Alberto Mancione

Alberto Mancione, whose legal name was Genaro Tórtora, was born in Buenos Aires on 8 October 1915 and died on 4 July 1998.^[1][2] He received limited formal musical instruction and described himself as largely self-taught, relying on intuition; by age fifteen he was already playing bandoneon professionally while holding other jobs, including physical labor unloading meat carcasses.^[1][3] His first paid musical engagement came in 1934 with the trio of bandoneonist José Figueroa, which expanded into a sextet that toured and appeared on Radio Mitre; the repertoire mixed tangos with chacareras and other non-tango material.^[1][3] Subsequent brief associations included the orchestras of Armando Baliotti, Roberto Firpo (alongside violinist Cayetano Puglisi, pianist Carlos García, and singer Ignacio Murillo), and José De Caro (at the Las Brujas venue in Olivos). A short stay with Edgardo Donato ended amid a collective musician conflict; Mancione did not record with these ensembles.^[1][3]

In 1938 he assembled the Típica Armenonville for a three-month contract at the Palermo Palace, engaging as vocalist the singer later known as Floreal Ruiz under the stage name Carlos Martel.^[1][3] The following year he co-founded the Orquesta Típica Los Dados Blancos with bandoneonist Bernardo Álvarez. The name derived from embroidered dice on the left side of custom shirts intended to give a touch of fantasy; the group performed for approximately two years under the representation of Julio César Curi.^[1][3]

On 25 April 1942 Mancione's own orchestra opened the Tibidabo cabaret at Avenida Corrientes 1244, sharing the venue with Aníbal Troilo: Mancione played the afternoon sets (and all functions on Saturdays, when Troilo had dance-hall commitments) while Troilo occupied the evenings.^[1][4] The initial lineup comprised bandoneonists Mancione, Jorge Gutiérrez, Juan Salomone, and Antonio López; violinists Doroteo Guisado (also listed in some accounts as Doroteo López), Rodolfo Fernández, and Antonio Casanova; pianist José Cimarro; double bassist Pablo Piazza; and singer Horacio Torres.^[1][3][4] Torres soon left for Alfredo De Angelis; Floreal Ruiz replaced him for six months.^[3][4] From 1944 to 1946 the orchestra belonged to the staff of Radio Splendid; from 1948 to 1963 it held exclusive status at Radio El Mundo, occupying prime slots such as Estrellas a mediodía, the Glostora Tango Club (during Alfredo De Angelis's absences), and weekend dance programs.^[3][4] Venues in this period included the Cote d'Azur cabaret at 25 de Mayo 536 (where Jorge Ledesma debuted after a 1949 audition at Radio Splendid) and the Montecarlo dance hall at Corrientes and Libertad.^[4]

Recording for RCA Victor began on 28 July 1950 with the coupling of Ventarrón and Tinta roja.^[4][5] In total the orchestra cut forty-four titles for the label. Jorge Ledesma, whose stage name had been chosen by Curi after the singer (originally Justo José Deluchi) auditioned with Margot, recorded eighteen of them; other vocalists reaching disc included Héctor Alvarado (seven), Ángel Varela (four), Francisco Fiorentino (three, joining in March 1950), and Luis Correa (one).^[3][4] Fiorentino, already in artistic decline, sang with the orchestra while also appearing as a soloist at dance halls; he is quoted as telling Mancione that no one had accompanied him better, comparing the experience favorably to Troilo, Basso, and Piazzolla.^[3] Additional singers who passed through without recording included José Torres and Carlos Reyes. Instrumentalists of note in the Radio El Mundo years included bandoneonists Ángel Domínguez, Roberto Vallejos, Antonio Longarella, and Julio Menor; violinists Francisco Mancini, David Aszenmil, Bautista Huerta, and Manuel La Plaza; pianist Francisco Orrego; and double bassist Ítalo Bessa, among many others who collaborated over time.^[4]

