n his beginnings he studied violin with maestros Andrés Saggese and Miguel Gianneo. His professional debut was at age fourteen at the Café Germinal. Later, with the bandoneon player Juan Fava and the pianist Adolfo Pitzer, he appeared at a local on 700 Triunvirato Street.

Thereafter he studied bandoneon and joined the quintet led by Antonio Scatasso which included Alberto Pugliese (violin), Fidel Del Negro (piano) and Mario Melfi (drums).

In 1926 he replaced Ricardo Brignolo in the Francisco Lomuto’s orchestra in its debut at the Cine-Teatro Grand Splendid. By this time they started the series of electrical recordings in the Odeon label. The other players were Luis Zinkes and Haroldo Ferrero (bandoneons), Leopoldo Schiffrin, Armando Gutiérrez and Carlos Taverna (violins), Oscar Napolitano (piano), Alfredo Sciarretta (double bass), Carmelo Águila (clarinet), Natalio Nappe (trombone), Desio Cillotta (drums) and the vocalists Antonio Rodríguez Lesende, Charlo and El Príncipe Azul, alternatively.

In 1931 Lomuto began his recordings in the Victor label. The bandoneon section had added Américo Figola and Jorge Argentino Fernández, and Ferrero quit. By that time he began to write some arrangements which till then were written only by Carmelo Napolitano. It was a time of heavy work, Lomuto’s orchestra appeared at the Teatro Coliseo, at the Hotel París, at the Teatro Variedades, at the Club Náutico, at the Teatro Boedo, at the Rivera Indarte, besides balls and other kind of appearances. In 1932 the orchestra led by Lomuto with its lead bandoneon Daniel Álvarez played at the celebration of “La Evolución del Tango held in Mar del Plata.

In Buenos Aires the aggregation appeared at different theatrical shows and, at the Teatro Colón, played at the La fiesta del tango in which two tangos associated to winds were consecrated: “El huracán” and “Ventarrón”. None of them were committed to disc by Lomuto.

It was by that time, in 1934, when Daniel Alvarez he split up to form his own group. He put it together with Armando Baliotti (piano), Claudio Casano and Benjamín Holgado Barrio (violins), Álvarez himself, Nicolás Pepe and Ricardo Pedevilla (bandoneons), Bacigaluppi (double bass) and Agustín Volpe as vocalist. Among other gigs its performances on Stentor, Ultra and Splendid radio stations stand out. The following year this orchestra accompanied the appearances of the Irusta-Fugazot-Demare trio and, in 1936, when the aggregation dismembered, he was member of a trio that backed Libertad Lamarque, with Antonio Rodio and Alfredo Malerba.

Time later he again tried to lead his own orchestra. Its members were Antonio Lemos, E. Trajtenberg and Adolfo Quarente (violins), Eduardo Del Puerto, C. Longo and A. Latorre (bandoneons), A. Rosacruz (piano), Hamlet Greco (double bass) and the vocalist was no less than Francisco Fiorentino. They appeared on Radio Ultra and later they made a long tour of Tucumán and other provinces.

Thereafter, with Alfredo De Angelis he organized a group they co-led to play at the Café Germinal and, again, on Radio Ultra.

In 1937 he joined Los Magos del Tango, with Juan Polito (piano), Nicolás Pepe and Álvarez (bandoneons), Bernardo Sevilla (violin) and the singer Pedro Arrieta. The latter when he joined the ranks of Miguel Caló changed his name to Roberto Arrieta. By that time he also accompanied the female singers Adhelma Falcón and Tita Galatro on Radio Excelsior.

Between 1939 and 1942 he appeared along with the famous comic duo Buono-Striano. In 1944, always with his orchestra and now with the singer Carlos Nelson, he played at the popular balls of Palermo Palace and Dancing Girls. He later travelled to Mar del Plata.

In 1947 he married Aurelia Monserrat. The couple lived on 3913 Carlos Calvo Street and later on 1899 Rondeau Street, where his first son, Daniel, was born. In 1952 his daughter María Cristina was born. By that time he accompanied Alberto Marino and played at the theatrical shows that featured Blanquita Amaro at the Teatro Astral. With that company he travelled to Brazil on tour.

Many things happened, time passed and it became very difficult to make a living with tango. He was living in Castelar when he decided to quit music. He joined SADAIC as general inspector/collector and retired in 1968.

If his career as instrumentalist and bandleader was important, his output as composer is no less important. The following is a summary of his most remarkable numbers: “Sólo a una madre”, with lyrics by Máximo Orsi, recorded by Francisco Lomuto in 1929; “Mar de fondo”, music by Oscar Napolitano and lyrics by him, also recorded by Lomuto in 1931; “Aquel nocturno”, recorded by Lomuto and Héctor Mauré, among others; “Como se muere de amor”, a hit recorded by Lomuto in 1933 and later in 1943 by Alfredo De Angelis with Floreal Ruiz on vocals and a speech by Néstor Rodi. It was recorded again in 1964 with the vocalist Roberto Mancini, and there is a memorable rendition by Floreal Ruiz with José Basso; “Noches de luna”, with words by Rafael Buono, recorded by Alberto Marino with orchestra in 1952; “Volvamos a empezar”, with lyrics by Eduardo Maradei, a hit by De Angelis with Oscar Larroca in 1953 and with Carlos Aguirre in 1967. It was also recorded by Jorge Vidal with guitar accompaniment.

Also belong to him “Júralo que no”, lyrics by Héctor Gagliardi; “Misa de arrabal”; “Novia de cristal” and, with words by Julio Camilloni, the zamba “Pasa la promesante” and the waltz “Esperemos que cambie la luna”.

Published in Tango y Lunfardo Nº 111, December 1995.