Some months ago Michael Lavocah and I were discussing Francisco Fiorentino's departure from the Troilo orchestra. When exactly did Fiorentino announce his intention to leave the band, and when were his final performances? One of Michael's sources had fixed the date in March, 1944, after Carnaval, but I was pretty sure I'd seen some ads for the Troilo/Fiorentino/Marino trinity much later—well into the month of May, I thought. I was going to collect all the Troilo ads from that period, and Michael and I were going to evaluate the results. I did collect the ads, but for some reason, the two of us never got around to the evaluation.
Recently Michael brought the matter up again, mentioning that his source had placed the date of the split, and Fiore's farewell appearance with the orchestra, on March 6, with a farewell show at Boca Juniors. (The closing number is said to have been Fiore's own composition, Pa' que seguir, "Why Go On?", previously recorded with Troilo in 1942.) That account didn't sound quite right to either of us.
First of all, March 6 was a Monday, an unusual night for a football club to hold any dance, let alone an event so momentous as the final cortina of one of tango's greatest binomios. (Most of the big sports-club dances were held on Saturdays or Sundays, though a few were on Thursdays or Fridays.) Furthermore, no such event was advertised in the pages of the El Mundo Dance Guide.
Second, the Tango Time Machine archives give proof of numerous Troilo/Fiorentino appearances during the months of April and May. One of them, at the Tibidabo nightclub on the Calle Corrientes, was a nightly gig that began on April 17. Tibidabo ads during the month of May promise performances by Troilo with Fiorentino and Marino every night of the week. Fiore may have given notice in March, but his farewell performance, whether at Boca or somewhere else, must have come sometime near the end of May.
Another invaluable source, as always, is discography. As Michael pointed out, Fiorentino's final recordings for Troilo were cut on 30 March (Tabaco, Temblando, and a duet with Marino, the milonga El desafío). In April, Troilo recorded only two numbers, an instrumental tango, Piropos, and Tres amigos with Marino at the mic. The orchestra didn't record at all in May. Then, in June, Troilo went back into the studio with Cristal, Siga el Corso, La vi llegar, and Naipe, all with Marino vocals, plus Rosendo Mendízabal's timeless tango El entrerriano.
By studying the ads shown here and correlating the data with known recording and radio dates, we can form an idea of the likely sequence of events surrounding Fiorentino's departure and his subsequent solo bid.
Fiorentino almost certainly gave notice sometime between March 5 (the day of the band's appearance for the final night of Carnaval at the Círculo General Urquiza) and 30 March, the day of his final recordings with the band. Sixth March is certainly a date worth considering, because it comes at the very end of the Carnaval period, a time when people typically start making plans for the coming year.
Giving notice on 6 March would have allowed Fiorentino and Troilo time to record any new songs they'd rehearsed together. After 30 March, there would be no recording dates, no radio appearances, and no new songs to rehearse, leaving the singer's days free for rehearsals with a new orchestra during all of April and May.
Fiorentino's final advertised performances with Troilo were on Thursday 25 May at Boca Juniors and Saturday 27 May at Club Rivadavia. His first advertised date with Goñi's orchestra seems to have been on Sunday 4 June at the Prince George Hall. I'll confirm that date during the coming weeks.
As for the singer's formal despedida, farewell performance, if there was one: It may indeed have been at Boca Juniors, as the source suggests, though it would almost certainly have been on 25 May, not 6 March, for he appeared that night at Boca Juniors.
It seems likely that there would have been some sort of farewell observance two nights later at Club Rivadavia gig, as well. But I am guessing that the real farewell party would have been on Fiore's final night at Tibidabo, the boozy, smoke-filled cabaret where he and Troilo had musicalized the night shift throughout much 1943 and '44, leaving behind the echoes of a thousand and one enchanting three-minute performances.
As I write, I'm wondering if I didn't miss an ad for the Tibidabo despedida. Tibidabo's display ads usually appeared on a page preceding or following the Dance Guide, so I may have overlooked it. I'll check on that and let you know.
[Many thanks to Michael Lavocah for his encouragement, guidance, and collaboration in conducting this research.]
Postscript (31 December 2015)
I've checked the ads for May and June, and I don't see any formal despedida for Fiorentino at Tibidabo or anywhere else. I did find another appearance with Troilo, though, on June 8, four days after his first advertised show with Goñi. I've added it at the right, below.
The puzzle is solved, but researching and fitting all the pieces together takes an incredible amount of time.
This leaves questions in my mind: why did Fiore leave Troilo's orchestra after so much success? a new style? artistic expression?
Fascinating for all Troilo fanatics to know the story.
Posted by: Jantango | 01/01/2016 at 10:04 AM
I don't know what was going through Fiorentino's mind. But during this period, Castillo had left Tanturi, Goñi had left Troilo, Rufino had left Di Sarli, and all had become wildly popular in their own right. So the temptation of greater public acclaim and more money were certainly present. No matter how long he stayed with Pichuco, he would always have been an employee with second billing. Most artists would prefer top billing if they can get it!
Also the opportunity for greater creative freedom--choosing his own songs and supervising his own arrangements, etc., must have been an issue. I'm sure there were people in his life who encouraged him to go solo--friends, fans, an agent, possibly even a record company, as was the case with Rufino. Perhaps there is some record of his thoughts on the matter. Maybe another one of our readers can tell us?
Posted by: Michael | 01/01/2016 at 12:49 PM