Tango History Lesson: Osvaldo Pugliese

This week had so many things going on: my birthday, Aaron's birthday, Steve's birthday, Steve and Vicky's wedding, and the anniversary of the death of a great tango composer and musician Osvaldo Pugliese.
This date means something to Alberto and me, because it's when we met, and when Alberto wrote and published a valentine to me and Pugliese in the magazine El Firulete The Argentine Tango Magazine, called "Tangoman and The Dancing Butterfly". Ever since then I have been known in the tango world as La Mariposa (Spanish for The Butterfly).
In addition to being a designer, I am, along with my Alberto, a tango historian and archivist, a published author at large on the subject, and of course, a master teacher of the dance.
We have a great web site Planet Tango HERE
You can read about Pugliese there, and get a sample of his great music too. I never intended Visual Vamp to become a tango blog, but every once in awhile I would like you to indulge me, and let you know about the other very important part of my life.




From the Buenos Aires daily newspaper The Clarin:

The figure of Osvaldo Pugliese that had been robbed last year was replaced on July 25 by the municipal authorities of the City of Buenos Aires at one of the most traditional corners of the neighborhood of Villa Crespo, the intersection of the avenues Corrientes and Scalabrini Ortiz with Luis Maria Dragon tree. The ceremony counted on the participation of Lidia Elman, widow of Pugliese; the Minister of Culture, Hernán Lombardi, and scores of neighbors who in addition, enjoyed the performance of the guitars trio of Horacio Avilano and the Imperial Typical Orchestra. Lombardi emphasized that the repair of the monument "is to make amends for the memory of Pugliese after the act of vandalism which a year ago." The act was carried out in coincidence with 13th anniversary of the death of the author of "the Yumba". "To replace this monument it is to do what people wanted", affirmed the Minister of Culture. And he added: "we are going to continue honoring the members of our culture".
http://www.clarin.com/diario/2008/07/25/um/m-01723436.htm

Alberto and I were fortunate enough to be in Buenos Aires for the opening ceremony when the monument was unvelied to the public. So we are very happy to see it restored, and will visit it again in October when we take a group of students and dancers to Buenos Aires on a guided tour.