A
CREOLE OSCAR
Oscar Marcelo Alemán, born on febrary 20 th. 1909, in Argentinean Republic.
Native from Machagai, his relatives were musicians. His father, folklore guitar
player, integrated a native art cuartet, with Carlos, Jorgelina and Juan,
his own children. Little Oscar, aged six years old, showned an unsual skill
as malambo's dancer (zapateador), impulsated by an elastic posture and a muscular
tone, unusual for a kid of his age.
Oscar
was a prestidigitator and a "chanssonier", a speed man and a selfish man, a
comediant, a dancer, of an improbable contemporaneous replic. He imposed the
habit of twisting and play the guitar on his back, and play (backwards) pasages
of songs.
Back in the country, he achieves an impactant succes, but persuasive: his song"Honeysuckle
Rose", becomes a cult piece and a big sales number. Ten years later, with his
unique active mood, he fundates a school for young guitar players, with no economichal
support.
In
1926, he plays, professionally, on bars and nigth clubs, with Gastón Bueno Lobo,
another guitar player with who he creates a duet of variated nature. He incursions
as tango author, and Agustín Magaldi record one of his songs. He alternates
performances with Carlos Gardel and he vinculates with Enrique Santos Discépolo.
then, he travels to brasilian land and other sudamerican latitudes.
Stimulated by the curiosity of an expanded talnt, jazz diva Josephine Baker
casts him, wich confirm him and deslumbrate her. They both make an antologic
duet. German invasion to Paris, on 1940, demands them to tare the company apart
and to continue on separated ways. Alemán, knows Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington,
who detect his improvistion and intuition capacity.
But is Django Reinhardt, the famous gipsy guitar player, who produces an absolut
implotion on his perception and on his instrumental codes. They both admire
and respect themselves, share sessions and jams, and play in the French Hot
Club.
In
1915, he made a memorable performance, on the Teatro Nuevo's stage. Because
of a family crisis, little Oscar begins, at the age of ten, an erratic and selfdetermionation's
life, which will be a constant in his future life. He is a remembered as a shoeshine
boy in downtonw Buenos Aires. Somebody gives him a “cavaquinho”, a little four
string guitar, with which he starts an exceptional intrumental career.
Alemán
keeps his soloist character and y convocates a quintet of three violins, contrabass
and drums. The first violin was Hernán Oliva. He makes his last recordings with
Eduardo Ravera, surrounded by his pupils.
Oscar Alemán, hursband of Carmen Vallejos and father of Selva Alemán, gifted
national actresses, passed away on Octuber 14th, 1980. Since the other century,
his name is on the Jazz World Enciclopedia. The irresponsable abandon and the
fragile ingratitude have no age. They are unpunishedly valid. ¿Will any politician
with common sense and patriotic shame, remember, on some street of many of the
new neighboughoods from Resistencia, (Chaco's capital city) of our Oscar Alemán,
who honors Chaco in the world? Memory is the mother of the recollection. (Live
tribute to Guillermo De Lange, musician from Quitilipi, who shared art, friendship
and respect with Oscar Alemán and Ricardo D´anuzzo, guitar father.)
Compilated by a Bosquín Ortega's text
Translation by Tony Vardé