CARLOS GARDEL

CARLOS GARDEL (1890-1935) HOLDS A UNIQUE PLACE IN THE POPULAR CULTURE OF LATIN AMERICA. FROM A VERY MODEST BEGINNING, HE ROSE TO BECOME THE FIRST GENUINE “SUPERSTAR” OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY. IN HIS LATE TEENS HE WON LOCAL FAME IN THE “BARRIOS” OF BUENOS AIRES, SINGING IN CAFES AND POLITICAL EVENTS.

IN THE 1910’S HE FORMED PART OF THE MOST CELEBRATED SINGING DUO OF ITS TIME IN ARGENTINA AND URUGUAY, WITH THE URUGUAYAN SINGER, “EL ORIENTAL”… JOSE RAZZANO, SPECIALIZING IN FOLK MUSIC.

BUT IT WAS IN THE 1920’S, AFTER HE SWITCHED TO TANGO SINGING , THAT HIS GENIUS BECAME APPARENT. THE TANGO WAS THEN AT THE HEIGHT OF ITS POPULARITY. THE TANGO SONGS THAT GARDEL WROTE AND SANG HAVE BECOME “CLASSICS” OF THE GENRE. THE MAGIC OF HIS SINGING, ON RECORDS, ON THE RADIO AND AT THEATERS- EARNED HIM AN INMENSE FOLLOWING IN ARGENTINA AND HE MADE TRIUMPHANT APPEARANCES IN CABARETS AND THEATERS OF BARCELONA, MADRID, CANNES, NIZE AND PARIS.

HE BEGAN MAKING MOVIES IN THE EARLY 1930’S, QUICKLY ESTABLISHING HIMSELF AS THE MOST POPULAR STAR OF THE SPANISH-LANGUAGE CINEMA. HIS FILMS, WITH “PARAMOUNT PICTURES” WERE SHOT IN PARIS AND NEW YORK AND, AT THE TIME OF DEATH, “PARAMOUNT” WAS PLANNING TO TAKE HIM TO HOLLYWOOD AS A MAJOR STAR OF THE ENGLISH-LANGUAGE SCREEN.

GARDEL WAS REGARDED, IN HIS OWN TIME, AS A STRANGELY SYMBOLIC PERSONALITY, REFLECTING THE URBAN CULTURE OF BUENOS AIRES.

HIS MEMORY LATER BECAME THE FOCUS OF AN INTENSE POPULAR CULT WHICH IS STILL IN EVIDENCE TODAY. ON THE FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF CARLOS GARDEL’S DEATH, IN JUNE, 1985, THE ARGENTINE CONGRESS OPENED EACH EVENING SESSION, THROUGHOUT THE MONTH, WITH ONE OF HIS SONGS. A COMMEMORATIVE POSTAGE STAMP WAS ISSUED AND RAUL ALFONSIN, PRESIDENT OF ARGENTINA, ATTENDED A SPECIAL FUNCTION IN HIS HONOR.

CARLITOS…EL “MUDO”…EL “MOROCHO DEL ABASTO”… EL “TROESMA”..O CON UNA SENCILLEZ QUIZA MAS CONMOVEDORA… EL “ZORZAL”…

PARA LOS ARGENTINOS Y URUGUAYOS (ESPECIALMENTE LOS PORTENOS DE BUENOS AIRES) LA REPUTACION DE CARLOS GARDEL ESTA MAS ALLA DE TODO CUESTIONAMIENTO… HASTA LOS DIBUJOS FEROZMENTE SATIRICOS DE HERMENEGILDO SABAT (1971) LLEVAN POR TITULO "AL TROESMA.. CON CARINO". PARA LA AMERICA LATINA, EN GENERAL, CARLOS GARDEL CONSTITUYE UNO DE LOS AUTENTICOS VALORES DEL SIGLO VEINTE EN LO QUE A LA MUSICA POPULAR SE REFIERE. SUS CANCIONES MAS FAMOSAS.. (Y NO SOLAMENTE LAS DEL CLASICO BINOMIO GARDEL-LEPERA) SE INCLUYEN INELUDIBLEMENTE EN CUALQUIER CATALOGO DE LAS CANCIONES LATINOAMERICANAS DE MAYOR POPULARIDAD. LOS CANTORES LAS CANTAN; LAS ORQUESTAS

LAS TOCAN Y EL HOMBRE DE LA CALLE LAS TARAREA O LAS SILBA.

DESDE UNA PERSPECTIVA MAS INTERNACIONAL PUEDE AFIRMARSE TAMBIEN QUE ESTE “EXIMIO” ARTISTA PERTENECE A UN GRUPO MUY EXCLUSIVO DE CANTORES POPULARES DEL PASADO. AL GRUPO DE CANTORES QUE NO SE HA OLVIDADO. CANTORES CUYA PERSONALIDAD

GRACIAS AL DISCO Y A LA PANTALLA, SE HAN IMPUESTO EN FORMA DURADERA EN LA MEMORIA COLECTIVA. EN ESTE SENTIDO GARDEL PERTENECE AL MISMO PANTEON GLORIOSO DE MAURICE CHEVALIER, BING CROSBY, AL JOHNSON Y FRANK SINATRA, POR NOMBRAR SOLO

A CUATRO FIGURAS MUNDIALMENTE CONOCIDAS. EN EL MUNDO HISPANICO, HACIA EL FINAL DE SU CARRERA TAN TRAGICAMENTE ABREVIADA, EL “ZORZAL” DESPERTABA UN ENTUSIASMO POPULAR

TAN GRANDE COMO EL FRENESI DESENCADENADO QUE CAUSABAN

“LOS BEATLES” DURANTE LOS ANOS ‘6O’S Y 70’S.

CARLOS GARDEL… UN ARTISTA A TODAS LUCES EXCEPCIONAL DE ETERNA PROYECCION NACIONAL E INTERNACIONAL….

PALABRAS DE SIMON COLLIER… AUTOR BRITANICO DEL LIBRO “LIFE, MUSIC AND TIMES OF CARLOS GARDEL” DEL QUE PRONTO SE HARA UNA AMBICIOSA PELICULA EN INGLES, PARA QUE ESTE GRAN ARTISTA, CARLOS GARDEL, SEA, POR FIN, CONOCIDO MUNDIALMENTE.