Carlos Almada

Carlos Almada belonged to the generation of tango vocalists who reached maturity in the 1940s, a period when the large orchestra with featured singers had become the dominant commercial format. Born on 26 March 1918 in the Villa del Parque neighborhood of Buenos Aires, he studied for many years with the singing teacher Eduardo Bonessi and made his first public appearance at the age of twelve in a municipal show on the Avenida de Mayo, singing the tango Serpentina de esperanza.^[1][2] In 1932 the violinist Oscar de la Fuente invited him to join a sextet that performed at the Café El Nacional on Corrientes Street; he subsequently sang with the groups of Hugo Calasi, Alberto Pugliese (brother of Osvaldo Pugliese) and Alejandro Scarpino before joining Víctor D’Amario’s orchestra in 1944 alongside Adolfo Rivas.^[1][2]

A significant step occurred in February 1946 when Lucio Demare called him to replace Horacio Quintana, who had left with violinist Raúl Kaplún to form their own partnership. With Demare, Almada appeared on radio, at the Confitería Rucca, and on an international tour that included a well-received engagement in Cuba; no commercial recordings survive from this period.^[1][2] Upon returning to Buenos Aires he entered Edgardo Donato’s orchestra, sharing the vocal role with the young Oscar Ferrari. The pair performed at Radio El Mundo, the tearoom La Armonía (Corrientes 1443), the Tango Bar (Corrientes 1239) and the Marabú dance hall (Maipú 365) until 1949, when Ferrari moved to José Basso’s orchestra.^[1][2]

Only in 1950 did Almada begin to record commercially. With Donato for the newly founded Pampa label he cut a series of titles that included Che bandoneón, Mamboretá, A media luz, Pituca, Se va la vida, Cómo se pianta la vida, El patio de la Morocha, El vinacho, Por quién doblan las campanas, El camión, Muchacho and El huracán; the last of these became a commercial success in Donato’s version.^[1][2] His final session with the orchestra, in June 1952, was the tango Mi serenata sung in duet with Alberto Podestá.^[1] He then spent roughly a year with Alfredo Gobbi (“El violín romántico del tango”), replacing Héctor Coral and recording As de cartón (April 1953), Aunque seas mujer and Por qué canto así before economic considerations led him back to D’Amario for two years.^[1][2] In 1956 he rejoined Demare for a major cycle on Radio Belgrano. A second tenure with Donato followed in 1959, this time alongside Artemio Rolando.^[1][2]

Almada’s vocal style combined strong projection, a marked vibrato and a conversational porteño delivery that balanced dramatic force with careful emotional shading. Contemporary writers credit him with helping to shape a manner of interpretation that later singers of the 1950s and 1960s, notably Julio Sosa and Luis Correa, would adopt.^[1][2] By the 1960s his appearances had become infrequent; a bohemian lifestyle and progressive health problems limited his activity. He died of a cardiac syncope on 9 July 1982 in Buenos Aires at the age of sixty-four.^[1][2] Although his recorded legacy is smaller than that of some of his contemporaries, the sides he made with Donato and Gobbi remain representative of the robust, rhythmically alert vocal approach that characterized the late-orchestra era of tango.

Formation and early professional work

Training with Bonessi and the 1930 municipal appearance established the technical foundation. The succession of small groups and mid-sized orchestras of the 1930s and early 1940s gave him practical experience in the night-life circuit of Buenos Aires before the more stable engagements with D’Amario and Demare.^[1][2]

Recordings with Edgardo Donato and Alfredo Gobbi

The Pampa sessions of 1950–1952 constitute the core of Almada’s discography. Titles such as Pituca, El huracán and Mi serenata (the latter with Podestá) illustrate both his affinity for classic repertoire and Donato’s characteristic rhythmic drive. The brief Gobbi interlude added three further sides that show a slightly more lyrical side of his delivery.^[1][2][3]

Later career and influence

Returns to Demare and Donato in the mid-to-late 1950s kept him visible on radio, yet the 1960s brought progressive withdrawal. His influence is most often noted in the subsequent generation of singers who favored a strong, vibrato-rich, porteño style rather than the lighter crooning associated with some earlier vocalists.^[1][2]