Lucio Passarelli

Real name: Passarelli, Lucio
Nicknames: Passarelli, Lucio León
Pianist, arranger, composer and leader
(7 December 1943 - )
Place of birth:
Bahía Blanca (Buenos Aires) Argentina
By
José Valle

e was born in the city of Bahía Blanca, in the southern area of the province of Buenos Aires. He studied harmony and counterpoint with Simón Lachner.

He composed a large number of pieces: “Color noche”, “Siempre agosto”, “Responso a mi viejo”, “El Pepe”, “Entrañable”, “Tema para cuatro”, “Mi amigo Juan”, “Cuando despierta Buenos Aires”, “Cuando guste...”, “Preludio a mis nietos”, “El aguante”, among others.

Many of these works were played by the Orquesta Sinfónica Provincial of Bahía Blanca and the Ensamble Ad Hoc, also a provincial aggregation and, in both orchestras he arranged several numbers.

Also, as arranger and pianist, he was invited to participate in the compact disc Compartiendo tangos, recorded by the Ensamble Ad Hoc.

He conducted for five years the Tango Sextet of the Orquesta Sinfónica of Bahía Blanca and, in November 2009, he led a string ensemble of the Conservatorio Provincial of Bahía Blanca.

Maestro José M. Ulla conducted several of his charts in Rumania and Italy and maestro Leonardo Rubin did likewise in Arkansas, United States, at the Hot Spring Musical Festival.

He conducted and wrote the music charts for the shows Homero y después, Viviendo nuestra música, Concertango, Contando tangos, De tango somos, Tango algo nuestro, Tango para todos, Tangata and Concierto tango.

He was awarded as best tango arranger in his hometown in 1995, 1996 and 1997 and won the prize for best tango show in 1993 with Viviendo nuestra música and, in 1994, for Concertango; both awards were granted by the Comité Ejecutivo for tango in that city.

In 1997 the Rotary Club of Bahía Blanca awarded him in recognition for his career as musician.

In 2008 he recorded his first disc entitled Entrañable which was followed by: Cuando guste (2010) and Después del silencio (2012).

He is in the cast of the season Bahía Blanca no olvida, organized by Dandy Producciones and appeared at the First National Tango Festival Carlos Di Sarli of Bahía Blanca.

His tango “Entrañable” was arranged by Osvaldo Piro who will include it in his next disc and as well as “A la distancia”, another tango piece composed by them.

I think he has the wonderful virtue of making us enjoy music in all posible ways, with a style fully poetical, with a refined and subtle lyricism. Few are the musicians that, through the exploration of the timbral and dynamic resources of piano, have made sing the instrument with the mastery he does.