Armando Moreno

Armando Moreno, whose real name was Armando Bassi, was born on 29 May 1921 in Argentina and died on 8 October 1990 in Bogotá, Colombia, of pneumonia at age 69.^[1][2] Nicknamed El Niño and Muñeco for his persistently youthful appearance, he became the voice most closely identified with the orchestra of bandoneonist Enrique Rodríguez, known as “La orquesta de todos los ritmos.”^[1][3] His tenor phrasing in tangos recalled Charlo, combining good intonation and mezza voce with neat taste even amid the festive repertoire that sustained the group’s dance-hall popularity.^[1]

At eighteen he replaced Roberto Flores (“El Chato”) in Rodríguez’s orchestra and debuted on LR3 Radio Belgrano.^[1][2] The following year he cut his first discs: the pasodoble “Ay Catalina,” the tango “No te quiero más,” the foxtrot “Amor en Budapest,” and the polka “María” (music by Wilhelm Grosz, Spanish lyrics by Enrique Cadícamo).^[1] The polka’s success led to its inclusion in the film Hogar, dulce hogar directed by Luis José Moglia Barth, in which both Rodríguez and Moreno appeared.^[1][2] In 1941 the orchestra recorded twenty titles, seventeen of them with Moreno’s voice, consolidating their success on radio and in dance halls, where audiences demanded Rodríguez’s own compositions “Tengo mil novias” and “Son cosas del bandoneón,” previously recorded by Flores.^[1]

On 21 October 1944 Moreno and Rodríguez performed at the Luna Park stadium in Buenos Aires for Odeon’s twenty-fifth anniversary celebration, alongside the orchestras of Francisco Canaro, Alberto Castillo, Miguel Caló and Rodolfo Biagi.^[1] The label’s earlier promotion of Argentine artists in Colombia, Mexico and Brazil later provided work when tango declined in Buenos Aires in the 1960s.^[1] With Flores the orchestra had recorded thirty-five titles; with Moreno it recorded approximately two hundred.^[2][4]

In mid-1946 Moreno and bandoneonist-arranger Roberto Garza left Rodríguez after the latter’s unsuccessful attempt to modernize the orchestra’s style with pianist Armando Cupo and cellist/bassist Omar Murtagh.^[1][2] The Garza–Moreno partnership retained the popular hits but failed to establish itself with a renewed repertoire.^[1] At the end of 1948, after Héctor Pacheco’s departure, Alfredo Attadía engaged Moreno to share the vocal role with Jorge Beiró; for Pathé they recorded “Araca corazón,” “El Yacaré” (previously cut by Ángel Vargas with Ángel D’Agostino) and “Las cuarenta.”^[1] In 1950 Moreno joined Domingo Federico beside Enzo Valentino, then returned briefly to Rodríguez to replace Roberto Videla.^[1] Two years later he rejoined Federico and recorded seventeen titles for Victor, among them “Percal,” “En la buena y en la mala,” “Tristezas de la calle Corrientes,” “A bailar” and “Otario que andás penando.”^[1] With Garza, Attadía and Federico he never matched the popular impact of his work with Rodríguez, yet these periods demonstrated his capacity with a strictly tango repertoire.^[1]

His third and final tenure with Rodríguez began in 1958. Alongside Omar Quiroz and Oscar Corvalán (also credited as Oscar Galán) he scored a new popular success with the corridos “Adelita” and “Señorita Luna.”^[1][5] From 1960 the group, like the rest of the tango field, faced dwindling local work and undertook tours of Latin America; their last joint tour was in 1965.^[1] Thereafter Moreno appeared as a soloist in Buenos Aires and the Argentine interior before settling in Colombia, where tango retained an audience.^[1] He established residence in Bogotá and continued performing until pneumonia claimed him while he was still in good health and eager to sing.^[1]

Moreno’s association with Rodríguez produced the bulk of the orchestra’s recorded output and cemented its identity as a versatile, danceable ensemble capable of polkas, foxtrots, rancheras and corridos as well as tangos.^[3][4] His youthful timbre and clear diction suited the light, festive arrangements that distinguished Rodríguez from the denser orchestras of the Golden Age, while his occasional turns with Attadía and Federico showed a more measured tango phrasing.^[1] The longevity of the partnership—spanning more than two decades with interruptions—and the survival of many of their sides on later reissues have kept Moreno’s voice audible to subsequent generations of dancers and listeners.^[3]

Early career and first period with Rodríguez

Moreno’s entry into Rodríguez’s orchestra at age eighteen marked the beginning of a partnership that would define both careers.^[1] His debut on Radio Belgrano and the rapid succession of early recordings—including the polka “María,” which crossed into cinema—established him as the ensemble’s principal voice.^[1][2] By 1941 the orchestra’s output of twenty titles (seventeen vocal) confirmed commercial viability, and the public’s insistence on hearing “Tengo mil novias” and “Son cosas del bandoneón” illustrated how quickly Moreno had absorbed and re-presented the repertoire associated with his predecessor.^[1] The 1944 Luna Park appearance for Odeon’s anniversary placed the pair among the label’s leading attractions.^[1]

Interruptions and other orchestras

The mid-1940s saw Rodríguez experiment with a more elaborate instrumental palette; the experiment’s failure precipitated the departure of Garza and Moreno.^[1][2] Their subsequent collaboration did not prosper, but Moreno’s brief tenure with Attadía (Pathé sides “Araca corazón,” “El Yacaré,” “Las cuarenta”) and his two periods with Federico (Victor titles including “Percal” and “Ronda sentimental”) allowed him to explore a more conventional tango literature.^[1] These engagements, while less popular, demonstrated that his technical resources were not limited to the lighter material that had made him famous.^[1]

Final return, corridos and later years

The 1958 reunion with Rodríguez produced the corridos “Adelita” and “Señorita Luna,” recorded with Quiroz and Corvalán/Galán and released on Odeon in early 1959.^[1][5] Tours through the early 1960s, culminating in the 1965 journey, extended the orchestra’s reach across the Americas at a moment when Argentine demand had contracted.^[1] Moreno’s subsequent decision to reside in Bogotá reflected both the continued local appetite for tango and the practical realities of the Argentine scene.^[1] His death in 1990 cut short an active late career.^[1]