Upclose with Cafe de los Maestros
“Café de los Maestros” is one of the most important projects in world music, consisting of tango masters who ushered in the art’s golden age in Argentina in the 1940s and 50s. Their art director, Gustavo Mozzi, talks to Penny Zhou.
HK Magazine: Tell us about “Café de los Maetros.”
Gustavo Mozzi: “Café” is an ambitious project consisting of two CDs, a book and a documentary on historic Argentine tango. Musicians who were very important during the golden age of Argentine tango music, namely the 40s and the 50s, formed the main orchestra, bringing back that glorious epoch once more.
HK: What is the story of the founding of “Café”?
GM: It all began with [Oscar-winning composer] Gustavo Santaolalla’s idea. We carried out the artistic direction, which seemed like an impossible mission. Then we proposed the idea to many great artists. All of them have their own artistic universe, and are musicians of great temperament who have devoted their lives to excellence. But while some still enjoyed public recognition, others had been forgotten.
HK: What type of tango do you play?
GM: Our music is based on the sound of the large orchestras of the 40s and the 50s, tracing the evolution of the music, and emphasizing the sonorous language that these maestros created during that time.
HK: What is the essence of tango?
GM: Tango reflects the whole cultural universe of the River Plate region through music, dance and poetry. It is the product of the cultural encounters of the different immigrant populations in our cities from the end of the 19th century onwards. It reflects the tensions of the encounters and the melancholy of the immigrants.
HK: Many of you haven’t performed for decades. How does it feel to be on stage once again?
GM: It’s marvelous to be able to travel with a project that bears the essential elements of old-school tango, without appealing to conventions, stereotypes or clichés. These artists represent it with great authenticity and they are really happy to be discovered by new audiences in this new era.
HK: Some of the musicians of the orchestra, such as Lágrima Ríos and José Libertella, have passed away. Are you worried about the future of tango?
GM: Buenos Aires has changed and its musical expressions too but old tango is captured in its historical moment. We need young musicians to project the great musical tradition to the future. Our project allows the new generation to experience tango in an intimate way that existed in a past epoch, but still keeps an essential heartbeat in the present.