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Poetas


Agesilao Ferrazzano
Violinist, orchestra leader and composer
(31 July 1897 - 18 January 1980)
Full name: Agesilao Francisco Ferrazzano

More Ferrazzano:

e was a tango violinist with a very personal style born in Buenos Aires by the end of the nineteenth century. His first professional engagement was with the Roberto Firpo Orchestra in which he made his debut as second violin, when the lead and only violinist was Tito Roccatagliata. The aggregation was also lined up by Alejandro Michetti on flute and the bandleader on piano. This was back in 1914.

Two years later they made their debut in Montevideo in the carnival of 1916 playing at the balls of the "Urquiza" theater, also appearing at the café and tearoom "La Giralda". At that venue he took part of the premiere of "La cumparsita". On his comeback to Buenos Aires, few months later Roccatagliata split with the group. Then Agesilao became the lead violin and Cayetano Puglisi made his debut.

He split with Firpo in the late 1917, so Cayetano Puglisi became lead violin and Adolfo Muzzi joined the outfit as second fiddle.

Two all-star groups had him as member. In 1918, with the Flores Orchestra; Carlos V.G. Flores (piano), Ferrazzano and Bernardo Germino (violins); Ricardo Luis Brignolo and Roque Biafore (bandoneons). The following year he put together the Gorrese-Ferrazzano team. Lined up by Vicente Gorrese, piano; the violinists Ferrazzano and Germino; Luis D'Abraccio and Enrique Pollet, bandoneons.

He had a tenure at the cabaret Maxim's as member of the orchestra led by Eduardo Arolas.

In 1920 he formed with Enrique Delfino an outstanding duet of piano and violin, frequently featured at the foyer of the Opera house Theater. Then Enrique Delfino with Osvaldo Fresedo and Tito Roccatagliata traveled to the United States and so, Carlos V. Geroni Flores replaced "Delfy" on piano. Of this splendid combination there are important recordings.

In 1922 an important event took place: the Osvaldo Fresedo Orchestra was formed and started its recordings for Victor records. It was built upon the "Cuarteto de Maestros" (a group he had put together when he returned from North America), in other words, Fresedo, Tito, Ferrazano and Cobián plus the Uruguayan bandoneonist Alberto Rodríguez and Leopoldo Thompson on double bass.

Despite his heavy schedule with the Fresedo Orchestra, Ferrazzano had a break -which allowed him to be on one of the cruisers to the south on the steamboat Cap Polonio- as member of the orchestra led by Francisco Lomuto.

In 1923 he was summoned by Juan Carlos Cobián -he had already quit Fresedo- and immediately began to cut recordings. We cannot omit mentioning that outfit with outstanding tango players. Juan Carlos Cobián (piano), Luis Petrucelli and Pedro Maffia (bandoneons), Agesilao Ferrazzano (lead violin), Julio De Caro (second violin).

In the early 1925 Francisco Canaro persuaded him to travel to Europe. To get everything ready the famous author of "Sentimiento gaucho" embarked on the steamboat "Alsina" on March 10, 1925. His musicians Carlos Marcucci, Juan Canaro, Agesilao Ferrazzano, Fioravanti Di Cicco, Rafael Canaro and Romualdo Lo Moro traveled later. Six months later, after performing in Paris, Ferrazzano became the founding member of the famous Típica Víctor, especially formed to counterbalance the fact that Osvaldo Fresedo had split with that recording company.

On November 9, 1925, this orchestra comprised by Vicente Gorrese, piano; Ciriaco Ortiz, Luis Petrucelli and Nicolás Primiani, bandoneons; Agesilao Ferrazzano, Manlio Francia and Eugenio Romano, violins and Humberto Constanzo, double bass, left a deep mark on our city music with the tangos "Olvido" written by Ángel D'Agostino and "Sarandí" by Juan Baüer. With changes of personnel the Orquesta Típica Víctor went on masterly playing until the 40s.

He soon led the Ferrazzano-Pollero Orchestra which appeared at the cabaret "Folies Bergere" of Buenos Aires to great success. It was a numerous and qualified group comprised by Julio Fava Pollero (Uruguayan pianist), Agesilao Ferrazzano, lead violin, backed by the violinists Eugenio Nóbile and Remo Bernasconi; Salvador Grupillo and Nicolás Primiani (bandoneons); Nerón Ferrazzano, brother of the co-leader and one of the most important cellists in tango; Olindo Sinibaldi (double bass) and Salomón Nisguritz (drums). Of that stage he shared with Pollero leading orchestras, they created two beautiful tangos: "Cuando tú me quieras", with lyric by Francisco Bohigas and "Una tarde", with words by Benjamín Tagle Lara.

Our chronology places us in 1927. Agesilao, after he broke up with Pollero, formed a new orchestra to perform at the cabaret Florida and signed a recording contract until October. In November he again traveled to Europe from Buenos Aires, with a short stop in Montevideo to persuade Héctor María Artola -on Eduardo Bianco's suggestion- to accompany him. So it happened and both musicians went to Paris and arrived on Christmas eve.

It is known that he heavily worked in Europe as member of different orchestras but he never returned to the River Plate. For a time he was based in Italy, where he stayed for many years. He also was in other countries of the old continent, Africa and in Brazil, but this is another story that some day we shall know better. Here we sketch his show business work, intense and valuable, that he carried out in Buenos Aires since the time he joined, still a teenager, the Firpo Orchestra and fulfilled with his recordings of 1927.

He passed away in Lebannon, were he was settled, according to the information given by his great son Marc.