Walter Malosetti

From left to right: Estanislao Iancona, Jose Iancona, Walter Malosetti & Guillermo Iancona.

José Iancona forwarded me this image.

On Friday 27th of October we did an interview to Walter Malosetti! We talked about his sessions, perfomances and recordings with Oscar. We had a great time, here you have a picture of us.

Jose told me: Walter is an amazing person. He was my teacher on guitar lesson on 1992. We went to his new guitar and music school. He had very interesting words about Oscar and the way they played together.

Walter Malosetti accompanied Oscar Aleman on the 1972 Redondel session. He also played the guitar on the Stringtime in Buenos Aires CD as released by the HOT CLUB RECORDS label of the Norwegian Jon Larsen, who is also a great Oscar Aleman fan. ( HCRCD 106 )

Guillermo, Estanislao and Jose Iancona are preparing a book about Oscar Aleman to be published soon.
More information at their website. ( click on the title bar)

Thanks for sharing this image, Jose !

Hans Koert

Jonathan Kellerman

A few years ago the following story took place.

Visitors, new on this blog, should know that I have a wide interests about a lot of subjects. Since I was a teen-ager my passions are history and jazz music. The latter expresses in my projects, like the Hit of the week - Durium project and the the project about the life and musical heritage of Oscar Aleman.

Well, the story is about Oscar Aleman.

Now and then people contact me if they have to ask me something about one of my projects. A few years ago I got a message from a lady who lived in Groningen ( a city in the northern part of the Netherlands) who asked me where she could buy an Oscar Aleman recording. She told me, she bought a book to relax, each year, for her holidays period. Her favorite author was Jonathan Kellerman. Jonathan Kellerman writes detective / thriler like books and he always introduces the readers to certain musicians. In one of his books, she had forgotten wich ones, he had talked about Oscar Aleman and, as she had form a habit to obtain the music Kellerman suggested, she wanted to know where she could obtain a CD of Oscar Aleman.

I responded to this lady, gave her some CD suggestions and asked her about the title of the book, but, unfortunally she had given the book to a good friend.

Each time, when I was at Vroom & Dreesman, a well known Dutch department store, I glanced through the books of Kellerman, but never found the Aleman ones .......


This morning I found a message from David W. Littlefield. He wrote me:

Hi Hans.
Found a reference to Oscar Aleman in the following novel:
Jonathan Kellerman "Flesh and blood", Ballantine Books, 2002, p.326 (Chapter 29). This is a paperback edition, so the page well might be different in the hard cover edition.

"I ran the tape deck as I slumped in the front seat. Old recording of Oscar Aleman riffing on a shiny silver National guitar in some thirties Buenos Aires nightclub. Aleman and the band peeling off a ha-ha rendition of 'Besame Mucho' that would have done Spike Jones proud, but no mistaking the artistry."

Kellerman writes excellent detective novels. I haven't had a chance to listen to the double CD I bought this year, (Accoustic Disk ACD-29), but it has "Besame mucho" so now I have a specific tune to hear.

I first learned about Aleman from your 78-l posts.

Cheers D.W.L.

Isn't that funny? The Jonathan Kellerman puzzle has been solved - The title of the book is known. I will visit the library this afternoon to have a look it they have got it for me.

If you click on the title bar you hear a fragment of Besame Mucho as played by Oscar Aleman.

This contribution is also posted at my Keep swinging web log

Al Amigo Hans Koert

I was surprised by a blog of the Hot Club de Boedo (Argentina) with a contribution about myself. Thanks !!

Scroll down for the English translation

Hot Club de Boedo saluda a su amigo Hans Koert un estudioso de la vida y obra de Oscar Marcelo Alemán e invitamos a visitar su página y su blog. En la imagen el célebre coleccionista argentino Mario Toscano Pouchan y el experto holandés Hans Koert

Gracias por sus amables palabras. Es bueno saber que aprecia nuestro trabajo en divulgar el legado de Oscar Alemán con todos los aficionados de Argentina y otros paises del mundo. Prueba que Oscar Alemán fué un verdaderamente un
cosmopolita. Espero que comparta sus recuerdos e historias con nosotros.

