1954, September 8 – MARIO POMAR RECORDS “TORMENTA”

The lyrics of “Tormenta” are consistent with Discepolo’s recurrent theme of inherent injustice in a world where men of honor and values seem to fare poorly…”Tormenta” is a tearful and pained conversation with God  “life is an inferno and a man of honor lives in tears…evil men live better than me, my faith in you is shaken…tell me why?”…“Tormenta” was one of Enrique Santos Discepolo’s greatest hits and has been recorded by many artists…it is a testimonial to his genius in that he wrote both the music and the lyrics…Enrique Santos Discepolo was born in the neighborhood of “Once” in Buenos Aires to an immigrant father from Napoli who was an accomplished musician…nevertheless, both he and his wife died when Enrique was very young…Enrique was left to the care of a rich, austere uncle who made him wear a tuxedo to dinner; in time a genius would emerge who not only wrote the lyrics to his tangos but the music as well, albeit with two fingers on the piano as he had no formal musical training…the first glimmer of greatness broke through in 1928 when Azucena Maizani sang his “Esta Noche Me Emborracho”; just days later it was popular all over the country…this was also the year that he met Spanish singer Tania who would become his wife and life’s companion to the end of his days…

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His great masterpiece, ”Cambalache” had the peculiar privilege of being banned by all military dictatorships after 1943…Carlos Gardel’s recording of his “Yira, Yira” in 1930 is considered one of the greatest events in tango history…his collaboration with composer Mariano Mores would produce the immortal “Uno” which has been called the national anthem of tango…as a youth Mario Pomar began singing in local bars and cafes for donations until one fateful day a producer from Radio Belgrano happened to hear him and invited him to sing on the radio station…it was the beginning of a career in which he sang with the best orchestras including that of Miguel Calo, Juan D’arienzo and Osmar Maderna whom he met when they both played for Miguel Calo…just one month earlier Pomar had successfully recorded, also with Di Sarli “No Me Pregunten Porque”…in 1939 at the age of  19, Pomar had made his first recording “Vuelve Otra Vez”…he was backed by the renown “Orchestra Tipica Victor” which through its many years of existence retained the excellence of its creator, the classically trained Adolfo Carabelli, whose disillusionment with a love affair would cause him to become a recluse and die alone at the age of 54…

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• CLICK HERE – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_FkELu-0eQ  to hear Mario Pomar sing “Tormenta” while it is danced by Anais Haven and Lexa Rosean in New York’s first Queer Tango Festival

2011

09/08

CATEGORY

Orchestras

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