Tango sextets and their line-ups (1919 - 1973)

his portrayal is dedicated to the sextets renowned in the history of tango and their members, taking into account only those with classic constitution: two bandoneons, two violins, piano and double bass. It is necessary to previously point out that those line-ups were neither unmovable nor permanent. They changed according to dates and circumstances.

In fact, it is a simple heartfelt memory of those musicians who, with his work, made great our tango. Surely, it would be impossible to mention all the groups and all the names. However, this intends to express a legitimate homage to so many unjustly forgotten maestros.



Osvaldo Fresedo, July 1919: Fresedo and Pedro Maffia (bandoneons), Juan Koller and Julio De Caro (violins), José María Rizzuti (piano) and Hugo Ricardo Baralis, father of the violinist (double bass). Sometimes the violinist Rafael Rinaldi. When Fresedo traveled to the United States with Tito Roccatagliata and Enrique Delfino, the bandoneon player Pedro Polito replaced him as leader.
In 1922: Fresedo and Alberto Rodríguez (b), Roccatagliatta and Roberto Zerrillo, later Manlio Francia (v), Juan Carlos Cobián (p) and Leopoldo Thompson (db).
In 1923, summer season in Mar del Plata: Fresedo and Rodríguez (b), Francia and Koller (v), Rizzuti (p), Carmelo Mutarelli (db).

José Martínez (1921), appearance at the venue L’Abbaye (La abadía): Pedro Maffia and Luis Petrucelli (b), Antonio Buglione and Arturo Abruzese (v), Martínez (p) and Olindo Sinibaldi (db).
In 1925: Petrucelli and Salvador Grupillo (b), Roccatagliata and Vicente Fiorentino (v), Martínez (p) and Francisco Vitali (db).

Carlos Marcucci (1921): Marcucci and Grupillo (b), Fernando Franco and José De Grandis (v), Fidel Del Negro (p) and Luis Bernstein (db).
In 1924: Marcucci and Grupillo (b), Antonio Rodio and José Rosito (v), Alfonso Lacueva (p) and Sinibaldi (db).
In 1929: Marcucci and Grupillo (b), Luis Gutiérrez del Barrio and Mauricio Saiovich (v), Alberto Soifer (p) and Adolfo Krauss (db).
In 1931: Marcucci and Grupillo (b), Del Barrio and Saiovich (v), Rizzuti (p) and Adolfo Krauss (db).



Luis Petrucelli (1922): Petrucelli and Maffia (b), Bernardo Germino and De Grandis (v), Rizzuti (p) and Baralis (db).
The same year for appearances at the Café Los Andes: Petrucelli and Maffia (b), Emilio Ferrer and Fernando Franco (v), Eduardo Pereyra (p) and Baralis (db).
In 1926: Petrucelli and Grupillo (b), Marcos Larrosa and Salvador Di Masi (v), José Tinelli (p) and Baralis (db).
That same year there were changes of personnel: Petrucelli and Vicente Romeo (b), Germino and Nicolás Di Masi (v), Lacueva and later, Rafael Giovinazzi (p) and Antonio Pisani (db).
For unknown reasons there are more changes: Petrucelli and Ciriaco Ortiz (b), Germino and Adolfo Muzzi (v), Vicente Gorrese (p) and Baralis (db).
And finally, always in 1926: Petrucelli and Enrique Pollet (b), Germino and Buglione (v), Carlos Alsina (p) and Humberto Costanzo (db).

Juan Canaro (1922), for his appearance at the Armenonville: J. Canaro and Roque Biafore (b), Rafael Tuegols and Buglione (v), Humberto Canaro (p) and Rodolfo Duclós (db).
By the end of that year for his appearances in Casino Pigall: J. Canaro and Nicolás Primiani (b), Vicente Fiorentino and Hermes Peressini (v), Fioravanti Di Cicco (p) and Duclós (db).
In 1928, at the Tabarís: J. Canaro and Alberto Cima (b), Adolfo Muzzi and Ateo Dapiaggi (v), José Tinelli (p) and Baralis (db).

Agesilao Ferrazzano (1923), at the Abdullah Club: Ciriaco and Antonio Romano (b), Ferrazzano and Franco (v), Pereyra (p) and Sinibaldi (db).