( Hans Koert )
Uno de los alemaníacos: Hans Koert
Los otros son: Joergen Larsen - Theo van de Graaff

English

Enjoy the web log of the Hot Club de Boedo

To our friend Hans Koert

Hot Club of Boedo greets its friend Hans Koert, a researcher of the life and work of Oscar Marcelo Alemán and we invited to visit its page and his blog.

In the image the famous Argentine collector Mario Toscano Pouchan and the Dutch expert Hans Koert

http://people.zeelandnet.nl/koerthchkz/news.htm

http://oscar-aleman.blogspot.com/

Thanks you for your nice words. It is good to learn that you appreciate
our work to share the legacy of Oscar Aleman with all true fans in Argentina
and all other countries all over the world. It proofs that Oscar Aleman was
a true cosmopolitan. I hope you will also share your remembrances, stories and images with us. ( Hans Koert )

One of the Alemaniacs: Hans Koert

The others are: Joergen Larsen and Theo van de Graaff.

Norberto Minichillo

Luis Contijoch forwarded me the message below about the dead of Norberto Minichillo.

Yesterday, 20th Oct. 2006, Norberto Minichillo, a drummer that recorded with Oscar Alemán in one of the Redondel records died. The Redondel recordings were made in November 1972

Buenos Aires 16 nov 1940 - 20 oct 2006

Falleció el baterista Norberto Minichillo

Tenía 65 años; fue figura del jazz local "Lucero, solito", cantaba en "Balderrama" y dejaba flotar el "solito" un rato más. Falleció anteayer en Buenos Aires, debido a un paro cardíaco, el músico Norberto Minichillo; un porteño que estaba por cumplir 66 años; uno de los grandes nombres del jazz argentino.
Su música, como sus convicciones, se mantuvieron inalterables a lo largo de su carrera, en la que no faltaron los viajes a Escandinavia ni a Nueva York. Minichillo era uno de los bateristas que tocaba la verdad en los tambores.
Había nacido el 16 de noviembre de 1940, en La Paternal, y era hincha de Argentinos Juniors, equipo de su barrio. El amor a la música lo heredó de su madre, Rosa Piro, cantante amateur de hermosa voz.
Un hombre cálido, de voz aguardentosa y swing arrasador. Su estilo se había cincelado a la sombra de los bateristas negros, como Max Roach, con quien mantenía una relación epistolar, y Tony Williams.
En sus albores había estudiado piano, hasta que conoció el jazz por la música de Monk; quizá por ello, jamás se dejó ganar por la comodidad de lo previsible. Su forma de tocar, en especial en El Tercero, grupo que este año llegó a los diez años, habló de un artista íntegro que siguió un camino escarpado quizá, debido a su honesta mirada musical, a veces poco comprendida aun dentro del jazz local.
Había debutado en los años sesenta en La Cueva, con un grupo formado por Jorge Anders en saxo, Jorge Navarro en piano y Gustavo Hubka en contrabajo. Tocaban como teloneros de Sandro y Los de Fuego.
En 1965 emigró a Europa, donde tocó con el saxofonista tenor Ben Webster y con el pianista Tete Montoliú. De regreso, se incorporó al grupo de los hermanos Baby y Héctor López Fürst, con quienes grabó Oliendo los blues .
Se podría ir paso a paso describiendo la carrera de "Momo", como lo llamaban sus amigos, pero se perdería de foco quién fue Minichillo, un músico pasional, galante y de mirada eternamente pícara.
Su forma de tocar, su free folklore, como lo llamaba, tan personal era en estos tiempos su sello. Tuvo, incluso, un paso por el gremialismo, en el que llevó su honestidad y hombría de bien.
Confesaba en animadas charlas en su departamento de la calle Talcahuano, donde había más instrumentos que espacio, que con El Terceto había encontrado el campo de expresión necesario.
Este grupo, casi de culto, debutó en Oliverio, en los sótanos del Bauen Hotel, donde desarrolló una estética musical que iba a ser una de las guías para la nueva marea jazzística. No por estrictamente innovadores, pero sí por la potente convicción de su música, El Terceto fue clave en todo este crecimiento jazzístico.
Minichillo apareció incluso como un respetable cantante de tango en sus discos. Tierra improvisada , una de las mejores placas en la historia del jazz local; Menos es más , Tocatangó , Piedra y camino, y su trabajo solista Baires Blue , editado en Italia, fueron un constante avanzar por una senda libre de ataduras.
En todos ellos, mostró una creatividad que lo alejó de sus contemporáneos para situarlo en una zona vanguardista de la que nunca salió. Siempre arriesgó y sus resultados fueron estimulantes.
Minichillo era, sin embargo, un espíritu solitario que había ido dejando de visitar locales y jam sessions para dedicarse a estudiar música, componer y ensayar con su eterno sideman, Hernán Ríos. El "siempre solo, siempre aparte", que cantaba en "Garúa" se le hizo un poco carne.
Este año había editado Articulaciones , un disco con composiciones propias que fueron interpretadas por la pianista Fabiana Galante y ahora estaba preparando otro, en el que sí tocaría. El jueves último debió suspender su actuación en el ciclo de bateristas del Jazz Voyeur, pues había regresado de Córdoba con problemas intestinales, y falleció al día siguiente.
Minichillo fue para el jazz como un lucero, siempre encendido, siempre presente.

