Alfredo Gobbi

El Violín Romántico del Tango

Violinist, Leader and Composer

(1912 May 14 - 1965 May 21)

Place of Birth: París, France

DateTitleGenreEraSingerLabelMastersPitch
1947-05-16La Entrerriana Vals1Heredia/SolerVíctor78rpm440
1947-05-16La Viruta Tango1InstrumentalVíctor78rpm440
1947-07-30Amor De Forastero Tango1Heredia/SolerVíctor78rpm440
1947-07-30Jueves Tango1InstrumentalVíctor78rpm440
1947-11-04Adoración Vals1Heredia/SolerVíctor78rpm440
1947-11-04Barcarola Triste Tango1Hugo SolerVíctor78rpm440
1948-01-31Amémonos Vals1Heredia/SolerVíctor78rpm440
1948-01-31El Incendio Tango1InstrumentalVíctor78rpm440
1948-05-12Muchachos Yo Tengo Un TangoTango2Pablo LozanoVíctor78rpm440
1948-05-12Tierrita Tango2Jorge MacielVíctor78rpm440
1948-09-08Independiente Club Tango2InstrumentalVíctor78rpm440
1948-09-08Remembranza Tango2Jorge MacielVíctor78rpm440
1949-01-31La Vieja Serenata Vals2Jorge MacielVíctorMicro440
1949-03-24El Pollero Tango2Jorge MacielVíctorMicro440
1949-03-24Orlando Goñi Tango2InstrumentalVíctorMicro440
1949-07-25No La Traigas Tango2Ángel DíazVíctorMicro440
1949-07-25Tu Amargura Vals2Maciel/DíazVíctorMicro440
1949-10-13Por Qué Soy Reo Tango2Ángel DíazVíctorMicro440
1949-10-13Racing Club Tango2InstrumentalVíctorMicro440
1949-10-31Puro Apronte Tango2InstrumentalVíctorMicro440
1949-12-21Chuzas Tango2InstrumentalVíctorMicro440
1949-12-21Sombras Tango2Jorge MacielVíctorMicro440
1950-03-27Mala Entraña Tango2Héctor CoralVíctorMicro440
1950-03-27Ya No Eres Mía Tango2Jorge MacielVíctorMicro440
1950-04-18Estás En Mi Corazón Tango2Jorge MacielVíctorMicro440
1950-04-18Pelele Tango2InstrumentalVíctorMicro440
1950-10-31Salto Mortal Tango2Jorge MacielVíctorMicro440
1950-10-31Tropa Tango2Maciel/CoralVíctorMicro440
1950-11-23La Intriga Tango2Jorge MacielVíctorMicro440
1950-11-23Traicionera Tango2Héctor CoralVíctorMicro440
1951-04-26Estrellita Del Sur Vals 3Maciel/CoralVíctorMicro440
1951-04-26La Catrera Tango3InstrumentalVíctorMicro440
1951-06-26Calor De Hogar Tango3Jorge MacielVíctorMicro440
1951-06-26Que Me Quiten Lo Bailao Tango3Héctor CoralVíctorMicro440
1951-06-27El Andariego Tango3InstrumentalVíctorMicro440
1951-06-27La Número Cinco Tango3Jorge MacielVíctorMicro440
1952-04-03Como Las Margaritas Vals3Maciel/CoralVíctorMicro440
1952-04-03Nueve Puntos Tango3InstrumentalVíctorMicro440
1953-04-28As De Cartón Tango3Carlos AlmadaVíctorMicro440
1953-04-28Tu Angustia Y Mi Dolor Tango3Jorge MacielVíctorMicro440
1953-06-09Para Que Vivir Así Tango3Jorge MacielVíctorMicro440
1953-06-09Aunque Seas Mujer Vals3Carlos AlmadaVíctorMicro440
1953-10-27Si Sos Brujo Tango3InstrumentalVíctorTape442
1953-10-27Por Eso Canto Así Tango3Carlos AlmadaVíctorTape442
1954-06-22Canzoneta Tango4Jorge MacielVíctorTape442
1954-06-22Cuatro Novios Tango4Tito LandóVíctorTape442
1954-08-26Fraternal Tango4InstrumentalVíctorTape442
1954-08-26Un Regalo De Reyes Tango4Jorge MacielVíctorTape442
1954-12-14Lágrimas Y Sonrisas Vals4InstrumentalVíctorTape442
1954-12-14Triste Destino Tango4Alfredo Del RíoVíctorTape442
1954-12-14Tu Angustia Y Mi Dolor Tango4Tito LandóVíctorTape442
1954-12-31El Hijo Cruel Tango4Alfredo Del RíoVíctorTape442
1955-03-28A Mis Manos Milonga4Alfredo Del RíoVíctorTape442
1955-03-28Por Una Muñeca Tango4Alfredo Del RíoVíctorTape442
1955-06-13Predestinada Tango4Tito LandóVíctorTape442
1955-06-30A Media Luz Tango4InstrumentalVíctorTape442
1955-06-30Lágrimas De SangreTango4Alfredo Del RíoVíctorTape442
1955-06-30Que Nadie Sepa Mi SufrirVals4Del Río/LandóVíctorTape442
1956-04-16Historia De Un AmorTango4Tito LandóVíctorTape442
1956-04-16Te Estaba EsperandoTango4Alfredo Del RíoVíctorTape442
1956-06-13Camandulaje Tango4InstrumentalVíctorTape442
1956-06-30Un Tango Para Chaplin Tango4Alfredo Del RíoVíctorTape442
1956-07-16El Inquilino Milonga4Alfredo Del RíoVíctorTape442
1956-07-16Entrador Tango4InstrumentalVíctorTape442
1956-07-16Que Fácil Es Decir Tango4Tito LandóVíctorTape442
1956-07-16TuyaTango4Del Río/LandóVíctorTape442
1956-09-18CallaTango4Tito LandóVíctorTape442
1956-09-18El SolitarioVals4Del Río/LandóVíctorTape442
1956-09-18Sin MadreTango4Alfredo Del RíoVíctorTape442
1956-09-18Sin Vuelta De Hoja Tango4InstrumentalVíctorTape442
1957-04-16Mensajera Vals4Tito LandóVíctorTape442
1957-04-16Y Algun Día Tango4Mario BeltranVíctorTape442
1957-06-18El Engobbiao Tango4InstrumentalVíctorTape442
1957-06-18La Última Curda Tango4Tito LandóVíctorTape442
1957-09-25Cuanta Angustia Tango5Tito LandóVíctorTape442
1957-10-08Reflexionemos Tango5Carlos YanelVíctorTape442
1958-04-17Adiós Corazón Tango5Tito LandóOrfeoTape440
1958-04-17Adiós Corazón Tango5Alfredo Del RíoOrfeoTape440
1958-04-17Garabatos De Mujer Tango5Tito LandóOrfeoTape440
1958-07-07Mi ColegialaVals5Del Río/LandóOrfeoTape440
1958-07-07Saludos Tango5InstrumentalOrfeoTape440
1958-07-31Dame TiempoTango5Alfredo Del RíoOrfeoTape440
1958-07-31No Me Supiste Amar Tango5Tito LandóOrfeoTape440

