Networked Musicians: Canaro – Di Cicco – Demare

Every tango enthusiast recognizes the importance of Francisco Canaro and Lucio Demare. The former was instrumental in the development of the orquesta típica and contributed probably more than anyone else to the international dissemination and success of tango. The latter—as a composer of tangos such as “Malena”, “Mañana zarpa un barco”, “Telón”, and many other well-known pieces—has left us a large body of compositions that have been a mainstay of the standard repertoire ever since. There are also musicians, however, whose names are not immediately recognized by tango aficionados because their position was not as prominent. Their influence, however, was nevertheless significant. One of these musicians was Enrique “Minotto” di Cicco, an outstanding bandoneonist, orchestra director and composer who greatly influenced Canaro and Demare and thus contributed to tango history.

I. "Canaro's Bandoneon"

Enrique “Minotto” Di Cicco (1898-1979) grew up in Montevideo. At age 12, he started to learn the piano but soon switched to the accordion. With this instrument he performed for the first time professionally. At a the piano sat Carlos Warren, who became later one of the prominent orchestra leaders in Montevideo. Di Cicco then took up the bandoneon, which played publicly first two years later with a new ensemble that he had founded himself. The first recordings, which brought him in contact with music scene in Buenos Aires, were soon to follow.

Minotto Di Cicco, without date.

The first documented contact between Di Cicco and Canaro occurred in 1917 at the often-cited carnival concerts in Rosario, for which Francisco Canaro and Roberto Firpo had united their orchestras. Among the musicians were Di Cicco and Osvaldo Fresedo. In an interview in 1976, Fresedo, a renowned bandoneonist himself, remembered the former as one of the musicians he most admired.

Line-up: Roberto Firpo and José Martínez (piano); Eduardo Arolas, Osvaldo Fresedo, Minotto Di Cicco, Pedro Polito and Bachicha D'Ambroggio (bandoneon); Francisco Canaro, Agesilao Ferrrazzano, Tito Roccatagliatta, Julio Doutry and A. Scotti (violin); Juan Carlos Bazán (clarinet); Alejandro Michetti (flute); Leopoldo Thompson (double bass). (Line-up compiled by José María Otero, "Tangos al bardo") It is sometimes stated that Di Cicco participated only in 1918, when he replaced Osvaldo Fresedo.

The concerts were a great success and were scheduled again in the following year. Di Cicco's collaboration with Canaro would continue for several decades, but before the mid-thirties it was not continuous. At first, Di Cicco pursued his own goals in Montevideo. In 1921 he founded another orchestra with which he made recordings for Victor in the year following. The brothers Julio and Francisco De Caro had joined his orchestra at that time.

The Orquesta Francisco Canaro, 1920. Left to right: Julio "El Francés" Doutry, Violin; Minotto di Cicco, Bandoneon; Francisco Canaro, Violin, Juan Canaro, Bandoneon; José Martínez, Piano

In 1923, Di Cicco moved back to Buenos Aires. He collaborated occasionally with Canaro but also worked on many independent projects for theaters, radio, and recording companies. Julio De Caro, Juan Carlos Cobián, and Osvaldo Fresedo were among the other musicians he frequently performed with.

Orquesta típica Francisco Canaro, ca. 1928. (Di Cicco third from the right, Canaro third from the left)

The association with Canaro became closer after 1932. Slowly but surely Di Cicco became a fixture in the orchestra. Canaro's entrepreneurial spirit was almost boundless and was not limited to sound recordings. He experimented with large orchestras (tango sinfónico) and small ensembles (“Quinteto Pirincho“) and, in addition, wrote and produced music for theatrical musical comedies, films, and radio broadcasts.

Canaro and his orchestra in Montevideo (1942) at the occasion of a singer's competition held at Radio Belgrano.

Taller than most of his colleagues (perhaps 1,70m?) and suffering from alopecia, Di Cicco (siting to the right of Canaro) Di Cicco is easily recognized.

First from the left: Eduardo Adrián, the winner of the competition. Third from the left: the singer Carlos Roldán, the organizer of the competition.

(Photo: Colección Carlos Aguiar. Author: S.d. Centro de Fotografía de Montevideo) 

The fact that Di Cicco not only became a fixture of the large orchestra but also of the quintet, and that he proved to be one of Canaro's closest musical collaborators for decades bespeaks the great esteem as a musician in which he was held. No one else could be called “Canaro's bandoneon” more aptly.

