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Agesilao Ferrazzano
Real name: Ferrazzano, Agesilao Francisco
Violinist, leader and composer
(31 July 1897 - 18 January 1980)
Place of birth:
Buenos Aires Argentina
SONGS IN THIS ARTICLE
Cuando tú me quieras
Tango
La cumparsita
Tango
Olvido [b]
Tango
Sentimiento gaucho
Tango
Una tarde
Tango
ARTISTS IN THIS ARTICLE
Agesilao Ferrazzano
Alejandro Michetti
Ángel D'Agostino
Benjamín Tagle Lara
Bernardo Germino
Carlos Marcucci
Carlos Vicente Geroni Flores
Cayetano Puglisi
Ciriaco Ortiz
Eduardo Arolas
Enrique Delfino
Enrique Pollet
Eugenio Nobile
Fioravanti Di Cicco
Francisco Bohigas
Francisco Canaro
Francisco Lomuto
Héctor Artola
Humberto Costanzo
Juan Baüer
Juan Canaro
Juan Carlos Cobián
Julio De Caro
Julio Pollero
Leopoldo Thompson
Luis D'Abbraccio
Luis Petrucelli
Manlio Francia
Nerón Ferrazzano
Nicolás Primiani
Olindo Sinibaldi
Osvaldo Fresedo
Pedro Maffia
Rafael Canaro
Ricardo Brignolo
Roberto Firpo
Roque Biafore
Salvador Grupillo
Típica Victor
Tito Roccatagliata
Vicente Gorrese
By
Horacio Loriente
e was a tango violinist with a very personal style born in Buenos Aires by the end of the nineteenth century. His first professional engagement was with the
Roberto Firpo
Orchestra in which he made his debut as second violin, when the lead and only violinist was
Tito Roccatagliata
. The aggregation was also lined up by
Alejandro Michetti
on flute and the bandleader on piano. This was back in 1914.
Two years later they made their debut in Montevideo in the carnival of 1916 playing at the balls of the Urquiza Theater, also appearing at the café and tearoom La Giralda. At that venue he took part of the premiere of “
La cumparsita
”. On his comeback to Buenos Aires, few months later Roccatagliata split with the group. Then Agesilao became the lead violin and
Cayetano Puglisi
made his debut.
He split with Firpo in the late 1917, so
Cayetano Puglisi
became lead violin and Adolfo Muzzi joined the outfit as second fiddle.
Two all-star groups had him as member. In 1918, with the Flores Orchestra;
Carlos Vicente Geroni Flores
(piano), Ferrazzano and
Bernardo Germino
(violins);
Ricardo Brignolo
and
Roque Biafore
(bandoneons). The following year he put together the Gorrese-Ferrazzano team. Lined up by
Vicente Gorrese
, piano; the violinists Ferrazzano and Germino;
Luis D'Abbraccio
and
Enrique Pollet
, bandoneons.
He had a tenure at the cabaret Maxim’s as member of the orchestra led by
Eduardo Arolas
.
In 1920 he formed with
Enrique Delfino
an outstanding duet of piano and violin, frequently featured at the foyer of the Opera house Theater. Then
Enrique Delfino
with
Osvaldo Fresedo
and
Tito Roccatagliata
traveled to the United States and so, Carlos Geroni Flores replaced Delfy on piano. Of this splendid combination there are important recordings.
In 1922 an important event took place: the
Osvaldo Fresedo
Orchestra was formed and started its recordings for Victor records. It was built upon the Cuarteto de Maestros (a group he had put together when he returned from North America), in other words, Fresedo, Tito, Ferrazano and Cobián plus the Uruguayan bandoneonist Alberto Rodríguez and
Leopoldo Thompson
on double bass.
Despite his heavy schedule with the Fresedo Orchestra, Ferrazzano had a break —which allowed him to be on one of the cruisers to the south on the steamboat Cap Polonio— as member of the orchestra led by
Francisco Lomuto
.
In 1923 he was summoned by
Juan Carlos Cobián
—he had already quit Fresedo— and immediately began to cut recordings. We cannot omit mentioning that outfit with outstanding tango players.
Juan Carlos Cobián
(piano),
Luis Petrucelli
and
Pedro Maffia
(bandoneons),
Agesilao Ferrazzano
(lead violin),
Julio De Caro
(second violin).
In the early 1925
Francisco Canaro
persuaded him to travel to Europe. To get everything ready the famous author of “
Sentimiento gaucho
” embarked on the steamboat “Alsina” on March 10, 1925. His musicians
Carlos Marcucci
,
Juan Canaro
,
Agesilao Ferrazzano
,
Fioravanti Di Cicco
,
Rafael Canaro
and Romualdo Lo Moro traveled later. Six months later, after performing in Paris, Ferrazzano became the founding member of the famous
Típica Victor
, especially formed to counterbalance the fact that
Osvaldo Fresedo
had split with that recording company.
On November 9, 1925, this orchestra comprised by
Vicente Gorrese
, piano;
Ciriaco Ortiz
,
Luis Petrucelli
and
Nicolás Primiani
, bandoneons;
Agesilao Ferrazzano
,
Manlio Francia
and Eugenio Romano, violins and
Humberto Costanzo
, double bass, left a deep mark on our city music with the tangos “
Olvido [b]
” written by
Ángel D'Agostino
and “Sarandí” by
Juan Baüer
. With changes of personnel the Orquesta
Típica Victor
went on masterly playing until the 40s.
He soon led the Ferrazzano-Pollero Orchestra which appeared at the Cabaret Folies Bergere of Buenos Aires to great success. It was a numerous and qualified group comprised by
Julio Pollero
(Uruguayan pianist),
Agesilao Ferrazzano
, lead violin, backed by the violinists
Eugenio Nobile
and Remo Bernasconi;
Salvador Grupillo
and
Nicolás Primiani
(bandoneons);
Nerón Ferrazzano
, brother of the co-leader and one of the most important cellists in tango;
Olindo Sinibaldi
(double bass) and Salomón Nisguritz (drums). Of that stage he shared with Pollero leading orchestras, they created two beautiful tangos: "
Cuando tú me quieras
", with lyric by
Francisco Bohigas
and "
Una tarde
", with words by
Benjamín Tagle Lara
.
Our chronology places us in 1927. Agesilao, after he broke up with Pollero, formed a new orchestra to perform at the cabaret Florida and signed a recording contract until October. In November he again traveled to Europe from Buenos Aires, with a short stop in Montevideo to persuade
Héctor Artola
—on Eduardo Bianco's suggestion— to accompany him. So it happened and both musicians went to Paris and arrived on Christmas eve.
It is known that he heavily worked in Europe as member of different orchestras but he never returned to the River Plate. For a time he was based in Italy, where he stayed for many years. He also was in other countries of the old continent, Africa and in Brazil, but this is another story that some day we shall know better. Here we sketch his show business work, intense and valuable, that he carried out in Buenos Aires since the time he joined, still a teenager, the Firpo Orchestra and fulfilled with his recordings of 1927.
He passed away in Lebannon, were he was settled, according to the information given by his great son Marc.
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