There’s a song by La Bersuit, one of Argentina’s most important rock bands, called “La Argentinidad Al Palo”which translates roughly to: “Argentinity turned all the way up.”
What is“Argentinity,” you may ask? Well, in the song it’s everything from inventions (the ball point pen, fingerprinting, the bypass), to “giants” like Gardel and Maradona, to things like a dysfunctional economy, corruption, and most of all, a story that goes from “ecstasy to agony.”
The surreal, the grandiose, the art of living life so intensely… there’s a lot to unpack when it comes to argentinidad, but in today’s Liner Notes I’ll attempt to get at its essence.
Julio Pane died early this month, on June 12th, 2024. One of tango’s greatest bandoneonists, he played with the maestros of yesteryear and was a teacher to my generation, including many of my close friends. I didn’t know him, which is why the following story highlights a curious aspect of argentinidad.
I met Julio Pane in an incredible, surreal way, within days of my permanent move to Argentina. It was October of 2016 and I was invited to the birthday party of a doctor turned amateur opera singer. I had heard about his gatherings, where people would sing and perform, and where, mixed in with the crowd of hobbyists, you might find a few stars who happened to be his friends. When my wife and I arrived, the first person we ran into was Julio Pane. We spent a long time chatting with him about live, love, and just about anything. It was spontaneous, natural, as if we all had known each other for years.
One thing you should know about Argentina is that there’s a guitar in every household. And that night, after many arias, boleros, and other choice selections, someone placed the house guitar in my hands and requested that Julio and I play a few tangos. We did.
I remember little about it beyond Pane’s glass of wine, his permanent cigarette, and that we played “Los cosos de al lao,” a fantastic tango which now lives in my mind alongside an image from that night, where in the smoke-filled living room I see Julio Pane and his magical bandoneon.
As my friend the pianist Juan Pablo Gallardo once put it: in tango you can meet your heroes. If you play rock, what are the chances of meeting Keith Richards? But if you play tango and live in Buenos Aires, you can meet tango’s equivalent. And so after 20 years of watching him from afar, I was fresh off of the plane from New York, the argentinidad was al palo, and I got to meet the Keith Richards of tango.
In the most recent Liner Notes I mentioned the importance of street corners in Buenos Aires. Well, sometimes specific corners take on special meanings. Everyone knows that Segurola y Habana means there’s a fight brewing. Diego Maradona gets credit for that one, having famously challenged a referee to meet him there.
And Callao y Rivadavia refers to political protest because that’s the location of the National Congress. Back in 2018 when the law legalizing abortion was presented there were historic marches at this intersection, as referenced in the contemporary tango “Escuadrón de glitter,” included on the concept album Vení que te cuento, which I produced for TANGOdeHOY.
The meaning of corners, the immortals walking among us, the intensity and spontaneity it all…in each of these ideas I hope I’ve given you some ways to think about about argentinidad.
To that end I’d like to share a movie quote with you to drive the point home. It’s from the 2018 film “My Masterpiece” the hilarious story of a washed-up painter and his manager who come up with the greatest idea of their lives (yes, I recommend it). The voice over at the beginning puts it perfectly:
Buenos Aires is the best city in the world, but paradoxically, it might also be the worst city in the world, and this contrast is what makes it so seductive. Something else which distinguishes this city: its people. I’ve traveled around the world and I’m very familiar with New York, London, and Tokyo, but the ambition and madness of Buenos Aires make it totally unique. Someone said that it’s the capital of an empire which never existed. It has some of the sophistication of the European capitals, but with just the right amount of decadence to keep it from having the oversweetened beauty of Paris. Buenos Aires is chaotic, unpredictable, cruel, and contradictory, but its precisely these imperfections which allow the city to breathe. Anything and everything can happen in Buenos Aires.
There you have it. Al palo. I’m still in awe of it all. And you? Have you ever visited Buenos Aires? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
♫♪𝄞⨾𓍢ִ໋ of the week
Chiqué - Julio Pane
A master arranger and collaborator, Pane was also a unique virtuoso on his instrument, that strange “portable organ” called the bandoneon. What better way to remember his him than through his solo recordings?
Nuestro Viajecito - Brisbane Tango Orchestra
Today you can find good tango musicians anywhere in. Here’s a fantastic track from an Australian artist, the BTO, featuring bandoneonist/composer Owen Salomé, who lives here in Buenos Aires and traveled back to his native land to record his compositions with this fantastic group, who really know how to play tango. I’m proud to say the recording came out on my label, Tango de Hoy.
Prelude in E Major - Pierre-Laurent Aimard
Like most musicians, I’m always returning to Bach. If you’re someone who hasn’t discovered the joy, beauty and depth of this music, here’s a track to check out. Short, sweet, perfect.