Brian Chambouleyron

Real name: Chambouleyron, Brian
Singer, guitarist, composer, lyricist and teacher
(14 February 1964 - )
Place of birth:
París France
By
Ricardo García Blaya

esides his gifts as a singer and fine guitarist, he is a composer, arranger, teacher, and also producer of several of his latest recordings and shows. This Buenos Aires citizen, paradoxically born in Paris, is now regarded as one of the principal figures of the new generation of tango and Argentine popular music artists.

His vocal technique allows him to tell the stories contained in the lyrics in an expressive, attractive way, sometimes with humor and sometimes with drama, suggesting moods and displaying nice sounding overtones even though he does not possess a very strong voice.

He attracted my attention when I saw him for the first time as member of the cast that staged the play Recuerdos son Recuerdos, in 1997, alongside Rita Cortese and Soledad Villamil. It was an excellent show that portrayed, seriously and with respect, a sketch of the old Buenos Aires. The music and the songs were at the same high level and were noteworthy because they rescued true gems, scarcely known. I was impressed by Brian’s presence, his intonation, his taste, his phrasing: outskirts-like but elegant, a little bit influenced by Angelito Vargas, and as well by his guitar playing facility.

He began his professional activity in 1986 as teacher specialized in guitar playing and introduction to music. Furthermore he worked in the field of music for children for a long time. He was member of the group Ruidos y Ruiditos led by Judith Akoschky (1988-1992); he joined the cast of the play for children El Gato con Botas directed by Hugo Midón (1993-1994) and later, he joined the group Caracachumba (1994-1997).

From 1993 to 1997 in the summer season, in Switzerland and France, he taught rhythms of the Argentine popular music at workshops for guitar teachers. During the same period, with different music groups, he made tours of several cities in Switzerland and France.

In 1998 he premiered, with the same company of Recuerdos son Recuerdos, another very good theater show: Glorias Porteñas to great acclaim by audiences and critics. Fortunately I was there too. This play was awarded by ACE as the best café-concert show and reached over 300 performances in Buenos Aires and the provinces, in Latin America and in Europe. It was invited to appear in prestigious festivals of the world: Festival de Teatro y danza de Lima (Peru); Porto Alegre em Cena (Brazil); FITAZ, in La Paz, Bolivia; Festival d'Avignon; Music Festival of Strasbourg; Franco Spanish-Latin American Theater Festival in Biarritz and others in France and Portugal.

During 1997 and 1998, he signed a contract with the Teatro Municipal San Martín to work as musical assistant and vocal trainer for the shows La Tempestad, directed by Claudio Hochman and La Increíble Historia de los Fabulosos Marrapodi, directed by Javier Rama.

In 1999, together with the female singer Lidia Borda and the guitarist Esteban Morgado he staged the theater show Patio de Tango which was premiered in the city of Porto Alegre, Brazil. It was part of the Festival Buenos Aires en Porto Alegre and later was staged in Buenos Aires to great acclaim. With this play they toured Latin America and Europe in 2000 and 2001, presenting it in important events: International Tango Festival of Porto Alegre (2000); Festival Romaeuropa (2000); Cumbre Mundial del Tango of Granada; Festival Buenos Aires in Paris (2001); Theatre National de Chaillot (2001); Reimsheid Festival, Germany (2001).

In 2000, he premiered the show: Tangos, Valses y Milongas and appeared with it in Buenos Aires, the interior of the country, France and Italy. Furthermore he was invited to appear in the III release of the Festival Internacional de Tango de Buenos Aires, with the auspices of the French embassy.

In 2001, he was summoned by the Secretary of Education and the Direction of Music of the city of Buenos Aires to carry out a didactic show about the history of the Buenos Aires music, Tango en Escuelas. The show was taken to grade schools in the Federal Capital.

His recording career began with the CD Recuerdos son Recuerdos, published by La Trastienda (1997). It includes his interpretations of “Viejo smoking”, “Enfundá la mandolina” and “La mariposa” and other numbers by the actresses and singers Soledad Villamil and Rita Cortese. He plays in the backup trio with Carlos Viggiano (bandoneon) and Silvio Cattáneo (the other guitarist). Thereafter the EPSA label released the two volumes of Glorias porteñas (1998/99) which features him, Soledad Villamil and Silvio Cattáneo with the same backup group. In 2000 he produced Patio de Tango, also published by EPSA which presents him along with Lidia Borda on vocals and Esteban Morgado on guitar.

In his new stage as soloist he cut two compact discs for the Random Records company. The first, Chambouleyron le Canta a Gardel (2003) includes classic pieces of our immortal singer with his own arrangements and contains his number “Aquel Zorzal” with his own words and music. The second, Chambouleyron Voz y Guitarra (2005) contains a wide repertoire of traditional genres and styles of the River Plate area performed as if he were an old time folk singer. His rendition of “Araca corazón” is touching. The milonga “Clase de baile” written by the Uruguayan Abel Soria is also a standout.

No doubt, this player and singer has still many things to offer, not only because of his youth but also because of his quality and talent.