César Pradines

Gracias Luis / Thanks Luis for forwarding this contribution.

Oscar Alemán - Brasilian Inspiration

On October the 14th it has been 26 years since the passing way of the great Argentine musician, showman and fabulous guitarist, Oscar Alemán (1909-1980). To remember his legacy to the world, I have done a little research regarding some of the Brasilian tunes he recorded. The list of Alemán's Brasilian repertoire is longer than the few tunes in focus here, but the following considerations may reach for a start.

In interviews Alemán always held Brasilian music in high esteem and throughout his career he insisted on performing his Brasilian repertoire in a way as intended by the composers - he would not change the 'spirit' of the music by 'jazzing it up' or changing the structure of a tune. This may be heard by comparing Alemán's renditions of some of the Brasilian tunes he recorded with renditions by Brasilian performers from the same time.

The first recorded Brasilian tune by Oscar Alemán y sy Quinteto de Swing was NEGRA DE CABELLO DURO (Rubens Soares - David Nasser) - Batuque (7 Sep. 1943), which started the first session by his re-organized quintet in 1943. This tune - a Brasilian batucada - was also recorded the previous year by the highly popular Brasilian vocal group, ANJOS DO INFERNO, who specialized in mixing Brasilian rhythms and American harmony in a kind of barbershop style a la Mills Brothers:

Autor: RUBENS SOARES-DAVID NASSER Título: NEGA DO CABELO DURO Gênero: BATUCADA Intérprete: ANJOS DO INFERNO Gravadora: COLUMBIA Número: 55.315-A Matriz: 478 Data lançamento: JAN/1942

Listening to the two versions of the tune it becomes clear that Alemán might have been inspired by the vocal arrangement of the tune by ANJOS DO INFERNO or a similar rendition, this also beeing the first full vocal statement recorded by Alemán, one of more examples documenting that his preferred singing language was Portuguese, not Spanish as would have been expected from an Argentine performer.

Later Alemán would record a couple of Brasilian tunes more also recorded by ANJOS DO INFERNO. In 1945 he recorded O VESTIDO DE BOLERO (Dorival Caymmi) - Baión (4 Dec. 1945) with his quintet, and in 1956 ACONTECE QUE EU SOY BAHIANO (Dorival Caymmi) - Samba (14 Sep. 1956). Both tunes are compositions by the highly estimated Dorival Caymmi, who wrote several popular Brasilian tunes in the samba-style. As said, the two mentioned tunes were also recorded by ANJOS DO INFERNO:

Autor: DORIVAL CAYMMI Título: VESTIDO DE BOLERO Gênero: SAMBA Intérprete: ANJOS DO INFERNO Gravadora: CONTINENTAL Número: 15.101-B Matriz: 675 Data gravação: 26.12.1943 Data lançamento: JAN/1944

-

Autor: DORIVAL CAYMMI Título: ACONTECE QUE EU SOU BAIANO Gênero: SAMBA Intérprete: ANJOS DO INFERNO Gravadora: CONTINENTAL Número: 15.101-A Matriz: 674 Data lançamento: JAN/1944

