- Story sent by Oscar Mármol-
17/10/01
- Alfredo Gobbi
- The romantic violin of tango
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 This exempt
violin player was born on May 14th, 1912, in Paris, while his parents
were acting jointly with Angel Villoldo as ambassadors of Tango,
errands from Buenos Aires by “Gath” and “Chaves” stores, as cultural
embassy to let everbody know our roots, which originated this
seductive expression that was the tango. His godfather was Ángel
Villoldo, (he was called in those times “Father of the creole tango”,
he was the author of “El choclo”). Alfredo Julio Floro Gobbi, (was
his christian name) was a composer, violinist, adjustor, and
director, being recognized for his collegues as one of the best
“cultores”, for his romantic style that he gave with his violin when
he interpreted tango. His big relating teachers were Julio De Caro Sus
grandes maestros referentes fueron Julio De Caro and Carlos Di Sarli,
although they had very different styles, he tried to join them, giving
to his interpretations something different from everyone else. When
his parents decided to come back from europe to Argentina for the
sudden death of Villoldo; Alfredo was a six months baby, and they
moved into a small house in “Villa Ortúzar”. To help his parents, at
the age of ten, he worked as a “canillita” (“newspaper seller”). His
parents being aware of the hard life his son was doing, gave him a
violin, as a present and they inscribed him in a conservatory , to
learn all the secrets of this difficult instrument. He was an
excellent student from an excellent teacher called Natalio Carnini,
and only three years later with just thirteen years old, he formed his
trio with his friends, which had guitar, a violin and a bandoneon.
This precocious artist encouraged the popular meetings in the area
where he lived. He begun playing tangos for the clients in a cafe near
his house, just for a few coins. He made some violin presentations in
a saloon of Sarmiento street. At the age of 14 he had already
demonstrated a special talent to play the violin, trying to be a
better musician, listening to Julio De Caro´s sextet. He really begun
in tango at the age of fifteen when the Director Luis Casanova
incorporated Alfredo to his orchestra as a professional violinist.
Alfredo joined in 1927 Juan Maglio (Pachu)´s group, they encouraged
the carnival dancings of the “Pabellón de las Rosas”, The he played
transitorily with Roberto Firpo, until he was called by the bandoneon
player Carlos Trigall, who acted in the cafe “La Germinal” . Then he
joined the piano player Miguel Buzón´s orchestra´s, Raúl Kaplún who
also played there, was his partner. In 1929 he joined Anselmo Aieta´s
group, having as a partner to anoither remarkable violin player,
Antonio Rodio. For those times Gobbi played the piano in the matinee
of a central cinema. In 1930 Alfredo formed a trio with a bandoneon
player called Domingo Triguero, and a piano player, Orlando Goñi,
nicknamed: “el Pulpo del Tango”, (In 1937, this remarkable pianist was
one of the fundamental pillars fundamentales, in the formation of one
of the most important orchestras: Anibal Troilo´s orchestra. The
trio was dissolved in that same yea, he joined to the sextet directed
by Elvino Vardaro and Osvaldo Pugliese, the othe musicians that played
there were: The bandoneon player called Miguel Jurado, an unknown
young boy, Aníbal Troilo and a double-bass called Luis Adesso. In
1931, this remarkable sextet dissolved due to lack of work . The
arriving of the sound cinema, was a “boom” among the people who
prefered this news that came accompanied by a strange music”Jazz”,
that than the typical orchestras, which called the attention of the
people and enlute, temporarily tango .
 We have to
remember that one of the musicians´s work was to add music to the
films in the cinemas, for the reason that they were silent.
Nevertheless Pugliese- Gobbi bet to continue, and they formed their
own sextet. In 1932 due to the lack of work in our city, the splendid
sextet, made a tour for the insides of the country. The things were
wrong and when they returned, dissolved the group. But this musicians
were looking for the way to be better everyday when they played their
instruments.
