Francisco Lomuto
Francisco Lomuto's is a name many of you may not have heard.
It's a shame because his orchestra, even if does not truly belong to the first rank, was an important and popular dance orchestra in its day and left some wonderful recordings.
You can get an idea of his popularity from the number of recordings that he left:
over 950 titles between 1922 and his death in 1950. That's more than double what D'Arienzo managed in the same period.
Lomuto's career closely followed that of his friend and mentor Francisco Canaro. The orchestra he formed had a strong beat and can always be recognised by the characteristic ending of the tangos on a diminshed seventh cadence.
Despite the undisputed fact that Lomuto's final orchestra was technically his best, his music - like that of Donato and in way D'Arienzo - belongs much more to the rhythm of the 30s than it does to the lyricism of the 40s.
Francisco Lomuto on CD
There have been very few reissues of Francisco Lomuto and the tale is mostly - but, happily, not exclusively - one of deleted CDs.
The first Lomuto release on CD was way back in 1995 on the Argentine label Tango Maestro. You won't be surprised to hear that this excellent CD is deleted. It was actually remastered in Japan by JVC (the Japanese Victor Company). The highlights were the milongas Parque Patricios and No Hay Tierra Como La Mía, which have much more bite than Canaro's versions, and the tango Zorro Gris - perhaps the best interpretation on record.
Next came the Lomuto release on the RCA Club series. This was a short CD at only 14 tracks and, yes, also long gone.
Thankfully we now have a really good Lomuto cd on Coleccíon 78rpm.
Like all the discs on this label it has been transferred carefully from 78s in good condition and the fidelity is excellent.
Euro Records have decided not to simply re-release the same material we've heard before but have made their own selection - a mixed blessing. For instance, starting with the milongas, we don't get Parque Patricios and No Hay Tierra Como La Mía; but instead the irresistible slow milonga Que tiempo aquel and a version of the candombe Azabache much heavier on drums and rhythm than the better known recording of Miguel Caló, which feels pretty lightweight by comparison.
Turning to the tangos it's the same story. Nunca más, Si soy así, Mano a mano and Quiero verte una vez más are all here, but Nostalgias and especially Zorro Gris are missing.
Our collection is also easy to continue thanks to this great second cd,
which includes amongst other things the milongas which Euro couldn't find space for first time around.
I want more
There are three Lomuto CDs on El Bandoneón and, despite their limitations, I certainly encourage you to get the first two.
The first of these is worth it just for the wonderful vals Lo que vieron tus ojos
sung a duo by Fernando Díaz and Mercedes Simone.
One of the greatest valses of the whole tango era, and a revelation for 1935.
The second, Amor y Celos (EBCD-80) is a real mixed bag.
Half of this appears to have been lifted from the dear departed CD on Tango Maestro.
Of the other tracks, some are very early recordings of rather poor fidelity, mostly with Charlo on vocals.
There's even a startling cut by Lomuto's Jazz Band - Hay Que Aprender A Bailar (You've Got to Learn To Dance) (recorded on Odeón in 1925) with really excellent fidelity and a hot clarinet solo.
The third mostly presents guardia vieja recordings from 1927-1930 and appears to have been lifted from a Japanese release. If you don't like this period you'll really hate this cd, but if you do, you'll find it a delight.
Where next...
- Back to building a library
- Milonga home page