More info on ANJOS DO INFERNO at our choro-blogspot

In 1944 Alemán and the quintet recorded YO VI UN LEON (Maia) - Samba (27 June 1944), another Brasilian tune sung in Portuguese by Oscar with backing vocal from the band. This tune also was recorded by a Brasilian vocal group, QUATRO ASES E UM CORINGA, that launched a big hit with EU VI UM LEAO:

Autor: LAURO MAIA Título: EU VI UM LEAO Gênero: BATUQUE Intérprete: QUATRO ASES E UM CORINGA Gravadora: ODEON Número: 12.160-A Matriz: 6943 Data gravação: 16.04.1942 Data lançamento: JUN/1942

If Alemán felt inspired from Brasilian tunes to add his own singing in Portuguese to the music , other Brasilian compositions would inspire him no less to show off some of his best guitar solos ever recorded. From the same session as the above mentioned NEGRA DE CABELLO DURO also was cut TICO TICO NO FUBA (Abreu) - Choro (7 Sep. 1943), the world famous hit by Zequinha Abreu, first recorded 1931 by the ORQUESTRA COLBAZ and later by numerous Brasilian as well as other performers. Among the Brasilian recordings of the tune I have heard the one by CAROLINA DE MENEZES & GAROTO is excellent and has great guitar work by Garoto, which may have inspired Alemán to do his best:

Autor: ZEQUINHA DE ABREU Título: TICO-TICO NO FUBA Gênero: CHORO Intérprete: CAROLINA CARDOSO DE MENEZES (PIANO) E GAROTO (VIOLAO) Gravadora: VICTOR Número: 80.0061-A Matriz: S-052694 Data gravação: 12.01.1943Data lançamento: MAR/1943

My favoured Brasilian tune by Alemán is his recording of DELICADO (Waldir Azevedo) - Baión (31 Oct. 1951), an incredible guitar solo paying tribute to the composer, Valdir Azevedo, who was a master of the cavaquinho and had a worldwide hit with this composition:

Autor: VALDIR AZEVEDO Título: DELICADO Gênero: BAIAO Intérprete: VALDIR AZEVEDO (CAVAQUINHO) E EU REGIONAL Gravadora: CONTINENTAL Número: 16.314-A Matriz: 2391 Data lançamento: NOV/1950

The above mentioned recordings by Alemán are all included in the Argentine EMI cd compilation 'Oscar Alemán con Ritmos de Brasil' (EMI 541686) from 2002. The Brasilian recordings are to be found using the online search facility at the IMS.

Discographical info on the Brasilian issues quoted above is supplied by consulting the Funarte database.

Additional info on Alemán's recordings to be found at the online discography here

--

A small appendix to announce a new web site in Argentina devoted to Oscar Alemán to be reached clicking here

Jo

Comment on Romeu Silva & Oscar Alemán

We have had an extensive comment from Yves Francois regarding the previous entry on Romeu Silva and Oscar Alemán that may be of interest to our readers. Yves Francois discusses the presence of Silva and Alemán on Josephine Baker's recordings of the early 1930'ies and regarding this issue Yves Francois wrote:

"(...) It is also too bad that some sources list him [Alemán] and Romeu in the 1930 recordings, I do not believe Romeu is on them (I would agree that the sessions from the summer of 1931) and, for certain Aleman was in Spain in 1930 with Lobo. I am begining to believe that Edmond Mahieux was only the director for the June 1931 recording dates (I believe it was his band on the 1930 sessions), but let Romeu and Baker's band to record (with much better results, it must be added, espically the session with Johnny Dunn, too bad no jazz solos) but I believe Romeu drops off within a year or so (he was leading his own band with Booker Pittman in it in the summer of 1934 according to Chilton' entry on Pittman, but it could have been earlier, Pittman and Coleman were with Millinder in 1933 and unlike Coleman in 1933, Booker stayed in Paris and was with Freddy Johnson by the fall of 1933)"

Can some of our readers confirm these assumptions regarding Silva's recording schedule?

