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The Life and Music of Ruben Juarez

Ruben Bandoneon Blanco
alchetron.com

On this week's Tango playlist, we're bringing you an hour of great tangos from the Golden Age and beyond. This episode of Noche de Tango includes tandas focusing on the life and music of the great singer and bandoneonista, Ruben Juarez.    

 

Ruben Juarez was born in 1947 and began his singing career rather strangely for his time by winning a singing competition organized in his home neighborhood of Avellaneda in Buenos Aires.  Immediately after winning the contest Juarez was signed with the Odeon recording label and his first album was the the Orquestra Tipica de Carlos Garcia in 1978. In the first Juarez tanda you will hear; Cambalache, Pasional, and Camito, which were all recorded in 1974.             

 

Now what most people do not understand is how much of a double-threat Ruben Juarez was as a musician. Before breaking out into his singing career, Juarez was a professional bandoneon player for the Orquestra Tipica de Club Atlético Independiente. This dual threat would be beneficial throughout his whole career.  You will hear; Tres Amigos, and Carnaval, in the second tanda.

 

 

The third tanda is from a very interesting moment in Ruben Juarez’s career. Looking through Juarez’s life we will see that he was actually a member of a Argentine rock band that covered Beetles songs. This influence would be visible in this next album that was recorded in 1987.  In this tanda we will hear the pieces; El Choclo, El Segundo Violin, and Que Tango Hay Que Cantar.          

 

 The fourth tanda for tonight will be of Juarez’s last album that he recorded in 2009, El Album Blanco. Juarez was known for playing a solid white bandoneon throughout the majority of his career and actually after his death that same bandoneon was paraded through the streets of Buenos Aires following the funeral procession.  The fourth tanda tonight will be from Ruben Juarez’s 2003 CD El Album Blanco and the songs will be; Sin Lagrimas, Malena, and Volver       

       

#5 Tanda

The final tanda tonight is from the amazing Youtube documentary series called "Encuetro en el Estudio," by Lalo Mirda.  You can find all of the great interviews with some of tango’s most legendary musicians on Youtube. Just search Encuentro en el Estudio. This was the last time Juarez would be recorded before his death and you can definitely hear the love and passion he had for the music in his very own piece "Mi Bandoneon y Yo." The last tanda tonight includes the pieces; Desencuentro, Mi Bandoneon y Yo, and Ultima Tango en Buenos Aires