Carlos Gardel

The figure of Carlos Gardel epitomizes the very spirit of the Tango. It is generally assumed that he was born Charles Gardes un Toulouse, France, on December 11th, 1890, although some other sources suggest Tacuarembó, Uruguay. It is undisputed, however, that he moved to Buenos Aires with his mother Berthe Gardes, in 1893. He later changed the spelling of his name and became an Argentinian citizen in 1923.

Gardel has began his career singing in bars and parties and in 1913 formed a duet with José Razzano which lasted until the mid-twenties, singing a wide variety of folk songs apart from early tangos. Within this last genre, Gardel made the landmark first recording of the classic "Mi Noche Triste" in 1917.

The introduction of lyrics into the tango -formerly an instrumental genre- set a new trend and eventually turned Gardel into the most important singer of this time. The now-sung tango used Argentine urban slang ( lunfardo ) to describe a lover's misery at finding out he's been betrayed by his beloved one, to brag about his macho exploits, and to portray in picturesque detail, with a mixture of melancholy and pride, the daily minutiae of his birth place, the city of Buenos Aires, shrine of the porteño.

Gardel's popularity grew steadily during the first part of the twenties and, in 1925, the duet with Razzano was disolved and his solo career was launched once and for all.

He travelled to Spain where he enjoyed a good reception and recorded twenty-two songs, twenty of which were tangos. Three years later Gardel was already a household name, recording abundantly for Odeon a repertoire now composed almost exclusively of tangos.

But here was still one more peak to be climbed. like many Argentinians -by birth or choice- Gardel dreamed of conquering Paris. Finally, in 1928, he travels to the City of Light and, after singing at a charity in the Femina Theatre, alongside a Josephine Baker then in her prime, Gardel secures a three-month residency at the cabaret Florida and records several more sides.

On returning to Buenos Aires, Gardel was already an international singer who wanted to broaden his horizon. He signs a new recording contract, this time with RCA, that will yield the definite versions of his all-time greatest hits such as mi Buenos Aires Querido, Por Una Cabeza, Volver, El Día Que Me Quieras, Golondrinas, Cuesta Abajo, Silencio and many others. Most of these songs are closely linked with the figure of Alfredo Le Pera, an Argentine expatriate settled in Paris who, as from the early 30's would become Garedl's lyricist and script writer at the suggestion of Paramount Pictures, with which the singer would begin a close relationship that would last until his tragic death in the plane crash of Medellin, Colombia, in 1935, resulting in a number of films shoted in the United States, such as Melodía de Arrabal, El Tango en Broadway, El Día que me Quieras and Tango Bar which did a lot in establishing Gardel's international reputation as tango's prime singer.

In the intervening years the myth of Carlos Gardel has come to embody the very symbol of tango music. In Argentina, where his figure constitutes a cult in itself, reaching almost religious proportions, there is a popular saying that summarizes the reverence ad unabated affection professed by its people: Gardel cada día canta mejor ... ( Gardel sings better every day ...)

Alfredo Rosso