Mancione's arranging style has been characterized as derived from Troilo and particularly close to the left-hand legato piano approach of Orlando Goñi, with bandoneons playing staccato on the cuatro, producing a fluid, agile, and clear sound that relied on the first violin for expression and ligatures.^[3] Pianist Osvaldo Requena, who worked with the orchestra, noted this combination and observed that Mancione corrected incoming arrangements and possessed strong intuitive creativity despite limited formal study; Ventarrón, whose arrangement is Mancione's, remained a signature request.^[3] Other notable arrangements or contributions include alterations to El cencerro, El refrán, Lágrimas, and La cumparsita (pizzicato strings, piano bell effects, and variations; the version was regarded in some Japanese circles as the best).^[3] Compositions are relatively few: milongas Señores, permiso (lyrics Ángel Di Rosa) and Para el pueblo (Julio Curi); tangos Dolor de huella, La luna, el cigarrillo y yo (Di Rosa), Pobrezas (Eugenio Majul), Lo que tú llamas amor and Yo te condeno a vivir (Curi); and instrumentals such as F.F. (dedicated to Fiorentino), Moderno (with Roberto Vallejos), Total (with Juan Salomone), Canyengue y tristona, and Fiel milonga.^[1][3]

Touring was largely domestic. One of only two foreign trips was a 1956 visit to Chile (the other being Uruguay).^[3] As large orchestras became economically unsustainable in the mid-1960s, Mancione formed a quartet in 1966 with pianist José Aguilera, bassist Pibledo, and violinist César Rilla. On 20 September 1974 a new quartet debuted at the El Farolito confitería in Villa Crespo, where it remained for fourteen years.^[4] Later activity included twenty-three appearances accompanying Argentino Ledesma.^[1] An interview conducted on 24 January 1991, near the end of the El Farolito engagement, provides much of the first-person detail on repertoire choices, rehearsal methods (sectional three-hour daily rehearsals), and artistic priorities.^[3]

Within the generation of 1940s orquestas típicas, Mancione's ensemble occupied a middle stylistic ground—neither the most radical nor the most commercially dominant—yet sustained a long radio presence, a solid discography, and consistent work in cabarets and dance halls. The combination of intuitive arranging, careful selection of singers such as Ledesma and Fiorentino, and the practical constraints of the post-golden-age period shaped a career that remained active for more than five decades.

Early career and formative ensembles

The 1934 engagement with José Figueroa supplied the first professional experience and radio exposure. Brief passages through Firpo, De Caro, and Donato preceded the 1938 Armenonville contract at Palermo Palace and the 1939–1941 Los Dados Blancos collaboration with Bernardo Álvarez. These short-lived groups established working relationships and the representational tie to Julio César Curi that later facilitated the formation of Mancione's own orchestra.^[1][3]

Tibidabo, Radio El Mundo, and the recording era

The 25 April 1942 opening of Tibidabo with Troilo marked the public launch of the permanent orchestra. Radio Splendid staff work (1944–1946) was followed by the long exclusive at Radio El Mundo (1948–1963). The 28 July 1950 Victor session inaugurating the discography with Ventarrón and Tinta roja coincided with the presence of Fiorentino and the consolidation of Ledesma as principal singer. The Montecarlo and Cote d'Azur venues, together with the prime-time radio slots, defined the orchestra's visibility during its peak commercial years.^[3][4][5]

Style, arrangements, and singers

The Goñi-influenced piano legato combined with staccato bandoneon writing produced the fluid sound noted by Requena. Mancione's own arrangement of Ventarrón became a calling card; other contributions included harmonic and variational adjustments to several classics. Singers who recorded were Ledesma (eighteen titles), Alvarado, Varela, Fiorentino, and Correa. The anecdote of Fiorentino's praise after a performance, and the later account of a recording session affected by the singer's near-miss with a plane crash, illustrate both the personal rapport and the practical conditions of the studio work.^[3]

Later years and small-group activity

After the economic contraction of large orchestras, the 1966 quartet and the fourteen-year residency at El Farolito (beginning 20 September 1974) sustained performance activity into the late 1980s. The 1991 interview, given shortly before the end of that residency, remains the principal source for Mancione's reflections on repertoire, rehearsal practice, and the relative scarcity of foreign touring. Compositions, though limited in number, continued to circulate in the milonga and radio repertory.^[3][4]