The Members Of The Band

[Editor's note: A profile of all the members of the band sent to us by Ricardo Monzina]

I found out that the band members aren't the best at communicating outside of music, as most of them refused an interview. Delfina Moretti Volunteered to give some information about the individual band members, and even she was quite guarded over certain aspects of their past. But what she did tell me help flesh out the musicians that make up a brilliant tango band! Each one has a nickname that mirrors their style or personality. We start with Delfina herself:

Delfina Moretti - La Alondra (The Lark) - The female member of the band. plays guitar as well as sings. She has a flexible soprano voice that has a  brilliant high register as well as a dark low range. She can sing with the emotional range of a seasoned tango artist. She's the best dancer in the band, and frequently dances with customers when she's not singing or playing. She is in a relationship with El Gato since shortly after joining the band. She was trained and worked as a paralegal for a prominent law firm in Buenos Aires before devoting herself to the band. She helps El Gato with finances and band bookings as well.

Mateo Onzari - El Asmático (The Asthmatic) - The Bandoneón Player, and senior member of the group. El Gato gave him the nickname El Asmático because he plays a very old instrument that can be wheezy and make other heavy breathing like an old man. But he's a virtuoso player and supplies a bedrock foundation as well as dazzling solos to the group. He's also a singer, but sings less than he used to. No one knows how old he is, but his voice is not what it used  to be. He wheezes right along with his bandoneón!

Lautaro Itturreti - El Zurdo (The Lefty) - The Violinist of the group. He is normally left handed, but plays his instrument the conventional right handed way. Delfina said that he was probably forced to use his right hand for playing as he's had most classical training of any one in the band as he's got degrees from the Conservatorio Nacional Superior de Música in Buenos Aires. He played first violin in  a string quartet for 5 years as well as being the assistant concertmaster for the Bueno Aires Philharmonic Orchestra for 5 years. He's played tango since his teenage years when he'd sneak out of his room at night and sit in with local tango bands at bars. He was severely reprimanded by his parents when they found out and was forbidden to do it anymore, but the tango kept calling.  He finally resigned from the orchestra, and after knocking around with various bands, El Gato heard him and hired him on the spot. His classical training has come in handy, as not everyone in the band can 'read notes' and transcribe music from ear to paper as he can.

Ignatio Bocca - Mano de Hacha (Axe hand) - Guitarist in the group as well as one of the preliminary lead vocalists, Got his nickname from his style of playing heavy, percussive chords with relentless force to the point of breaking strings in a concert, and the audience shouting '¡El rompecuerdas!'- The String Breaker! He wears the nickname with pride with a shirt that has a picture of a Red Snapper fish on it. He's also a primary singer in the band.

Lionel Rodriquez - El pulpo (The Octopus) - Double bass player that shows tremendous dexterity in navigating the wide jumps to get all the notes in some songs, hence it looks like he uses all his eight fingers, like arms of an octopus. Very quiet, he lets his solid bass playing do all of his talking. The youngest in years, he's also the strongest physically. Has gotten the band out of a few situations in their early days with rowdy patrons.

Gonzalo Crexell - La Profesor (The Professor) - Pianist in the group. A self-taught musician for the most part, as he only had a rudimentary musical education before both of his parents disappeared during the 2nd reign of Juan Perón in the early 1970's. He was raised by a very strict Catholic family that forbade him to study anything but sacred church music, which he refused to do. At the age of 13, he ran away from the family and haunted the tango dives in Buenos Aires and was eventually taken under the wing of a bandleader. He studied on his own with no teacher from then on, taught himself how to read music and play piano. He's an expert sight-reader, can reduce entire orchestral scores instantly as he plays it on the piano. Most always in a sour mood, if someone in the group is going to complain, it's La Profesor. El Gato calls him Culo amargado - Grumpy ass, which makes Gonzalo even grumpier. But he's the most knowledgeable and naturally gifted musician in the band, and a fine performer, despite his belly-aching! He and the bandoneón player Mateo Onzari have more than a passing resemblance, and it's because they are 1st cousins! Neither one knew about the other, as both of their parents disappeared in the early 1970's. After so many people commented on their similarity to each other, they went through genetic DNA testing and found it out. They couldn't be different in temperament.  Mateo is very even tempered, seldom complains, and is generally cordial. Gonzalo...not so much!

Desabato - El pulso (The Pulse) - An expert percussionist, he can play any percussion instrument usedin tango. This man is the real mystery man of the group. The only name he's ever given anyone is Desabato. El Gato gave him his nickname, for when he plays with the group, it is like he provides the heartbeat to the music. When  he first joined the group, a few of the members didn't like his secrecy. Maybe he was a criminal? El Gato also is in  the dark about him. Desabato seldom attends rehearsal, shows 10 minutes before a gig to look over lead sheets and get some direction from El Gato, plays the gig, collects his money each night in cash instead of getting a check like the rest of the band, and disappears until next time. He seldom says anything, usually when he does it's about the music. But El Gato has told the man more than once to ignore all his secrecy. Delfina told me that El Gato says "He is the beating heart of the tango group, and as long as his heart continues to beat so steadily, I will keep his secrecy!"

El Gato (The Tomcat) - The real mystery man of the group! No ne knows his real name. He says he's a life-long resident, born and raised in Bueno Aires, but no one seems to remember him from years past. It was around 20 years ago he was noticed in the tango community. He was primarily a singer, and known for a shimmering, sweet voice, but many years of tobacco and drug abuse took most of the shimmer and sweetness out if it. Snatches of his former voice show up sometimes when he sings now, but most of the time his voice is rough, but very expressive. He has lost much in voice quality, but has not lost any passion for  the tango, and it shows! He plays guitar only sporadically due to arthritis in his hands, and he leaves most of  the singing to other members of the band or guest vocalists. To look at him on stage, you'd think he's a singing bum! Holes in his pants and shirt along with stains and dirt, topped off by a beat up fedora. But the look is intentional. Not a costume or a gimmick, he wants to maintain his connection with the poorer people that show up for his shows. He dresses in normal casual clothing when not performing, but has no use for any kind of suggestion he is the star of the group. Everyone in the group is of equal importance in their own way, and anyone who tries to be otherwise is swiftly removed. He want through many musicians when he was forming his band years ago, and has had the current line up for about 20 years, with other free-lancers filling in when needed. His looks do not give a clue as to his intelligence and shrewd business mind, as I found out when we negotiated a contract.