Notes: Alfredo Gobbi

Era

The musicians of Gobbi’s orquesta changed frequently, but the formation was constantly 4-5 bandos/violins. Gobbi takes the arranger role on almost all occasions.

  1. 1947-48. Alfredo Gobbi first violin, Lalo Benítez piano, Alberto Garralda and Mario Demarco lead bandoneóns.

    • Los Grandes del Tango Vol.18” confirms that in Gobbi’s primary recording era, including the 3 instrumentals, the pianist was Lalo Benítez, a pianist with a canyengue, somewhat Disarlian style.

  2. 1948-50. Alfredo Gobbi first violin, Ernesto Romero piano, Alberto Garralda and Mario Demarco lead bandoneóns.

    • José María Otero’s blog article Alfredo Gobbi y Pablo Lozano mentions that in the 1948.05.12 recording session, the pianist was already Ernesto Romero, who shares traits with Orlando Goñi.

  3. 1951-53. Alfredo Gobbi first violin, Lalo Benítez piano, bando Cayetano Camara.

    • Mario Demarco left Gobbi at the end of 1950 and started his own OT in 1951, taking away a bunch of Gobbi’s musicians, including Alberto Garralda (1st bandoñeon), Ernest Romero (pianist), and Antonio Blanco (Gobbi’s 2nd violin).

    • Ismael Spitalnik, not Gobbi himself, arranged El Andariego (1951).

  4. 1954-57. Alfredo Gobbi first violin, Ernesto Romero piano, Alberto Garralda and Eduardo Rovira lead bandoneóns.

    The exact time when Garralda/Romero returned and Rovira/Piro joined was uncertain, but most likely within the window between end-1953 and early-1954.

    • Camandulaje (1956) was arranged by Ismael Spitalnik.

    • According to Tarantino’s testimony, in sessions Jul. and Sep. 1956, the pianist was him when Romero was absent.

    • El Engobbiao (1957) was both composed and arranged by Rovira and dedicated to Gobbi.

  5. 1957-58. Alfredo Gobbi first violin, Ernesto Romero piano, Alberto Garralda and Osvaldo Piro lead bandoneóns.

    • Rovira left Gobbi and formed his own OT with singer Alfredo Del Río, replaced by Osvaldo Piro.

    • Osvaldo Tarantino replaced Romero, who left Gobbi for Pugliese at the end of 1958, when the Orquesta had already ceased to record.

Date/Genre/Singer

  • Radio takes and piano solo recordings are not included.

  • Two versions of Adiós Corazón (1958.04.17) with identical instrumental tracks dubbed by different singers (Landó/Del Río).

  • Gobbi collaborates well with dramatic-style singers, notably Jorge Maciel.

Masters/Pitch/Speed

  • The pre-tape era masters were destroyed in the early 1960s during a restructuring of Víctor Argentina.

  • Víctor upgraded to R2R tapes and 442hz pitch in Sep.1953, and Gobbi was among the earliest adopters.

  • Orfeo, a subsidiary brand of Columbia-CBS at the time, tuned its piano to 440hz in 1958.

  • Plausibly in a faster tempo in the 1940s, Gobbi slowed down in the 1950s.