Juan Carlos Cobián (1923), appearance at the Abdulah Club: Petrucelli and Maffia (b), A. Ferrazzano and J. De Caro (v), Cobián (p), Constanzo (db).
In 1936, appearance at the Dancing Charleston: Ciriaco and Toto Rodríguez (b), Cayetano Puglisi and Claudio Cassano (v), Cobián (p) and Valentín Andreotta (db). Vocals: Antonio Rodríguez Lesende.

Carlos Vicente Geroni Flores (1923): Juan Bautista Guido and Francisco Famiglietti (b), Fausto Frontera and Arturo Bettoni (v), Geroni Flores (p) and Bernstein (db).



Cayetano Puglisi, appearance in movie theaters (1923): Federico Scorticati and Pascual Storti (b), Puglisi and Octavio Scaglione (v), Luis Cosenza (p) and José Puglisi (db).
In 1928: Scorticati and Domingo Triguero (b), Puglisi and Mauricio Mise (v), Armando Federico (p) and Puglisi (cb). Later there were changes in the bandoneon section: Horacio Gollino for Triguero and Pascual Storti for Gollino.

Julio De Caro at the Café Colón (1924): Maffia and Petrucelli (b), J. and Emilio De Caro (v), Francisco De Caro (p) and Thompson (db), later Hugo Ricardo Baralis.
In 1925: Maffia and Pedro Laurenz (b), J. and E. De Caro (v), F. De Caro (p) and Enrique Krauss (db).
In 1926: Laurenz and Armando Blasco (b), J. and E. De Caro (v), F. De Caro (p), Krauss (db), later Olindo Sinibaldi.
From 1930 to 1934: Laurenz and Blasco (b), J. De Caro and José Nieso (v), F. De Caro (p) and Vicente Sciarretta (db).



Roberto Goyheneche at the Café ABC (1923): Laurenz and Pollet (b) Juan Marischi and Emilio Marchiano (v), Goyheneche (p) and Bernstein (db). Later, Germino for Marischi (v).
In 1924: Ricardo Brignolo and Ernesto Bianchi (b), Antonio Arcieri and Marcos Larrosa (v), Goyheneche (p) and Carmelo Mutarelli (db).

Enrique Pollet at the Café ABC (1924): Pollet and Antonio Romano (b), Germino and Marchiano (v), Osvaldo Pugliese (p) and Bernstein (db). Later there were changes: Blasco for Romano (b), Fernando Franco and de Grandis for Germino and Marchiano (v).

Miguel Orlando, appearance at the Maipú Pigall (1925): Orlando and Guido (b), Elvino Vardaro and C. Puglisi (v), Rodolfo Biagi (p) and Baralis (db).

Pedro Maffia (1926): Maffia and Alfredo De Franco (b), Vardaro and C. Puglisi, later Emilio Puglisi (v), Pugliese (p) and Francisco De Lorenzo (db).
In 1929: Maffia and Héctor Presas (b), E. Puglisi and Eugenio Nobile (v), José Pascual (p) and De Lorenzo (db).

Francisco Lomuto, in May 1927, backup orchestra of the first tango contest in Montevideo, sponsored by Disco Nacional: direction F. Lomuto; Brignolo and Ángel Ramos (b), Esteban Rovati and Enrique Cantore (v), Lacueva (p) and Sciarretta (db).

Carlos Di Sarli for his appearance at the Café Guaraní (1927): César Ginzo and Tito Landó (b), José Pécora and David Abramsky (v), Di Sarli (p) and A. Krauss (db). One month later Héctor Lefalle substituted for Abramsky (v) and Domingo Capurro for A. Krauss (db).
In 1929: Ginzo and Landó (b), Adolfo Muzzi and Roberto Guisado (v), Di Sarli (p) and Capurro (db). The following year Ricardo Gargiulo replaced Landó (b).
In 1932: Roberto Yanitelli and José Otero (b), Guisado and Lefalle (v), Di Sarli (p) and Capurro (db). Later Félix Verdi replaced Yanitelli (b). In 1936 Domingo Goicochea replaced Lefalle (v).



Anselmo Aieta (1927): Aieta and José Navarro (b), Juan D'Arienzo and Juan Cuervo (v), Luis Visca (p) and Alfredo Corleto (db).

