Sexteto Tango

The Sexteto Tango emerged in the late 1960s as one of the most distinctive orchestral expressions of tango after the golden age of the large orquestas típicas.^[1] Formed by musicians who had spent years under Osvaldo Pugliese, the group deliberately returned to the classic sextet instrumentation—two bandoneons, two violins, piano, and double bass—that Julio de Caro had established in the 1920s, yet it did so with a contemporary sensibility that respected the rhythmic and melodic essence of the genre while avoiding both pure nostalgia and experimental excess.^[1][2] Researcher Luis Adolfo Sierra observed that, beyond the individual talents of its members, the ensemble constituted “much more than the sum of worthy individual contributions… it stands as a brand-new, original unit with a sure future projection… that corroborates the perfect possibility of continuing the essential structure of a consecrated style (that of Pugliese’s), without incurring in a fake version or in a vulgar imitation.”^[1]

The idea itself originated with Pugliese. Upon returning from a tour of Japan in 1965, he proposed reducing the size of his orchestra to a De Caro-style sextet as a practical response to the economic and cultural crisis then facing tango.^[1][2] He never implemented the change, and his full orchestra continued working until an illness forced a temporary suspension of activities. In that interval, six of his musicians decided to realize the earlier proposal and created the Sexteto Tango in October 1968 (sources differ on the precise founding day; Fundación Konex lists 1 September 1968).^[1][4] The original lineup was an all-star selection: bandoneonists Osvaldo Ruggiero and Víctor Lavallén, violinists Emilio Balcarce and Oscar Herrero, pianist Julián Plaza, and double bassist Alcides Rossi, with Jorge Maciel as vocalist.^[1][2] When Pugliese recovered, the musicians performed for a time in both ensembles before parting on amicable terms.^[1]

The sextet made its public debut at the legendary Caño 14, sharing the bill with Aníbal Troilo’s orchestra, the Quinteto Real, Roberto Goyeneche, and Rubén Juárez.^[1][2] Its first long-playing record for RCA Victor, titled Presentación del Sexteto Tango, mixed classic repertoire such as “Quejas de bandoneón” and “Amurado” with original works by its members, including Emilio Balcarce’s “La bordona” and Julián Plaza’s “Danzarín,” plus four numbers sung by Jorge Maciel.^[1][2] Early instrumental singles recorded for the same label include “Tema otoñal” (8 October 1968) and “Rawson” (11 November 1968).^[3] Television exposure on the popular program Sábados circulares, hosted by Nicolás Mancera (Pipo Mancera) on Canal 13, brought the group to a wide audience.^[1][2]

A short tour of Montevideo followed, with appearances at the Hotel Victoria Plaza and the Teatro Solís.^[1] In 1970 the ensemble undertook an extended tour of the Americas that began in Chile and continued through Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, and Santo Domingo before concluding in Los Angeles.^[1][2] Four years later it was invited to a major tango spectacle at the Teatro Colón alongside the orchestras of Aníbal Troilo, Horacio Salgán, and Florindo Sassone (substituting for a convalescent Pugliese), with singers Edmundo Rivero and Roberto Goyeneche also appearing.^[1][2][5] From that point the Sexteto became one of the most requested tango groups of its era. Further tours of Latin America and the United States met with strong acclaim; in 1987 the musicians traveled to Europe, performing in Berlin and then spending two months as the sole attraction at the celebrated Paris venue Les Trottoirs de Buenos Aires before visiting Japan, where they were already known from their earlier association with Pugliese and where they returned twice more.^[1][2]

Discographically the group was prolific, recording eleven long-playing albums for RCA Victor and one additional album in Japan for CBS Columbia.^[1][5] Vocalists after Maciel included Raúl Funes and Jorge Mariano; a 1979 Microfon release featured Funes on the tango “Estrella,” while the 1983 RCA Victor album Chau viejo Juan (or Reunión de Maestros) presented twelve tracks sung by Roberto Goyeneche, among them the waltz “Esquinas porteñas” by Sebastián Piana and Homero Manzi and the tango “Estrella” by Marcelino Hernández and Roberto Cassinelli.^[1][3][5] Arrangements were principally the work of Ruggiero, Plaza, Lavallén, and Balcarce, all of whom were also composers; Plaza’s instrumental tango “Trasnoche,” with its nostalgic melody and carefully crafted orchestration, is frequently cited as a highlight of the group’s recorded output.^[1][2]

In the 1980s the personnel evolved: bandoneonists Osvaldo Cabrera and Mariano Signa and pianist Aldo Saralegui joined, among other later members that included violinists Washington Williman and Gabriel Rival and bassist Guillermo Ferrer.^[4] The ensemble received the Konex Diploma of Merit in Popular Music in both 1985 (Conjunto de Tango / Tango de Vanguardia) and 1995 (Conjunto de Tango).^[4][5] It disbanded in 1991 after more than two decades of continuous activity.^[5] Its lasting contribution lies in demonstrating that the classic sextet format, when placed in the hands of musicians steeped in a major orchestral style, could generate a sound that was simultaneously traditional and forward-looking, serving as a model for subsequent chamber-style tango groups without sacrificing the genre’s rhythmic and emotional core.^[1][2]

Formation and early years

The decision to form a reduced ensemble reflected broader pressures on tango in the mid-1960s. Large orchestras had become economically difficult to sustain as live venues declined and popular taste shifted. Pugliese’s 1965 proposal remained unrealized until his temporary absence allowed the six musicians to act.^[1][2] Their dual employment with both the sextet and the recovering Pugliese orchestra lasted only a short time before the groups separated permanently on good terms.^[1] The Caño 14 debut placed the new formation immediately among the leading acts of the period, and the rapid release of Presentación del Sexteto Tango established a recorded identity that blended familiar repertoire with original compositions by Balcarce and Plaza.^[1][2]

Tours, stage appearances, and later career

International activity began almost at once. After the Montevideo appearances, the 1970 continental tour took the musicians from the Southern Cone through the Caribbean and into the United States.^[1] The 1974 Teatro Colón engagement was particularly significant: the bill assembled several of the era’s major figures and confirmed the sextet’s status as a peer of the surviving large orchestras.^[1][5] Subsequent European and Japanese tours, especially the extended Paris residency at Les Trottoirs de Buenos Aires, broadened its audience beyond Latin America.^[1][2] Personnel changes in the 1980s did not interrupt the group’s activity; the Konex awards of 1985 and 1995 recognized both its traditional grounding and its more modern orientation.^[4]

Recordings and musical character

The eleven RCA Victor albums and the Japanese CBS Columbia disc document a consistent approach: careful arrangements that preserved the danceable pulse while allowing the two bandoneons and two violins to converse with clarity.^[1][5] Vocal contributions by Maciel, Funes, Mariano, and Goyeneche added variety without dominating the instrumental core. Works such as Plaza’s “Trasnoche” and “Danzarín,” Balcarce’s “La bordona,” and the Goyeneche collaboration on “Esquinas porteñas” and “Estrella” illustrate the group’s dual commitment to original composition and respectful interpretation of the classic repertoire.^[1][3]