Yves Francois also discusses Alemán's career as a band leader in Paris in the '30ies, he wrote:

"Off to some more data regarding Oscar Aleman, according to Bill Coleman in his autobiography Trumpet Story (page 112 English edition), he was playing with Aleman's combo from May to July 1938 at a dance hall on Rue Fountaine. It was mostly playing latin musics, something Oscar could do as well as the other Latin bandleaders in Paris (Silva, Rico, Cureva, Barreto, Guido et all). Before that Oscar was (along with Bill Coleman) a member of the excellent Freddy Taylor combo, Aleman was already not a part of Baker's group in 1935 to play in Taylor's band (picture of Coleman and Aleman is in the book "Trumpet Story"). I would presume that sometime in 1936 or 37 Oscar became a bandleader and considering the rage Cuban and Biguines rhythms had in Paris at that time, Oscar probably capitalized on it (as did Romeu Silva, considering that he went back to Paris even after he left in 1935)."

Can someone add further info regarding the bands Oscar was leading in Paris, then feel
free to post a comment.

Jo

Romeu Silva

Daniella Thompson wrote an excellent article about the Brazilian bandleader and sax player Romeu Silva. I love to introduce you to that article. Daniella Thompson is the editor of the online Magazine of Brazilian Music & Culture ( click on the title bar). She also has an informative site about Brazilian music: Musica Brasiliensis


Romeu Silva travelled to Europe around 1926 (thanks Daniella for this addition) and became the director of the 16 Baker Boys, the band of Josephine Baker in Paris. Ean Wood writes about that in his biography The Josephine Baker Story: In the autumn of 1931, Paris Qui Remue closed. As Mistinguett was to be the star of the Casino's next revue, Josephine employed herself by setting off on tour with a band of jazz musicians. She named them The 16 Baker Boys.

On this 1931-1932 image from left to right: Han Driessen vo p, Oscar Aleman g, Josephine Baker, ?unknown ts, Jean Irace vo, ?unknown as

Their leader was tenor saxophonist Romeo (sic) Silva, and among them were trumpeter Léon Jacobs, who has been her bandleader at Chez Josephine, alto saxophonist Joe Hayman, who had come with her to Paris as part of the Claude Hopkins band for La Revue Negre, and the Argentinian guitarist and composer Oscar Aleman.

About Oscar Aleman Ean Wood says: Aleman was one of the most talented musicians with whom ahe would ever work. He had only arrived in Paris in that year ( 1931) and would stay until the advent of war in 1939, becoming as highly regarded in the French world of le Jazz Hot, as the Belgian gypsy Django Reinhardt. Indeed, the two became good friends. (Source: The Josephine Baker Story - Ean Wood ( 2000) p. 175)

I found an image of a 1931-1932 revue with the cast, and it wouldn't surprise me that the tenor player on Josephine's left side is Romeu Silva, in front as leader of the 15 Baker Boys.

I hope Daniella can confirm that to me !!

Daniella's information is to found in the comment of this blog. Thanks Daniella.

You can find the article at this site .

You can find some information about the Jean, Jac et Jo Trio, that was part of the Josephine Baker revue at the same time as Aleman and Silva were in the Baker Boys at this site

When you click on the title bar you can visit Daniella's excellent web blog about Brazilian culture.

This blog was re-posted, with another image at my Keep swinging blog

Thank you Daniella for your additions.

Homenaja al maestro

Homenaje de Hot Club de Boedo al Maestro Oscar Alemán en el 26° aniversario de su fallecimiento

El más importante referente del estilo de Jazz que popularizaron en el Rio de la Plata Oscar Alemán, Hernan Oliva y Eduardo Ravera le rinde un homenaje al gran guitarrista el día sábado14 de Octubre a las 20:00Hs. en el Auditorio de la Bibliotheca Obrera, Avenida La Plata 85. Ciudad de Buenos Aires (Argentina)

A homage by the Hot Club de Boedo to el maestro Oscar Aleman in remembreance of his 26th anniversary of the anniversary of his death

A concert in the jazz style popularized by Oscar Aleman, Hernan Oliva and Eduardo Rivera in Rio de la Plata on Saturday 14th of October, to make a tribute in the honor of the great guitarist in the Bibliotheca Obrera, Avenida La Plata 85. Ciudad de Buenos Aires (Argentina)

¡Amamos estar allí!!

We wished to be there !!

The Alemaniacs