Juan Bautista Guido for appearances at the Real and Suipacha movie theaters (1928): Guido and Domingo Plateroti (b), Eugenio Menjoulou and E. Puglisi (v), Pedro Vergez (p), Corleto (db).

José María Rizzuti (1929): José and Francisco Della Rocca (b), Samy Friedenthal and José Cacopardo (v), Rizzuti (p) and Humberto Costanzo (db).

Miguel Caló, for appearance at the Teatro Astral (1929): Miguel and Juan Caló (b), Domingo Varela Conte and Carlos Campanone (v), Orlando Goñi (p) and Rodolfo Duclós (db).

Ferrazzano-Pollero (1929), Agesilao Ferrazzano was the leader: Nicolás Blois and Nicolás D'Abbraccio (b), Alfredo Mazzeo and Nicolás di Masi (v), Julio Pollero (p) and Oscar Roma (db).

Vardaro-Pugliese, for appearance at the Café Nacional (1929): De Franco and Eladio Blanco (b), E. Vardaro and Campanone (v), O. Pugliese (p) and Corleto (db).
In 1930, appearances at the Metropol cinema: Miguel Jurado and Aníbal Troilo (b), Vardaro and Alfredo Gobbi (v), Pugliese (p) and Luis Addesso (db). The following year to appear at the Teatro Politeama, Ciriaco replaced Jurado (b).

Elvino Vardaro, to appear at the Tabarís (1933): Troilo and Jorge Argentino Fernández (b), Vardaro and Hugo Baralis(h) (v), Pascual (p) and Pedro Caracciolo (db). For appearances on radio vocalists were added. They were in different dates: Alfredo Marino, Carlos Lafuente, Guillermo Arbós and Nelly de la Vega.



Juan Polito, to appear at the Café Guaraní (1930): Luis Moresco and Anselmo Esmella (b), Alberto Mercy and Remo Bernasconi (v), Polito (p) and Francisco Vitali (db).

Pugliese-Gobbi (1932): Carlos Angelotti and De Franco (b), Gobbi and Enrique Cantore (v), Pugliese (p) and José Díaz (db).

Alfredo Gobbi, to appear at the Café Buen Orden (1932): Troilo and Alfredo Attadía (b), Gobbi and José Goñi (v), Orlando Goñi (p) and Agustín Furchi (db).
The same year to appear at the Cine Garay: Troilo and Alfredo Calabró (b), Gobbi and J. Goñi (v) Pugliese (p) and Furchi (db).

Manuel Buzón, for his appearances at the Cine Monumental: Troilo and Attadia (b), Gobbi and J. Goñi (v), O .Goñi or Jaime Gosis (p) and Furchi (db).

Joaquín Mora (1933): Ángel Domínguez and Benito Galván (b), Domingo Varela Conte and Armando Angeletti, later Simón Broitman (v), Mora (p) and Furchi (db). Thereafter Calabró replaced Domínguez (b).

Armando Baliotti (1934): Ginzo and Haroldo Ferrero (b), Raúl Kaplún and Domingo Mancuso (v), Baliotti (p) and Addesso (db).

Ciriaco Ortiz (1950): Ciriaco and Scorticati (b), Vardaro and Baralis (v), Gosis (p). We do not remember the double bass player.

Juan Carlos Howard (1952): Máximo Mori and Salvador Cascone (b), Carlos Arnaiz and José Votti (v), Howard (p) and Domingo Donnaruma (db). Vocalists: Alfredo Bermúdez and Marcelo Paz.

Sexteto Tango, in April 1968: Osvaldo Ruggiero and Víctor Lavallén (b), Oscar Herrero and Emilio Balcarce (v), Julián Plaza (p) and Alcides Rossi (db). Singers: Jorge Mariano, Jorge Maciel and Raúl Funes.

Sexteto Mayor, in April 1973: José Libertella and Luis Stazo (b), Fernando Suárez Paz and Reynaldo Nichele (v), Armando Cupo (p) and Omar Murtagh (db). This was the starting lineup of the group which due to withdrawals and deaths had several changes.

In some of the above lineups were mentioned Nicolás Di Masi who died may 18, 1954, member musician of the Orquesta Típica Victor in 1925, who also played with Juan Carlos Bazán and with Julio Pollero in 1928, and Rafael Giovinazzi, pianist and composer, who used to play in the Roberto Firpo orchestra between 1925 and 1930.