Canaro and his orchestra during a radio recording (1959)

II. Off to Paris

Before Canaro embarked on his two-year sojourn to Paris in 1925, his orquesta típica performed at the cabaret “El Tabarís” in Buenos Aires. Alternating with Canaro's group was the jazz orchestra of Adolfo Carabelli (possibly under the name of “River Jazz Band”). Di Cicco played in Canaro's orchestra, and a talented sixteen-year-old was the pianist for Carabelli: Lucio Demare.

Demare had been working as a pianist in movie theaters since he was nine years old. He accompanied the silent movies and during intermissions played opera excerpts, songs, a bit of everything but tango for the entertainment of the audience. At age fourteen, he began to play jazz and soon joined the orchestra of Nicolás Verona at the “Cine Real” (in which Juan D'Arienzo played the violin). When playing at “El Tabarís” with Carabelli and hearing Canaro's orchestra every night, he became interested in tango. His teacher became no other than Minotto Di Cicco—but this was not without problems. Canaro did not like to see his musicians socializing with those of other orchestras. Therefore, Demare and Di Cicco had to wait until Canaro had left. The lessons took place after three o'clock in the morning when the show at the cabaret had ended. Only then could they get together and Di Cicco show Demare how to play tango with the right rhythm and phrasing.

When Canaro organized his second concert tour to Paris in 1926, he hired Demare's father, the violinist Domingo Demare, for the orchestra. Lucio asked to take him along as a pianist. Canaro did not think the pianist from the jazz orchestra could play tango, but Demare said he liked it and was learning. Apparently Canaro could not find another pianist and decided to take the “novice” along to Paris. It was the beginning of a long and fruitful collaboration that continued for years when both Canaro and Demare had returned to Buenos Aires.

III. Interlude

Demare got along well with Canaro, whom he described as a “very tough guy”, but being serious, responsible, and having a perspective. (The musicians of the orchestra called Canaro by his nickname, “Pirincho”, but for his brothers, he was only the “Kaiser”.) “Canaro et sa Symphony” performed for a few weeks in Paris. Then Canaro returned to Buenos Aires, but the orchestra, now lead by his brothers, remained in Paris. The orchestra worked a lot in Paris and earned very good money. Demare was able to bring his mother to Paris and rent an apartment for her, and to buy a car which he could hardly use, however, since he was working all the time.

1927 Canaro returned to Paris as a tourist, accompanied by two singers from Buenos Aires, Agustín Irusta and Roberto Fugazo, that he hoped employ in Paris. His brothers had left trying to arrange performances for the orchestra in Spain. Demare, worrying about the uncertain prospects for the orchestra, teamed up with Irusta and Fugazo to form his group. His younger brother Lucas joined them as a bandoneonist. They travelled for several years through Spain, Cuba, and South America, but it was difficult to make a living with tango in these countries. Eventually the group dissolved and Demare returned to Buenos Aires in 1935. His brother Lucas remained in Spain to learn the film business. He went on to become one of Argentina's best-known film directors.

IV. Back to Buenos Aires

After his return to Buenos Aires, Lucio Demare worked again for Canaro, who had expanded his field of activity to the theater and, in 1935, began producing films. Demare wrote orchestrations for Canaro's musical comedies and conducted the orchestra in the theater. He also contributed to the music of Canaro's next film, “Ya tiene comisario al pueblo” (1936).

With the outbreak of the Spanish civil war in 1936, Lucas Demare returned to Buenos Aires. Lucio was able to procure him work at Canaro's film studio, the “Estudios Río de la Plata”. In the following year Lucas directed his first film, “Dos amigos y un amor”. Both Canaro and Lucio Demare wrote the music for it. Even more, both made also an appearance in the film: Canaro as the conductor of his orchestra and Demare as its pianist. Inevitably, Minotto Di Cicco, who by now had become Canaro's first bandoneonist, appeared in it, too.

Two scenes from "Dos amigos y un amor". Left: Roberto Maida sings "Cuando el corazon", with Canaro at the conductor's stand, and Di Cicco to his right. (Demare sat to the left outside of the picture frame.) Right: Demare at the piano.

V. Epilogue

In 1938, after the release of the film, Demare founded his own orchestra, which for ten years counted among the best of Buenos Aires. He later remembered these years, which largely fell into the period of the “golden forties” of tango, as the most satisfactory of his life.

Canaro assembled in 1938 the „Quinteto Don Pancho“. This small ensemble—consisting of two violins, a bandoneon, piano, and double bass—was created exclusively for recordings. Two years later in was renamed „Quinteto Pirincho“. Minotto Di Cicco was the regular bandoneonist of the group and was only rarely substituted by another player. The recordings of this ensemble continued until Canaro's death in 1964.

Canaro and the Quinteto Pirincho (ca. 1940)