the tribute, the Confitería Congo at 717 Avenida Forest (and its earlier incarnation, La Colmena, "The Beehive"), was a frequent site of dances during the Golden Decade. The place itself was not large, but during the summer months it opened its landscaped jardín de verano ("summer garden") which boasted 5000 square meters (54,000 square feet) of open-air pista in addition to its elegant indoor ballroom. This event took place during the summer, so it may have attracted quite a large crowd.
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