TS 1.23 - Osvaldo Pugliese 1960 Completo

Tags: Osvaldo Pugliese

Category: Collection

Samples

Release Note Producer's Note Full Track Info

“Pugliese marching forward, driven by conviction, undeterred by hardship, into the great 1960s.” — TangoSparks, 2025

TS 1.23 marks the first release in the San Pugliese Marchando series, presenting the complete set of fourteen recordings made in 1960, restored and transferred to the highest sonic standard currently achievable.

Following a four-month tour of the USSR and China in 1959, the orchestra underwent significant personnel changes before settling into a stable formation by mid-1960. Compared with the turbulent 1950s, the 1960s represent a steadier phase for Pugliese.

The band at this time consisted of Pugliese on piano; four bandoneons led by Osvaldo Ruggiero; three violins led by Oscar Herrero, who had fully established his own style beyond the influence of Camerano; plus viola and double bass. The cello was temporarily absent in 1960.

Singer Maciel continued with the orchestra, while Alfredo Belusi, newly arrived from José Basso’s orchestra, found his artistic home with Pugliese. A tough voice from the vast Pampas grasslands, Belusi’s singing recalls the intensity of Roberto Chanel.

The 1960s mark a relatively stable yet still challenging era for Pugliese. Political pressure remained: the independent label Stentor, founded with close friends, was looted less than a year after its birth. The original master tapes were lost—one of the reasons why high-quality sources of these recordings are rare. Still, compared with the 1950s, the climate had eased slightly; at least imprisonment was no longer a threat.

Artistically, this period signals the emergence of the late Pugliese sound: freer rubato and a more relaxed, introspective rhythmic approach, closely tied to the decline of tango in Buenos Aires. This album includes many classics long overlooked due to poor sound quality, such as A los Amigos (the final Odeón session), the first recording of Arrabal, Piazzolla’s Nonino, Maciel’s intense Un lamento and La vieja vale más, and Belusi’s powerful interpretations of Bronca and Sueño malevo.

With the release of TS 1.23, these recordings can finally be heard at their best. Do not miss it.

The first two Odeón tracks, Un lamento and A los Amigos, were recorded in July 1960. By then, the Odeón studio had begun experimenting with early stereo systems; however, Pugliese—likely for conservative reasons—chose to record in mono. Even so, microphone placement already reveals a noticeably different spatial impression compared with the 1950s.

The Stentor recordings exhibit numerous technical flaws. Inexperienced microphone placement caused frequent overload and distortion during almost all tuttis; vocal tracks, especially Maciel’s powerful high notes, are often heavily saturated. It remains unclear whether these issues originated during recording or during later LP mastering, as the original tape masters did not survive.

During restoration, every effort was made to mitigate these problems: correcting overload and microphone distortion where possible, followed by careful EQ carving—always with maximum respect for the original analog signal. One further detail worth noting is that the piano tuning is set to A=442 Hz from 1960 onward.

TS 1.23 epitomizes a group of recordings long unfamiliar to the public due to poor sound quality and scarce source material. Through meticulous restoration, we hope to bring them closer to today’s listeners. When hearing Belusi sing, “Sabe que no quedan malevos ni guapos…”, we can feel that although these tango figures are long gone, their emotions endure through music.

Enjoy!

Frank Jin

Date	Track	Genre	Singer	Label	Pitch	Length
1960-07-15	A Los Amigos	Tango	Instrumental	Odeón	442	03:04
1960-07-15	Un Lamento	Tango	Jorge Maciel	Odeón	442	02:41
1960-09-20	La Vieja Vale Más	Tango	Jorge Maciel	Stentor	442	03:21
1960-10-10	Vamos Tropilla	Tango	Maciel y Belusi	Stentor	442	03:22
1960-10-20	Amigazo	Tango	Alfredo Belusi	Stentor	442	03:40
1960-10-20	Con Voz Rebelde	Tango	Alfredo Belusi	Stentor	442	03:09
1960-10-20	Malambao	Tango	Instrumental	Stentor	442	04:02
1960-11-10	Arrabal	Tango	Instrumental	Stentor	442	03:12
1960-11-18	Melenita De Oro	Tango	Jorge Maciel	Stentor	442	03:10
1960-11-28	Baldosa Floja	Milonga	Maciel y Belusi	Stentor	442	03:05
1960-11-29	Nonino	Tango	Instrumental	Stentor	442	03:21
1960-11-30	No Tengo La Culpa	Tango	Alfredo Belusi	Stentor	442	02:34
1960-12-02	Muchachita Del Amanecer	Tango	Jorge Maciel	Stentor	442	02:51
1960-12-12	Sueño Malevo	Tango	Alfredo Belusi	Stentor	442	02:50