he Suchers, a well-to-do middle class family somewhat refined, came from Odessa in 1901. Bernardo Mendel, the third of four siblings, was born in Rosario on January 31, 1913, and he soon became Manuel or Manolo. His mother, Berta Schupper, boasted about her Russian high school degree, an achievement quite rare for a woman then. Furthermore she was daughter of an obstetrician, that immigrated with them and went on with her profession in Argentina. But David Sucher, her son-in-law, was only a prosperous trader.

At age fifteen, wearing long trousers lent by someone, when it was getting dark Manolo used to sneak through the window to play piano for backing silent movies at a cinema theater on Córdoba Street, in Rosario. Even though he studied violin and it seemed that his destiny was to become a concerto violin player, he had learned to play piano by watching her sisters María and Rosa play in their room.

In 1930 together with the bandoneonist Félix Lipesker he formed a group. When he furtively embarked for Buenos Aires in 1932 he left a farewell letter in the empty case of his violin, because he had pawned it to pay his ticket and start his venture. His sister María (or Mary, as she was called) was already living in the capital since 1929 and she accommodated him at her place.

In Rosario, as pianist, he had accompanied Fanny Loy, a female dancer that had decided to become a singer and managed to perform on Radio Belgrano. Sucher later joined the orchestra led by the bandoneonist and great composer Anselmo Aieta, which played at the Teatro Nacional, and later he switched to outfit called Los Matreros led by the violinist Antonio Arcieri. In the mid- 40s he as well joined the orchestra led by «La Mujer Tango», Ebe Bedrune. Subsequently he devoted to back singers, like the consecrated Carmen Del Moral. He was even recognized by his special ability in this complex task.

It was for this prestige that Ricardo Tanturi in 1943 requested him to choose a singer to replace Alberto Castillo who had just split with him. The final choice had to be made between Armando Laborde, who recorded “Margarita Gauthier” on an acetate disc , and Enrique Campos, who recorded “Percal” in like manner. We know that Tanturi preferred Campos and he had no regrets for it. The last attempt made by Sucher to put together an orchestra was when he teamed up with the singer Mario Landi. That same aggregation accompanied Horacio Deval in 1948. But Manolo’s conduct, inclined to disorder, suffered under the necessary discipline of an orchestra musician.

Sucher had started as composer with “Como el hornero”, whose lyrics sprang out from the inspiration of a Uruguayan barber, José Rótulo. This tango was recorded by Ángel D'Agostino with Ángel Vargas and by Pedro Laurenz with Alberto Podestá. In 1946 he wrote “En carne propia”, probably his best tango, with the lyricist Carlos Bahr. It was recorded by Aníbal Troilo with Alberto Marino and by María de la Fuente. The same team had conceived in 1944 “Nada más que un corazón”; it was recorded by Osvaldo Pugliese with Roberto Chanel and by Troilo with Marino. They also wrote “Seis días” which was recorded in 1945 by Fiorentino with Astor Piazzolla and by Miguel Caló with Raúl Iriarte on vocals.

Out of the rest of his output we can highlight “Dónde estás” and “Noche de locura”, as well with Bahr. This tango contributed to emphasize sensuality in the early '50s, allowing renderings so worthy as Charlo’s or Ángel Vargas’s, besides the one by Miguel Caló with Alberto Podestá in 1954. With “Prohibido”, in spite of its scarce musical value and the poor lyric written by Bahr, a hit was made up, and the same happened, but with less cashbox success, with “Precio”.

The commercial tendency grew stronger with “Muriéndome de amor”, among other tangos of the sort and that, in fact, contributed to the decline of the genre. In the same trend “Qué me importa tu pasado” was made, with an unbearable lyric by Roberto Giménez. It was signed by Sucher using the pseudonym Retama. With Tita Merello he wrote “Decime, Dios, dónde estás”. With Zelmar Gueñol, “Señor de la amargura”, dedicated to Discepolín.

Sucher was an author by trade, he was one of those that frequented the cafés looking for singers and used to sit at their tables to say in a whisper: «I've got a tango tune that's perfect for you», right there he sang it and handed the sheet music to the guy. Later they persuaded the orchestra leader to include the piece in the repertoire. He very seldom wrote instrumentals, but a valuable exception is “Para el recuerdo (A Fiore)”, recorded by Carlos Figari in 1959.

Manolo was, as it should be, a devotee of his mother. He wanted to introduce her to everybody, so her place was visited by people like Hugo Del Carril or Alejandro Romay, and even Ranko Fujisawa. To flatter her he had even complied with the complex rite of phylactery (1) for years. But what he liked most was nightlife, fun, and worldly life. He dressed smartly and used to wear watches and rings. His tough temper did not save him from trouble, like a quarrel he had with Juan D'Arienzo at the ringside itself of the Luna Park.

In his apartment on Güemes 3778 he used to meet with a large number of friends to have dinner. He had tumbled down a wall to made the kitchen larger so as to reunite them all. They gave him a refrigerator, but in the place where the trademark was written they placed Prohibido (banned), as a warning against his excesses. The name of that tango also appears on the tombstone of his grave at the Jew cemetery of La Tablada. But all barriers to his search of pleasure turned out useless: on April 5, 1971, when he was 58, he died of a heart attack, after he had had an abundant meal and a sexual intercourse. An consummated lover, a bachelor who never gave in, he succeeded in making his funeral ceremony a never-ending pilgrimage of women.

(1) Translator's note: phylactery (either of two small square leather boxes containing slips inscribed with scriptural passages and traditionally worn on the left arm and on the head by Jewish men during morning weekday prayers).

Excerpted from the book Tango judío. Del ghetto a la milonga, Editorial Sudamericana, Buenos Aires 1998.