Tango y Cultura Popular ® English Edition TyCP Special | Page 10

Cabaret
Chantecler
In the nineteen twenties, the so-called “Guardia
Vieja” had imposed a new concept inside the
musical genre called Tango; this evolution
developed thanks to academic musicians with
Pedro Laurenz
solid understandings; that gave Tango a new
would later
cadence and a more elegant rhythm. At last,
replace Petrocelli. the porteña society accepted this music that,
being born in the slums, was now the downtown
An amazing
queen. Buenos Aires was in need of a special
sextet. That night, place, to offer variety shows to an increasingly
De Caro presents demanding audience, where Tango could be the
the tango Buen
main attraction. For this purpose, in 1924 the
Chantecler Cabaret is created, located on 440
Amigo in honor
Paraná St, between Corrientes Ave. and Lavalle
of Dr. Enrique
St.
Finochietto,
his personal
friend, renowned
professional and
regular attendee.
The opening night was adorned with the
performance of Julio De Caro and his orchestra,
one of the main promoters of this new Tango
age. The orchestra was formed by De Caro as
leading violin, Emilio, his brother as second
violin, Francisco De Caro, another brother on
the piano, Ruperto Thompson on double bass
and two bandoneón players: Luis Petrocelli and
Pedro Maffia. Pedro Laurenz would later replace
Petrocelli. An amazing sextet. That night, De
Caro presents the tango Buen Amigo in honor
of Dr. Enrique Finochietto, his personal friend,
renowned professional and regular attendee.
Giovanna Ritana, also known as Jeannette,
was married to Juan or Amadeo Garesio, an
immigrant from Corsica Island, whom, it was
said, owned several brothels. This couple ran the
Chantecler, probably the most famous cabaret in
Buenos Aires. There were jugglers, magicians,
acrobats, and all kinds of variety showmen acts,
it was as a circus inside a high-class pub. The
room was considerably large, with tables where
people sat to watch the show, a space reserved
for dancing, its corresponding bar room, and
the stage, where artists performed. There
were also VIP boxes around the hall, similar
to those in theaters; a detail which denoted
the hierarchy of the place. These were very
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