Osvaldo Pedro Pugliese

Osvaldo Pedro Pugliese was born in Buenos Aires on December 2, 1905.  He was a tango pianist, bandleader and composer. He trained at a private conservatory in Buenos Aires and started as a cinema pianist.   He realised that was'nt for him and soon after found a place in tango bands. Some other conductors he worked for  included Roberto Firpo, Pedro Maffia, and Pedro Laurenz.

In 1929 jointly led the Vardaro-Pugliese Sextet, one of the most distinguished ensembles of the 1930s, and only in late 1939.   After he formed his own first band in 1943. They made more than 600 recordings.   He was very accomplished as a piono player which contributed greatly to his band.   The band toured around the world including  the Soviet Union, China, Mexico, Cuba, and Japan.  He also  made a few notable appearances on French television in 1984.  Pugliese played an impresive concert in the Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires in December 1985, soon after his 80th birthday. Pugliese was a lifelong communist and was imprisoned several times for his beliefs by President Juan Domingo Perón. He was a fruitfuland sophisticated composer having once been described as the "Wanger of Tango".  His arrangements pushed the ‘evolutionist’ trend in tango music to its limits.  Recuerdo and La yumba are two of his most famous tangos.  He died in Buenos Aires on July 24,1995. 



Discography


Sources:
Simon Collier. "Pugliese, Osvaldo." Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. 11 Mar. 2012 <http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/52564>.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osvaldo_Pugliese