From “El portal del tango” we pay homage to one of the biggest of
tango.
The
pianist, director and composer José Basso, nicknamed Pepe, was born in
Pergamino, Buenos Aires, on January 30th, 1919. He was a soccer player
in Boca Junior team. He also registered in the Engineering University ,
although he hasn’t finished his studies. As for others of his passions
“Tango", he made his debut in 1932 as a pianist in “Olivos” his native
city, with fourteen years old he already conformed a trio with Juan
Sánchez Gorio and Emilio González. Three years later he acted with
Emilio and José De Caro; he also worked in the orchestra of José
Tinelli, Anselmo Aieta and Alberto Soifer. But he had biggest success,
when in 1943 he began playing the piano, (replacing Orlando Goñi), in
Aníbal Troilo´s Orchestra with whom he carried out some remarkable
albums; he was part Troilo´s orchestra until 1947, time he decided to
organize his own one with Ricardo Ruiz and Ortega Del Cerro as singers,
debuting in the “Cabaret Ocean” situated in Leandro N. Alem street. In
1949 he recorded in Odeón his first commercial album with Florentino
and Ricardo Ruiz.
Previously he had made some particular recordings with his orchestra
for Victor Company, this recordings were not for public sale and they
were: “Mi noche triste” (“My Sad night") (sang by Florentino),
“Sentimiento gaucho” (“Gaucho feeling"), (sang by Ricardo Ruiz), ”Dos
que se aman" (“Two people that love each other”) ( sang by Ruiz and
Florentino ) “Se han sentado las carretas” (“The carts have been sat
down”) . From
the beginning of his career and for many more years Jorge Fontana has
been Basso and his orchestra’s announcer; for then jokes were made
around his last name, he was presented as “Basso and his Bassitos”."
Some of the musicians who participated in this orchestra were: Mauricio
Mise, Osvaldo Rodríguez, Rafael Del Bango, Omar Murtagh, Francisco
Florentino, Julio Ahumada, Osvaldo Rovira, Hugo Baralis, all of them
gave big success to the orchestra . Basso was the composer of songs
like " Rosicler "
(“Rose”),
“Me están sobrando las penas” (“I am having more than enough sorrows"),
“Amor y Tango” (“Love and tango"), “De Diez”, (“Of ten"), “Siete”,
(“Siete”), dedicated to Aníbal Etchart, “El pulgarcito”, (“The
pulgarcito"), “Brazo de oro”, (“Gold arm”) and “Pecachí”. He added music
to the poems by Jorge Luis Borges “Milonga de Albornóz and “Milonga de
los Orientales”. He went to Japan with his Orchesta. “The total
quantity of versions recorded by José Basso ascends at 247, including
the non commercial ones, those of the typical orchestra and two
cuartetos. Of them 86 were instrumental. (221 tangos, 10 valses, 15
milongas and 1 song)." José Basso died on August 31st, 1993.
Ferrer and
Luis Adolfo Sierra say about his style:
According to Ferrer: "His style was characterized by the sound
brightness, the succession of “ chained solo” and all the passages of
“ tuttis of piano” and orchestra of very peculiar rhythmic division."
According to Luis Adolfo Sierra: “The soloists of the group are
excellents”
The
pianist, director and composer José Basso, nicknamed Pepe, was born in
Pergamino, Buenos Aires, on January 30th, 1919. He was a soccer player
in Boca Junior team. He also registered in the Engineering University ,
although he hasn’t finished his studies. As for others of his passions
“Tango", he made his debut in 1932 as a pianist in “Olivos” his native
city, with fourteen years old he already conformed a trio with Juan
Sánchez Gorio and Emilio González. Three years later he acted with
Emilio and José De Caro; he also worked in the orchestra of José
Tinelli, Anselmo Aieta and Alberto Soifer. But he had biggest success,
when in 1943 he began playing the piano, (replacing Orlando Goñi), in
Aníbal Troilo´s Orchestra with whom he carried out some remarkable
albums; he was part Troilo´s orchestra until 1947, time he decided to
organize his own one with Ricardo Ruiz and Ortega Del Cerro as singers,
debuting in the “Cabaret Ocean” situated in Leandro N. Alem street. In
1949 he recorded in Odeón his first commercial album with Florentino
and Ricardo Ruiz.
(“Rose”),
“Me están sobrando las penas” (“I am having more than enough sorrows"),
“Amor y Tango” (“Love and tango"), “De Diez”, (“Of ten"), “Siete”,
(“Siete”), dedicated to Aníbal Etchart, “El pulgarcito”, (“The
pulgarcito"), “Brazo de oro”, (“Gold arm”) and “Pecachí”. He added music
to the poems by Jorge Luis Borges “Milonga de Albornóz and “Milonga de
los Orientales”. He went to Japan with his Orchesta. “The total
quantity of versions recorded by José Basso ascends at 247, including
the non commercial ones, those of the typical orchestra and two
cuartetos. Of them 86 were instrumental. (221 tangos, 10 valses, 15
milongas and 1 song)." José Basso died on August 31st, 1993. 
Ferrer and
Luis Adolfo Sierra say about his style: 