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They made that the owners of Radio Prieto, an important radio station
of that period, offered the duet Gobbi-Pugliese, to interpret tangos,
for the tango radio-listeners. But the avisadores were not satisfied
with their permormance, so they were taken out of the programme. But
Gobbi continued fighting, although they were difficult times, he
accepted the challenge and he was persistentel , and he formed again,
another sextet, the musicians were: Anibal Troilo, José Goñi, (Orlando´s
brother), Alfredo Calabró, Agustín Furchi, and Osvaldo Pugliese. They
were short period contracts, they acted in cafes or cinemas , the
country in the 30´s was going through a very critical period, a lot of
poverty, a lot of uncertainty. Alfredo was without work again, so he
joined the Pugliese´s brother´s group, a violinist, called Alberto. In
1935, he is hired to perform as first violinist to one of the most
extaordinary group , of one of the biggest bandoneon player,of our
popular music, Pedro Laurenz. This remarkable music acted in the 36
billiards of Corrientes street. When Corrientes street was still
narrow. It was a powerful orchestra by quality of its musicians and it
was one of the favourites groups of the people. Osvaldo Pugliese
(Piano), Armando and Alejandro Blasco jointly with Laurentz in
bandoneon, Gobbi formed the violins trio jointly with José Niezow and
Sammy Friedenthal, and Vicente Sciarreta (Double bass). In 1937
Joaquín Do Reyes was part of the group, and Armando Balliotti , this
orchestras played in different cabarets, and they acted for a long
period in an elegant haven called “Novelty” situated in Esmeralda
street. In 1941, Gobbi travelled to Uruguay and he became in first
violin of Pintin Castellanos, (author of “La Puñalada”), the singer of
that song was Enrique Campos, Donato Racciatti was the third
bandoneon. In 1945, and due to the changes in our country, there was a
reborn in the people´s expectances, economic, labor, politic, and it
included tango too . I the beginning of tours, contracts, clubs,
radios, here in the country and around the world. Our music was going
through an excellent moment , it was the 40´s, the Gold period.
Gobbí came back from Uruguay and he start working in a radio, but this
time is was for The Big Door, firstly he was hired to perform in
Radio Belgrano and the Radio El Mundo, where he was the lead figure of
tango. In he was hired by the recording company R.C.A. Víctor to
record and he kept recording for ten years there. His singers were:
Carlos Heredia and Hugo Soler. In 1948, they were Pablo Lozano and
Héctor Maciel in 1949, Jorge Maciel and Ángel Díaz. In 1950, Héctor
Coral and Jorge Maciel, in 1953, Carlos Almada and Jorge Maciel, in
1954, Jorge Maciel and Tito Landó, from 1955 to 1956 , Alfredo del Rio
and Tito Landó. In 1957, Tito Landó, Mario Beltrán, and Carlos Yanel,
in 1958, Alfredo del Río and
 Tito Landó.
When this master of the music composed compuso his great hits: “El
andariego” and “Camandulaje”, he did it in collaboration Ismael
Spitalnij, (singer,bandoneon player and “orquestador”). At the end of
1950, Gobbi´s orchestra was formed by the first violin, he was
accompanied by Ariel Haroldo Gessaghi, and Eduardo Salgado, (bandoneons)
Mario Demarco, Luis Maggiolo, Osvaldo Piro, and Emilio Nurié, (
piano); Normando Lázzara and Osvaldo Monteleone (double bass). En
196, due to the expantion of the foreign music the works condition
were hard again. Young pople trying to imitate the foreigns invaded
us, tango and folklore was in the second place for the people
specially the younger ones. Gobbi decided to dissolved his group and
he formed a quintet to keep fighting for our music, directing from the
piano and playing in a pub of Corrientes Street called “Siglo XX”. By
the year 1963 he played as a soloist in a pub called Olmos in Once .
In 1964, being still young , he had 54 years , his dessaperence took
place. Good musician, best friend, he left to all the people he met,
the affection and the recogcition of the big ones. Rovira he dedicated
his tango “El engobbiao”, Troilo, “Milonguero Triste”, Piazzolla,
“Retrato de Gobbi”. This violinist , knew how to give to tango his
own style and a “Decareano”(from Decaro) style, he left his style in
all his interpretaciones, for the enjoyment of all the people who
loves him “The best music of the world, Tango” .
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Oscar Mármol
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