Priming the Musical Pump 3

Se Dice de Mi (It is said about me.) In 1955 Rock Around the Clock topped the charts, and this pre-feminist anthem was popular in tango circles.

Hang on to yourself, we are going out to dance. Notice anything different about this band?

This is a beautiful piece of music, Vida Mia by the Osvaldo Fresedo orchestra recorded at his night club Rendezvous Porteno. At 42 seconds there is a trumpet solo by American jazz great Dizzy Gillespie. At 1:35 is a picture of the band proudly displaying their new state-of-the-art magnetic tape recording devices. The high quality of this recording is available because of that equipment. Gillespie is on the far left, Fresedo is standing next to him. Notice the violins are in the front, bandoneons in the back – just the opposite of the D’Arienzo orchestra.

Album cover: Four songs with Dizzy Gillepie

The Fresedo orchestra with Ricardo Ruiz on vocals, New Years Eve 1941. Melodic and elegant, you can’t get much further away from cartoons than this: