Recognition for Oscar Aleman

The “Legislatura de la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires”, the local government of the city of Buenos Aires has decided to place a plaque at the house where Oscar Aleman lived. Thanks to diputado, delegate, Mr. Guillermo Smith, Mariana Smith, Eduardo Donadío and Bárbara García, together with Jorgelina Alemán, a tribute to the great artist, Oscar Alemán, was organized on the 13th of June 2008, which included a show in which friends and colleagues brought an homage to the great Argentine guitar player.

Carmen Vallejo - Ricardo Péllican ( Photo courtesy Daniel Cossarini and Jorgelina Alemán )

The show began with two songs played by guitar player, Ricardo Péllican and his son, the bass player Andrés Péllican. The first song was: Mr. Swing, an original composition by Ricardo Péllican, a tribute to Oscar Alemán, and then they played a Django Reinhardt song. On a large screen a fragment of the documentary “Oscar Alemán Vida con Swing” by Hernan Gaffet, who was in the audience, was showed and after that the people were introduced to Oscar’s granddaughter Jorgelina with her band; this time enlarged with Ricardo Péllican and Chachi Zaragoza. The band played "All Of Me” and “Exactly Like You” with Oscar Linero who had been Oscar’s drummer.

Jorgelina invited sax player Enrique Varela, to play "Besame Mucho", a tune Oscar Aleman loved to play. Cao Bornes, a Brazilian singer, sang “Garota de Ipanema”, and talked about the years he met Oscar, who often performed in Brasil. Cao was then a young singer at the beginning of his professional career.
On the screen a fragment of the film “Historia de una Carta” in which Oscar was one of the protagonist actors, and where India Morena Aleman, his daughter and Jorgelina´s mother, also played a part at the age of ten. India recited the verse of “Les Feuilles Mortes”, as she did sometimes with her father and Jorgelina sang the tune, which released emotions.

Ricardo Péllican - Jorgelina Alemán - Juan Martinez - Willie Bozas ( Photo courtesy Daniel Cossarini and Jorgelina Alemán )

Next, two tunes were played, "Route 66" and "I’ve Got Rhythm" and Carmen Vallejo, Oscar’s ex wife, shares some personal remembrances about her relationship with Oscar and introduced her ( and Oscar´s of course) great-grandson, Juan Manuel Miguez, who is 11 years old, who made his debut in public with the tune "De Buen Humor" together with guitar player Juan Martinez. Jorgelina sung with her band the song “Hombre Mio”( = “Man Of Mine”), the tune that almost became Oscar’s signature theme. Jorgelina wrote the lyrics for that tune.
Jorgelina sung, at the end of the show, one of the tunes of her new album “Cada trago de ron”, with the participation of the dancers Daniel Bartra and Carol del Castillo”. The last tune became a kind of jam-session with the participation of all the musicians, titled “When the Saints Go Marching In” and it became an impressive finale of the tribute dedicated the greatest artists of our country and perhaps of the entire world.

Together with the deputy Guillermo Smith, representative of the local authorities, Oscar’s family went to the front part of the building to take of the covering of the plaque.
Other musicians that participate in the show were: Daniel Cossarini-piano, Julián García-bass, Willie Bozas-drums, Adrián Lucio-guitar-Javier Fernandez-guitar-Betty Griffith-vocals, Miguel Sinagra-trumpet, Lus Segura, Gisela Lepio and María Cabral-backing vocals.
Some of the assistants where: Selva Alemán, El diputado Guillermo Smith, Carlos Insillo, Guillermo Vadillo, Hernan Gaffet, Estanislao Iacona y Jose Iacona etc.

Daniel Cossarini – Jorgelina Alemán
Buenos Aires - Maipú n° 359 - 13th of June 2008
(translation: Daniel Cossarini and Hans Koert)

You can find more pictures of this event, on the 13th of June 2008, at the Reconocimiento a Oscar Aleman site.

This contribution is also published at the Keep Swinging web log and other contributions about this subject were El gran maestro Argentino de Jazz and Fundamentos.

Promovido por la Legislatura de la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires a través del Sr. Diputado Guillermo Smith, Mariana Smith, Eduardo Donadío, Bárbara García y junto a Jorgelina Alemán, se organizó un merecido homenaje al gran artista Oscar Alemán, colocándose una placa en el frente del edificio donde el maestro vivió los últimos años de su vida, y ofreciéndose un show musical en su honor: Reconocimiento a Oscar Aleman

Keep swinging

Hans Koert

keepswinging@live.nl